Protected Areas are formed with the objective of protection of wildlife species. Some of the Protected Areas of the status of a Tiger Reserve have strict rules about forest use in and certain distance outside the Reserve. Thus, the villages on the fringe of a Tiger Reserve have to withdraw from their traditional uses of the forest as they fall within the prescribed non-use zone. Their rights over the forest is restricted to usufruct only. This study was taken in village Kondegaon which is a fringe village of Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve. Most of the villages around this Reserve have either no forest or limited forest area for use. As a result they have to depend on the reserve to meet their forest-dependent subsistence needs. The pressure on the Reserve is mostly on the north-western border. Kongegaon is one of the fringe villages located on north-western border. The study was to assess the socio-economic status of the villagers and the condition of the forest used by them.

Study Funding:  SHODH in association with Ms. Harini Nagendra