Forest Ecology in India

Book excerpt: Forest Ecology in India: Colonial Maharashtra 1850-1950 takes a look at the human interactions that have shaped up the ecosystem specifically of Maharashtra, under the British colonial rule. This work is a culmination of extensive analysis of secondary sources and numerous archival primary sources including vernacular material hitherto unexamined from the perspective of Environmental History. It traces the evolution of political, socio-cultural and religious attitudes and administrative policies that had an impact on the forest ecology of Maharashtra. The study goes beyond a chronological narrative of events and it adopts a fresh approach where it examines the impact of the forest policies and subsequent responses from the tribals, peasants and artisans. It looks at landmark events and struggles that shaped the resistance to the new environmental and forest laws as well as the spillover of these developments into the anti-colonial struggles of the early twentieth century. This book would be of interest to students of Environmental History and Environmental Justice.