Our colleagues Hamza and Sanjana participated in a two-day workshop on ‘Recognition of Forest Rights in the Protected Areas & Reserved Forests in Madhya Pradesh’ organised by SRUTI (Society for Rural & Urban Tribal Initiative) held at Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh. The event was attended by around 40 participants from different regions of the State. PART III team members assisted in the workshop by summarising laws and judicial decisions that impact the rights of adivasis and forest-dwelling communities.They emphasised the need for awareness about legal developments, including recent legislative amendments, so that communities may effectively participate in advocacy on forest issues. Towards this end, they also circulated materials summarising forest rights including procedural and substantive rights that govern the demarcation of forests, individual and community forest rights as well as rights at the time of demarcation of an area as a tiger reserve. The meeting concluded with regional-level presentations where community leaders from the region identified common issues and outlined avenues for future collaboration.
