Fortress Conservation, the Tiger Myth, Evictions, and the Forest Department
Pranab Doley, Member of the Advisory Council on Indigenous Rights & Protected Areas Initiative of the Indigenous Peoples Law & Policy Program
Pranab Doley, an indigenous activist from Assam, Northeast India, offers a critical perspective on Kaziranga National Park & Tiger Reserve. He defends tribal communities against the powerful forces of the international conservation industry and India's forest department, which controls a quarter of the country's land. The expansion of Tiger Reserves, often backed by international NGOs, who profit from safari tourism and green schemes, threatens to displace millions of traditional forest-dwelling communities. Violations, where Indigenous Peoples have been forcefully evicted, murdered, raped and persecuted for refusing to leave their lands are numerous.
Interview produced for the Indigenous Rights & Protected Areas Initiative of the Indigenous Peoples Law & Policy Program, University of Arizona. 2024.