Forest resource dependence, livelihood vulnerability and poverty reduction among the Lodha PVTG: A human–environment geographical study of Jhargram and Paschim Medinipur districts, West Bengal
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: The Lodha community, which is classified as a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG) in West Bengal, has maintained a very complex and dynamic interaction with the forest eco-systems of Jangalmahal area over the years. Classified as a hunting-gathering forest-based tribal community in the past, Lodhas have been marginalized socio-economically owing to their dispossession from the forest areas following colonial forest acts like the Indian Forest Act, 1865 and Criminal Tribes Act, 1871. The current report analyzes the dependency of the community on forest resources, factors that make their livelihood vulnerable and the effectiveness of poverty alleviation measures. The findings reveal that despite legal constraints and a move towards cultivation and wage employment, forests continue to be an important safety net for Lodha people who derive subsistence from gathering forest products like food, herbal medicines and honey, wax and fuel wood. Livelihood vulnerability is caused due to landlessness, illiteracy and malnutrition, along with poor implementation of Forest Rights Act (FRA), 2006 and JFM. A sustained poverty alleviation strategy must ensure community empowerment along with secure land rights and diversifying livelihood options.
Author: Anup Sikdar
Language: English
Subfield: Global and Planetary Change
Field: Environmental Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W7225233667