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 Wyanad
is not an isolated case. Forest communities across India, whose lives have been
inseparably tied to forests for centuries, are being dispossessed of their
homes,livelihoods and their rights over resources through policing and policy. It has been
a continuous fight for existence for about 500 million of the poorest of the poor.
The third CSE Media Fellowships on ‘Forests as Habitat’ (July 1,
2003-July 31, 2003) is an attempt to investigate the truth about forests in the country,
and talk about the lives and livelihoods of the communities living in and around them.
It seeks to address some crucial questions:
what are forests for? To whom do they belong? People? Wildlife? Governments? Who has the
right to live in and manage them? Who degrades them? Which direction is forest policy in
the country headed? Why have forests become battlegrounds? Can forests be used to generate
and sustain livelihoods of the people living in them?
| F O R E S T S |
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Ten
journalists from across the country have been awarded CSE's fellowships to untangle the conflicting
interests, contested claims and contentious issues. They
have commenced work on their projects beginning July 1, 2003.
1. Geetartha Pathak: Assistant editor of Guwahati (Assam)-based daily Asam Bani,
Geetartha has 17 years of experience as a mediaperson and writes in English and Assamese.
Geetartha’s area of focus under the fellowships is the Supreme Court ban on forest
activities and the impact that it has had on forest-dwelling communities in Assam. He will
take a critical look at the situation six years after the ban.
2. K V Sudhakaran: Chief reporter of Deshabhimani,
the Malayalam daily, at Kottayam (Kerala), Sudhakaran will examine which way Kerala’s
forest management practices and policies are headed. In the process, he will try to
unearth instances of how tribals are making efforts to build a sustainable future in and
around Idukki, Palakkad and Muthunga – with or without official help. Sudhakaran has
16 years of experience.
3. N Satyajeet: News editor of Imphal’s (Manipur) Manipur
Mail, Satyajeet writes in English and has five years of experience. He will be writing
about the survival strategies of Manipur’s forest-dwelling communities – about
protection of resources, benefit-sharing among communities, economic impacts of community
forest management and about traditional practices.
4. P Balakoteshwara Rao: Metro bureau chief of The Times
of India, Hyderabad (Andhra Pradesh), Balakoteshwara Rao has 15 years of experience.
His area of focus is joint forest management (JFM) in the state – particularly around
Adilabad, Visakhapatnam and Srikakulam (the Eastern Ghats region). Andhra Pradesh was
among the first to implement JFM and Balakoteshwara Rao will report on the state of JFM
after 14 years of its existence.
5. Poran Bisht: Nainital (Uttaranchal)-based freelance
reporter who has published regularly for the past six years in Jansatta, Pahar,
Nainital Samachar and a host of other Hindi publications, Poran will report on the
status of hundreds of Van Panchayats created over the years in the Kumaon region
– specifically in Nainital and Almora districts.
6. Rajeev Katara: Freelancer Rajeev Kumar Katara (Delhi)
holds 18 years of experience with several mainstream Hindi publications, including Hindustan
Samachar, Dainik Jagaran, Rashtriya Sahara and Amar Ujala. His area of focus
will be the joint forest management initiatives in Madhya Pradesh in the context of the
impending elections in the state. He will write specifically on the districts of Balaghat,
Harda and Betul.
7. Ratan Kumar Pani: Staff correspondent with The New
Indian Express at Rourkela (Orissa), Ratan holds 10 years of experience. He will
conduct an in-depth study of Orissa’s non-timber forest produce (NTFP) policy,
keeping in mind the distinction that the state government has made between NTFP and minor
forest produce. He will also look at community forest management initiatives and their
contribution to the state’s economy.
8. Riyaz Ahmad Wani: Chief sub-editor of Srinagar (Jammu
& Kashmir) daily Greater Kashmir, Riyaz will look closely at the state’s
infamous militant-timber smuggler-politician nexus in Baramullah, Srinagar and Kupwara and
examine the direction that the state’s forest management policy and practices are
taking. Riyaz writes in English and has seven years of experience.
9. Salam Rajesh: Freelance journalist and photographer
Salam Rajesh works in Imphal (Manipur), contributes regularly to Imphal Free Press
and has 13 years of experience behind him. Salam will focus on community initiatives to
protect forests by the Tangkhul villagers of Ukhrul.
10. Vasavi: Freelance writer Vasavi, who is based in Ranchi
(Jharkhand), has contributed to dailies such as Prabhat Khabar for 16 years. For
the fellowships, she will examine and report on the state government’s efforts to
control the local mundari-khuntkatti system of forest management, and the impacts
these efforts might have on community initiatives to protect forests and their resources
in Jharkhand.
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