In order to protect the wildlife in their natural habitats and implement the provisions contained in the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, relocation of people from the protected areas has been more apparently since the last 3-4 decades. On one hand, rehabilitation of people from the forests promotes the wilderness in the forests and strengthens our conservation actions and on the other hand provides with the better livelihood opportunities to the forest dwelling people.
Spread within the lap of Shivalik foothills and vast upper Gangetic plains, the Rajaji National Park constitutes an important repository of the wild flora and fauna and is the last refuge of a number of threatened animal species. The park has been considered as the northwestern distribution range of some of the threatened species like tigers and elephants. Gujjars are a transhumant pastoral community, who arrived in the Shivalik foothills from the then State of Jammu & Kashmir now a Union Territory) some two centuries ago. Gradually, over the years their population spread across the ranges of the States of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh. At the onset of spring, when most of the leaves of the trees in various parts of the Shivaliks begin, Gujjars embarks on an epic journey in the Himalaya along with their buffaloes in search of best pasturelands. Each family gets a permit from the forest authorizes to live in a particular forest for about six months.
The attempts to relocate Gujjars from the Rajaji National Park were initially made in the year 1984 by State Government but the programme could not be succeeded because of non-participation of Gujjars in the programme. Thereafter, with the integrated efforts of Central and State Governments, Non-Government Organizations and institutions, the relocation was actually started in the year 1996, when the first family of the Gujjars was shifted to one of the rehabilitation sites from the park. At the time of commencement of the relocation, most of the families were not interested to come forward with the society and live urban life. Subsequently, when the implementation process caught speed and when some families left the forests and started living in the rehabilitation settlements, Gujjars learnt about the benefits of urban life, especially in terms of education, medicare and basic infrastructure facilities.
Of the 1393 families residing in terms of education, medicare and basic infrastructure facilities. Of the 1393 families residing in the park, 1379 have been relocated to rehabilitation sites and presently only 14 families of Gujjars are remaining in the Rajaji National Park (one in Ramgarh and 13 in Gohri forest ranges).
Chapter six of the book precisely describes about some of the aspects of the Gujjars' indigenous knowledge; indeed, such lessons could be considered during the formulation of working plans of the protected areas. Chapter seven explores the impact of rehabilitation of Gujjars on the group size of the elephants. However, Chapter eight represents some of the case studies on role of the communities in forest and wildlife conservation in different parts of the country.
Considering the traditional rights and ownership of the forest dwelling communities and conservation of our natural habitats, the forests and wildlife, it is important to prepare a framework for convergence and implementation of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 and the Forest Rights Act, 2006, involving all the stakeholders.
Indigenous communities have been sustaining in the forests since centuries without harming the biological diversity. The exemplary role played by the tribal people in wildlife protection is laudable. Indigenous people are also considered as the custodians of their land and forest. For generations, thousands of peoples are living in forests in harmony with nature, managing and protecting a wide range of biological resources. Environment stewardship leads them to think about the sustainable use of biological resources and ensuring their active participation in natural resource management that caters ecosystem functions and services.
In the recent years with the increase in the cover of the protected areas and implementation of conservation actions across the country, conflicts between the governments and local people have increased considerably. Attempts made by the governments to relocate the communities living in the forests since time immemorial made the people hostile and it has increased the conflict. However, in order to make the relocation process easy and sustainable, the Government of India has initiated the process of voluntary relocation under which a package of relocation has been earmarked.
Gujjars (Van Gujjars) are a transhumant pastoral community who sustained in the parts of the Central Himalaya and northwestern Shivalik landscape since about last two centuries. Rajaji National Park, a north Indian protected habitat, which is a natural home to several endangered wild species, sustained the Gujjars for over the decades. As part of their traditional culture, the Gujjars migrate to the high pasturelands, locally called 'Bugyals' with the herds of buffaloes at the beginning of summer, and at the onset of winter, they start returning to the foothills of the Shivaliks. In order to implement the provisions as stated in the Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972 and to provide the Gujjars with improved livelihood opportunities, a rehabilitation programme for Gujjars was initiated in 1980s. It took almost about 40 years to resettle them to an urban environment from the forest life.
A total of 1393 families were residing in the park area before the year 1996, of which 1379 families have already been relocated to two rehabilitation sites, namely Pathri and Gaindikhatta till the year 2017. Now only 14 families of the Gujjars are remaining in the Rajaji National Park, which need to be relocated. Though, resettlement of people to new locations and the subsequent reconstruction of the societal life is a time taking process, but it facilitates the people to strengthen the socio-economic context and in sustaining with the urban society.
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