India Tribe Law Damaging to Tigers?

Dushman Padhan, a Kisan tribal and activist who lives inside the Badrama Wildlife Sanctuary in Orissa, India, sits on a porch on October 25, 2007.

With limited access to the forests inside the preserve, many local tribespeople have resorted to illegal activities, Padhan said. They sneak into the forest to collect large quantities of saal and other leaves, assist the local timber mafia in felling trees, and even help animal poachers.

If enforced, the Recognition of Forest Rights Act of 2006 would represent a landmark step forward for Indian forest communities, said Shankar Gopalakrishnan of the Delhi-based advocacy group Campaign for Survival and Dignity.