Soligas' traditional forest management offers counter to 'fortress conservation', study says
The conventional approach to wildlife conservation, often called “fortress conservation,” works by excluding, evacuating or alienating the rights of indigenous people and local communities. A new study published in the journal Ecosystems and People argues that this model has led to uprooting, distress and despondency among these communities worldwide. The study points to the Soliga tribal people of the Biligiri Rangaswamy Temple Wildlife Sanctuary (BRTWS) in Karnataka as a prime example of how traditional forest management can enable humans and wildlife to thrive together.
The research article, titled “Fortress conservation versus traditional forest management: The example of Soliga tribal people from the Western Ghats, India,” was authored by Kamaljit K. Sanghaa, M. Balasubramanian, C. Madegowda, Siddappa Setty, and Jeremy Russell-Smitha. Their affiliations include the Research Institute for the Environment and Livelihoods at Charles Darwin University in Australia, the Centre for Ecological Economics and Natural Resources at the Institute for Social and Economic Change in Bengaluru, and the Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment in Bengaluru. The study was published on Monday, July 27.
The Soligas have lived in the BRTWS for millennia, coexisting with large carnivores and herbivores, including tigers, leopards, and elephants. The study notes that their traditional land management practices — such as mosaic litter burning and small-scale swidden agriculture — helped sustain the ecosystem. These practices involved clearing land for cultivation for two to three years, after which the land would be left fallow, allowing palatable grasses to grow. These grasses served as food for herbivores, which in turn supported carnivore populations. The Soligas also prevented the spread of invasive weeds like Lantana camara, which are now a major problem in many Indian forests.
The researchers engaged with Soliga elders both formally and informally to develop insights and solutions for conservation and community needs. They conducted two workshops between 2022 and 2023, in addition to one-on-one talks during their visits to the B.R. Hills since 2017. Based on these interactions, the study makes several recommendations. These include forming a collaborative group with representatives from the Forest Department, Soliga elders, and researchers; recognising the Soligas’ knowledge and skills in managing the landscape while respecting their cultural rituals and ceremonies; developing co-governance and co-management models suited to local rules and cultural contexts; building people’s capacity to use modern tools such as Geographic Information Systems (GIS) for mapping sacred and cultural sites and for monitoring and evaluation; and creating reliable, sustainable and equitable incentive mechanisms with minimal transaction costs.
The article emphasises that Adivasi communities across the Western Ghats have well-established and deeply imbued relationships with the landscape. According to the 2011 Census, there are approximately five million Adivasi people in Kerala and Karnataka alone. For the Soligas, the management of forests is integral to their way of life, with hundreds of sacred and cultural places embedded in the Biligiri landscape. These sites are maintained through customs, cultural practices, ceremonies and norms, reflecting an ongoing relationship between the community and the environment. The study argues that such integrated coexistence challenges prevailing conservation approaches that rely on human exclusion.
The study also highlights the aspirations of the Soliga elders to contribute to sustainable forest management. During workshops and informal conversations, they expressed interest in participating meaningfully in governance. The community already has local ‘podu’ level committees called ‘Sangha’, which are grouped into ‘Taluka Sangha’ structures. These institutions could serve as the foundation for collaborative forest management.
The authors conclude that conservation policies must recognise the role of indigenous knowledge and local institutions. By learning from examples like the Soligas, it is possible to develop conservation models that are both effective and respectful of the rights and traditions of forest-dwelling communities.
