In News:

• The Coimbatore District Collector, granted community and individual forest rights under the Forest Rights Act, 2006, to tribal settlements in the Anamalai Tiger Reserve (ATR) on December 6, 2024.These rights were handed over to three tribal settlements and 14 families at a function in Coimbatore.

Key Highlights:

• Community Forest Rights:
  • Three tribal settlements in ATR—Nagaroothu I, Nagaroothu II, and Chinnarpathi—were granted community rights.
  • These rights allow the settlements to collect forest produce excluding timber, such as mango, amla, honey, tamarind, and grass for making brooms.

• Individual Forest Rights:
  • Individual rights were granted to 14 families from the Old Sarkarpathy tribal settlement.
  • The families had requested these rights for traditional cultivation practices passed down by their ancestors.
  • The individual rights were approved after the recommendation of a sub-divisional committee and scrutiny by a district-level committee.

• About the Forest Rights Act (FRA), 2006:
  • Purpose: The FRA was enacted to address historical injustices faced by forest-dwelling communities and ensure their livelihood and food security.
  • Key Provisions:
    • Individual Rights: Self-cultivation, habitation, and in-situ rehabilitation.
    • Community Rights: Access to grazing, fishing, water bodies in forests, and protection of traditional knowledge and customary rights.
  • Eligibility: Rights can be claimed by any community or individual who has lived in the forest for at least three generations (75 years) before December 13, 2005.
  • Critical Wildlife Habitats: The Act mandates that critical wildlife habitats in national parks and sanctuaries remain inviolate for wildlife conservation.

• Authorities Involved in Vesting Forest Rights:
  • Gram Sabha: Initiates the process for determining the nature and extent of rights.
  • Sub-Divisional Level Committee: Examines resolutions passed by the Gram Sabha.
  • District Level Committee: Grants final approval for forest rights.

• Challenges with Forest Rights Implementation:
  • The Xaxa Committee pointed out several challenges in the implementation of the FRA, such as:
    • Arbitrary rejection of claims.
    • Lack of deadlines for claims processing.
    • Unaddressed rights of communities displaced by development projects.

• About Anamalai Tiger Reserve:
  • Located in the Anamalai Hills of Pollachi and Coimbatore District, Tamil Nadu, at an altitude of 1,400 meters.
  • Established as a tiger reserve in 2007, it is surrounded by multiple protected areas like the Parambikulam Tiger Reserve, Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary, and Eravikulam National Park.

• Biodiversity in Anamalai Tiger Reserve:
  • Habitats: The reserve contains wet evergreen forests, semi-evergreen forests, moist deciduous forests, dry deciduous forests, and unique habitats like montane grasslands and marshy grasslands.
  • Flora: The reserve is home to around 2,500 species of angiosperms, including species like balsam, orchids, and wild relatives of cultivated crops such as mango, jackfruit, cardamom, and pepper.
  • Fauna: It supports various wildlife species, including tigers, Asiatic elephants, sambars, spotted deer, leopards, jackals, and jungle cats.