“Development” definitions of internally displaced people and the government: A study of the Chenchu tribe in the Nallamala forest of southern India

Abstract

The Government of India’s twin objectives of protecting the tiger population in the Nallamala forest and providing “development” to the indigenous Chenchu people have resulted in an ongoing process of displacement of the Chenchu people from the forest to the town fringes. While the conservation-displacement nexus has bridged new anthropocentric pathways for development, it has also created deeper crevices in the innate relationships of the Chenchu with the forests and tigers. The research uses a bottom-up approach to present on-the-ground realities of conservation and development policies of the Indian Government and the Chenchu people, particularly, the Chenchu’s development expectations, relationship with the forest and tigers, and displacement views as well as the government’s tiger conservation objectives, development promises, and perspectives on Chenchu development and forest conservation. The paper is a comparative study of the definitions of “development” held by the internally displaced Chenchu people and the Indian government representatives of the Integrated Tribal Development Agency and the Nagarjunasagar Srisailam Tiger Reserve, and the local non-government organizations that collaborate with the Government.

Influence of ecological restoration initiatives on emotional bonds between indigenous peoples and the Chinese alligator

“…For example, Stoffle found that by respecting the sovereignty of the Skokomish Indian people and involving the tribes in watershed management, tribal cultures could be fully utilised in restoring channel-maintaining flows and salmon populations (Stoffle, 2022). Jinka et al found that indigenous people, government representatives, and local nongovernmental organisations had different perceptions of tiger conservation and economic development (Jinka and Hoffman, 2023). The key to achieving balanced development of nature reserves is promoting cooperation and communication between all parties.…”