Forests and Ecological History of Assam

About this book

This book presents a comprehensive account of the transformation of Assam's forests and ecology from the colonial times to the present. It examines the role of British intervention and imperial forestry practices highlighting the changes in traditional resource utilization patterns. The volume explores the question of law and conservation; role of institutions and organizations; and the changing role of the forests in imperial economy. It shows how current ecological conflicts are intricately located in the colonial era when forests, land and resource based conflicts began to take new shape.

The author also discusses plantations, silvicultural practices, questions of protection and regeneration; and livelihood practices. He shows how the making of forest policy in the post-colonial period was defined more by the complexities of the political matrix. The book also engages with public debates surrounding ecology and environment and examines changes in conservation practices after the 1980 Act.

Contents

PREFACE; INTRODUCTION; 1. Mapping and Imagining Forests: From Mercantilism to Imperial Forestry; 2. Conservation, Spatial Order, and New Landscape; 3. Regional Forest: Institutions and Organizations; 4. Forests in Assam: Merchant Trade to Imperial Economy; 5. Science in the Forests: Rethinking Conservation; 6. From Game to Wildlife Conservation: Redefining Conservation; 7. Livelihood Practices and Dynamics of Forest Conservation; 8. The Political Forests; SELECT BIBLIOGRAPHY; INDEX

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