Dear Editor,
Apropos your editorial, “Conserve forest” (July 9, 2018), India needs to speedily implement 2006 Forest Rights Act and do what China has done. China has given direct rights of over 100m hectares of forest area to its traditional inhabitants, which helped it reduce poverty and protect environment. In our country, community rights have been recognised only in less than three per cent of the forest area. It has been seen in those area that making traditional inhabitants managers of their forest land not only improves their lives but betters the environment as well.
Yours,
Sujit De, Kolkata