EVENTS CONVENT H. SCHOOL
24/02/2021 Class-9 SLOT-2
History
Chapter-14
Forest society and colonialism
_______________________________________
Question-1Discuss
how the changes in forest management in the colonial period affected the
following groups of people:
Solution: (a) Shifting Cultivators: Shifting cultivation was a traditional
agricultural practice in many parts of Asia, Africa, and South America. Parts
of the forest are cut and burnt in rotation. After the first monsoon rains,
seeds are sown in the ashes, and crops are cultivated. Cultivation is continued
for a couple of years. Then the forest is allowed to grow in the area for 12 to
18 years. Then they are cut and burnt once more. This rotation is called
Shifting cultivation.
(b) Nomadic and Pastoralist Communities: Nomadic
and pastoralist communities moved about in the mountains and deserts and in the
plains and plateaus of India and Africa. The pastoralist communities formed an
important part of the population in both countries during the Colonial era.
When the Colonial government established control over the forests it affected
the pastoralist communities in a big way.
The pastoralist
communities always moved from place to place with their cattle. When forests
were destroyed by the government to expand agriculture, the Nomads lost grazing
fields for their cattle. This brought a lot of hardship to the pastoralist
communities.
(c) Firms
Trading in Timber/Forest Produce :Large expanses of forests were cut for timber
and forest produce. The Colonial Government was worried about this reckless
felling of trees. It passed the Indian Forest Act in 1865. This Act was amended
in the year 1878. Under this amendment the forests were divided into 3
categories, – reserved, protected and village forests. Villagers and local
firms trading in timber and forest produce could not take anything from the reserved
or protected forests which had the best trees. This affected the traders
immensely.
(d) Plantation
Owners :Vast areas of forests were given to European Planters, at a very cheap
rate by the Colonial government. Natural forests were cleared to cultivate tea
coffee and rubber trees. There was a great demand for these commodities in
Europe. These plantations were fenced off and others were not allowed inside.
(e)
Kings/British Officials engaged in Shikar :Forest laws banned hunting of deer,
partridges, and small animals. People who lived near the forests were deprived
of their livelihood and food because of this ban. Contrary to this ban hunting
of big animals like the tiger, leopard and wolves became a sport for the kings
and the British.
Question-2What
are the similarities between the colonial management of the forests in Bastar
and in Java?
Solution:The similarities between the colonial management of forests in Bastar
and in Java are as follows.
Colonial management in Bastar: In 1905, the colonial government proposed to
reserve 2/3 of the forests, stop shifting cultivation, hunting and collection
of forest produce.
The villagers
were suffering from increased rents and demand for free labour and goods by
colonial officials.
In Java,
villagers were punished for grazing cattle, transporting goods without permit
or travelling on forest roads.
The Dutch
needed labour to cut trees, transport logs and prepare sleepers. They introduced
the blcmdongdiensten system. According to this system, they first introduced
rents on land being cultivated in the forest and then some villages were
exempted from paying rent, if they worked collectively to provide free labour
and buffaloes for cutting and transporting timber. It was similar to ‘forest
villages’.
Question-3 Between 1880 and 1920, forest cover in the Indian subcontinent
declined by 9.7 million hectares, from 108.6 million hectares to 98.9 million
hectares. Discuss the role of the following factors in this decline:
Solution:Railways The expansion of the railways became a necessity as trade and
transportation increased. Wood was needed as fuel to run the steam locomotives.
Wood was also needed to lay railway line sleepers, which held the tracks
together. So, forests were destroyed to provide the wood needed for the
expansion of the railways.
Shipbuilding :The
British Government needed huge ships for its Royal Navy. Ships are built of
strong, durable timber. When the oak forests in England began to disappear the
British attacked the forest resources in India.
Agricultural
expansion:As the population increased over the centuries, demand for food also
increased. To meet the increased demand for food more land had to be
cultivated. If more land had to be cultivated, forests had to be destroyed and
brought under the plough. So, forests were cleared to meet agricultural
expansion.
Commercial
farming:During the Colonial period the demand for commercial crops like jute ,
sugar, wheat and cotton increased. Europe needed more food grain for its
growing population and more raw material for its growing industrial production.
So, forests were destroyed to enable commercial farming.
Tea/Coffee
plantations: Vast areas of forests were given to European Planters, at a very
cheap rate by the Colonial government. Natural forests were cleared to cultivate
tea and coffee as there was a great demand for these commodities in Europe.
The Adivasis
were hired by the forest department, during the colonial period to cut trees
and make sleepers for the railways. But the Adivasis were not allowed to cut
trees to build their own houses.
Question-4Why
are forests affected by wars?
Solution:The
wars affected the forests. The First World War and Second World War left a deep
impact on the forests. The working plans were given up and trees cut to fulfil
the war needs. In Java, just before the Japanese attacked the Island, the Dutch
followed ‘a scorched earth’ policy destroyed sawmills and burnt huge piles of
teak wood. When the Japanese, came to Java, they exploited the forests for
their own needs.
