History of Deforestation

In an earlier post I had examined the notion that industrial demand, in particular that for railway sleepers, was the major factor in the deforestation starting the second half of the 19th century.

Is it just a matter of historical curiosity? Not so, certainly to some. Ramachandra Guha calls the coming of the railways the “crucial watershed in the history of Indian forestry”(pg. 92.) He sees it as leading, among other things, to extensive destruction of Indian forests, to The Forest Act (1878) and associated policies and what followed as a result – conflicts and agitation by forest users and dwellers in various parts of the country.

This argument finds its way in a recent article on the contemporary matter regarding the definition of forests. The article traces the history of Indian forests to the coming of the railways and discusses how it paved the way for land use change and the decimation of wildlife.

While I am not convinced about railways being an important factor, did things change materially with the coming of the British? What was happening in the pre-British period, say from 300 years before their arrival? Specifically:

• Was there extensive deforestation?

• Was there extensive hunting and serious depletion of wildlife numbers?

• Were there conflicts over the use and control of natural resources?

In other words was there continuity or was there change?