| The study examines Indian deforestation in the post-independence economic and political context, incorporating historical analyses of colonial and pre-colonial influences on India's contemporary forest resources problems. The author takes issue with popular explanations of Indian deforestation, which attribute the problem almost exclusively to either population or industrial pressures. In contrast, the study demonstrates that the development goals, strategies, and policies pursued by India in the decades since its independence have been the main factors promoting contemporary deforestation. Examining the role of forestry in India's development illustrates that post-independence development strategies have structured India's forest policy, forest management and philosophy, and land use practices. In addition, the social forestry programs designed to address India's forest resources problems and fuelwood shortages have been captured by the industrial emphasis inherent in India's development planning and natural resource policies. Consequently, population and industrial pressures which could have been managed rationally created dire environmental problems across the Indian landscape. |
