Madia Gond tribes forced to leave ancestral land

Subject: Environment

Section: Places in news

Context: Madia Gond tribes forced to leave ancestral land, as human-animal conflict increases.

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In 2007, 625.82 square kilometres of area inside the Tadoba reserve, in Maharashtra’s Chandrapur district, was declared as a critical tiger habitat.
In 2022, six people were killed in human-animal conflicts between October 12 and 24 in Chandrapur district alone. One of the major reasons for rise in human-animal conflicts is the coal mines and power plants located close to the forest and natural corridors, where the animals travel to the adjoining forests, note experts.
Following this, the forest department started relocating the tribal families residing there as they were not allowed to use forest land for their livelihood and graze cattle anymore.
The tribes that have been relocated to new areas are facing negative consequences due to inadequate resettlement facilities.

Madia Gond tribe

The Madia Gond tribe is an indigenous community that primarily resides in the Gadchiroli district of Maharashtra, India. They also live in parts of Chhattisgarh, Telangana, and Andhra Pradesh.
They are primarily forest-dwellers and depend on the forest for their livelihood, which includes hunting, fishing, and gathering forest produce. They also practice shifting cultivation and grow crops like rice, millets, and pulses.
They have several unique musical instruments, including the mandar, tarpa, and nagada. Their dances are performed on various occasions like weddings, harvest festivals, and religious ceremonies.
However, the Madia Gond tribe faces several challenges today, including displacement from their land due to developmental activities like mining and construction, lack of access to basic facilities like education and healthcare, and discrimination by the dominant caste communities.

Adoba Andhari Wildlife Sanctuary

Adoba Andhari Wildlife Sanctuary is a protected area located in the Chandrapur district of Maharashtra, India.
It was established in 1985 and covers an area of 635.47 square kilometers.
The sanctuary is part of the larger Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve, which includes the Tadoba National Park.
It is Maharashtra’s oldest and largest national park.
The sanctuary is home to a wide variety of wildlife, including tigers, leopards, sloth bears, wild dogs, hyenas, sambar deer, barking deer, chital, and many species of birds.
The Andhari River, which runs through the sanctuary, is an important source of water for the animals and birds.

Critical Tiger habitats (CWH)

Critical wildlife/Tiger habitats (CWH) are defined under the Forest Rights Act, 2006.
Critical wildlife habitat means such areas of National Parks and Sanctuaries which are required to be kept as inviolate for the purposes of wildlife conservation.
It is determined and notified by the Central Government in the Ministry of Environment and Forests after an open process of consultation by an Expert Committee.