Key Facts

A Bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta held that commercial crop cultivation in reserve forests, such as the extensive silk cotton (ilavam panju) farming in the Agasthyamalai reserve, is not protected by the Forest Rights Act, 2006, and asked the Central Empowered Committee to examine Tamil Nadu's view that silk cotton is a minor forest produce. The Forest Rights Act, 2006 recognises the rights of forest-dwelling Scheduled Tribes and other traditional forest dwellers who depend on forests for their livelihood. The Agasthyamalai Biosphere Reserve, spread across Tamil Nadu and Kerala, joined UNESCO's World Network of Biosphere Reserves in 2016.

GK Context

The Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006, commonly called the Forest Rights Act, recognises individual and community rights over forest land for those who have resided there and depended on it for livelihood for three generations prior to 13 December 2005. The Central Empowered Committee (CEC) is a Supreme Court-constituted body that examines forest and wildlife-related matters. A 'minor forest produce' under the Act includes non-timber items such as bamboo, honey, and plant-based produce traditionally collected by forest dwellers, as distinct from large-scale commercial agriculture.