The Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006 recognizes which type of rights for forest-dwelling communities?
- Only individual cultivation rights
- Only community conservation rights
- Both individual and community forest rights
- Only rights to minor forest produce
Answer: Both individual and community forest rights
Forest Rights Act (FRA), 2006: Recognizes: (a) Individual rights: land under cultivation, habitat, minor forest produce, (b) Community rights: grazing, fishing, water bodies, traditional seasonal resource access, habitat for PVTGs, (c) Rights to protect/ conserve/manage community forest resources. Aims to correct historical injustice to forest dwellers; balances conservation with livelihood security. Implementation challenges: delayed recognition, conflicting claims, bureaucratic hurdles.