Fuzzy borders: Conflicts and solidarities in the Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary, South India

Abstract

The complexity of human-nature relations has been a subject of study by researchers world-wide, especially in relation to conservation efforts. Ontological dualisms have played a role in shaping conservation practices with consequences for communities that are dependent on forest lands and resources for their habitat and livelihoods. In this paper we address the case of such communities in Wayanad, South India. Wayanad has been marked by protracted land struggles by the indigenous (Adivasi) people, which culminated in some kind of a negotiated settlement with the state in the wake of the partial and incomplete implementation of the Forest Rights Act 2006. However, the struggle continues for a large number of landless adivasis. At the same time new kinds of landlessness and livelihood loss are emerging due to the extension of the boundaries of the Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary and the state programme, which envisages ‘voluntary’ resettlement of adivasis and others from within the new ‘boundaries’ under the scheme ‘Integrated development of wildlife habitats’ lands outside the boundaries. The affected population are mostly forest dependent communities who have been living and cultivating/foraging these lands for centuries. These arenas are marked by conflicts, contestations, solidarities and compromises between communities, wildlife, environmental activists and the Forest Department. Based on recent fieldwork in Wayanad, we try to locate this conundrum within the ‘fortress conservation’ model and the contradiction it presents vis-à-vis the Forest Rights Act 2006.