Forest Society And Colonialism

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1. Java is now famous as a rice-producing island in Indonesia. But before that, it was covered mostly with forests.
2. The colonial power in Indonesia was the Dutch.
3. Dutch started forest management.

1. In the nineteenth century, Dutch enacted forest laws in Java, restricting villagers access to forests.
2. Wood could only be cut for specified purposes like making riverboats or constructing houses.
3. Villagers were punished for grazing cattle in young stands, transporting wood without a permit, or travelling on forest roads with horse carts or cattle.

Conservation and preservation of forests have now become the focus rather than timber. It has also been realised that if forests are to survive, the local community needs to be involved. There are many such examples in India where communities are conserving forests in sacred groves. This looking after is done by each member of the village and everyone is involved.

Tea/Coffee plantations — The colonial state thought that forest land was unproductive.

It did not yield agricultural produce nor revenue. Large areas of natural forests were hence cleared to make way for tea, coffee and rubber plantations to meet Europe’s growing need for these commodities. The colonial government took over the forests and gave vast areas to European planters at cheap rates. The areas were enclosed and cleared of forests and planted with tea or coffee.

Adivasis and other peasant users — Adivasis and other peasant users do not cut down forests except to practice shifting cultivation or gather timber for fuel. They also gather forest products and graze their cattle.

This does not destroy the forests except sometimes in shifting agriculture. In fact, now the new trends that promote forest conservation tend to involve local villagers in conservation and preservation. The Adivasis and other peasant communities regard the forests as their own and even engage watchmen to keep a vigil over their forests.

1. Around 1890, Surontiko Samin of Randublatung village opposed the state ownership of the forest.
2. Soon it became a widespread movement with people refusing to pay taxes or fines or perform labour.

1. The Kalangs of Java were a community of skilled forest cutters and shifting cultivators.
2. The Dutch tried to make the Kalangs work under them.
3. In 1770, the Kalangs resisted by attacking the fort at Joana.

1. In India, the forest department cut trees freely for meeting the British war needs.
2. In Java, the Dutch followed ‘a scorched earth’ policy, destroying sawmills, and burning huge piles of giant teak logs so that they would not fall into Japanese hands.
3. The Japanese too exploited the forests for their war needs.
4. Many villagers expanded cultivation in the forest.