Relocation of human settlements due to construction of dams, declaration of Protected areas or other major projects has always been controversial. They have been criticized for the adverse impact they have had on the people who have been relocated as a consequence of these. In general there is now some consensus on the fact that there are inadequacies in the relocation process and package, and identification of better strategies to deal with it are being called for. One of them has been proper documentation of such processes. 

SHODH conducted a short comparative study of the first village to be relocated along with a study of the site where it is proposed to be located. The idea was to compare the two locations in terms of biodiversity, which currently contributes heavily to the subsistence and livelihood needs of the people within this PA. This was to get an insight in issues like the possible impact of change in floral biodiversity on the subsistence and livelihood opportunities of communities due to relocation and whether the biodiverse dependence/use of communities is considered by the relocation authorities while selecting a relocation site.  Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve from Chandrapur district of Maharashtra State was the study site where the community is presently located. Use of IFRI instruments along with household survey were used to collect socio-economic data from Botezari. Biodiversity information from the Protected Area as well as from the relocation site was also collected .

The results of the study point towards the fact that the people of village within TATR are likely to suffer after the relocation as their short-term forest-dependent subsistence and livelihood needs are not being taken care of at the relocation site by the authorities. In other words people are likely to face dearth of forest products at the new site. 

Study Funding : Workshop in Political Theory and Policy Analysis, IFRI Program through its MacArthur grant.

Study Output : Working paper no. 5-04, © SHODH.