ABSTRACT
Chapter Four and Five, give a brief 'environmental history' 1 of Duars, and focus on issues related to the forests and the changes of rule in the forests and their effects upon the lives of the Rabhas. 2 Two significant and dramatic ruptures are central: First and foremost the British annexation of Duars in 1864–65, which resulted in a devastating depletion of the jungle and its conversion into tea plantations and reserved forests under the regime of 'scientific forestry'. This is dealt with in Chapter Four. The second rupture is the contemporary situation related to large-scale illegal fellings which started in the late 1970s and gained momentum during the 1980s. Simultaneously there was a growing all-Indian and international concern for the preservation of jungles and wildlife. This concern took concrete form in the establishment of the Buxa Tiger Reserve and greater attention to the already existing Jaldapara Sanctuary, and was expressed more generally as a concern to halt the destruction of Duars forest. This rupture can be described as a shift from the revenue based forestry, introduced by the British, to a new regime of wildlife conservation. A central concept for this new regime is 'ecodevelopment'. After an initial experimental phase, the World Bank is now initiating a larger investment in ecodevelopment programmes in India in which the Buxa Reserve is singled out as one of the project areas. This is dealt with in Chapter Five. I believe, it makes sense to interpret these two historical ruptures as a first and a second colonisation, both of which alienated the Rabha from their forests and put the very survival of the community at risk. But as a new political space is opening up internationally for indigenous peoples, and the increased global interest and presence in the forest may also empower rather than alienate people like the Rabha.
