RAIKA BIO-CULTURAL PROTOCOL
APPENDIX
B. The Scheduled Tribes and other
Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition
of Forest Rights) Act, 2006
C. NATIONAL POLICY FOR FARMERS
The National Policy for Farmers (NPF – 2007) is an attempt
to reorient agricultural policy to take a more holistic vision
The preamble of the Forest Rights Act in accordance with
of agricultural production to include a focus on socio-
Art 8j of the Convention on Biological Diversity recognizes
economic wellbeing. Animal genetic resources and
that the forest dwelling scheduled tribes and other traditional
pastoralists are among the areas it focuses on to achieve
forest dwellers are integral to the survival of the forest
in situ conservation according to the NBA.
ecosystem. The Forest Act seeks to address the long term
insecurity of land tenure and of these communities and
The NPF acknowledges livestock keepers’ inherent rights
therefore recognizes the rights of forest dwelling tribes and
to continue to use and develop their own breeding stock
other traditional forest dwellers, which include nomadic or
and breeding practices and calls on the government to
settled pastoralists, on all forest lands.
recognize these rights, acknowledge livestock keepers’
contribution to the national economy, and adapt its policies
The Forest Rights Act therefore provides certain rights
and legal frameworks accordingly. As part of this effort,
to the Raika community:
it underscores the need to document the local knowledge
of pastoral communities about animal conservation,
• The right of ownership, access to collect, use, and dispose
maintenance and breeding.
of minor forest produce which has been traditionally
collected within or outside village boundaries (Section 3c)
To achieve these aims, the NPF calls for:
• Community right of use or entitlements including grazing
(both settled or transhumant) and traditional seasonal
resource access, of nomadic or pastoralist
communities (Section 3d)
• The rights in or over disputed lands under any
• Restoration of traditional grazing rights and camping
rights in respect of forest areas and in those areas
earmarked for grazing purpose in village common lands;
• Formalizing entitlements (including issue of permanent
nomenclature in any State where claims are
grazing cards) for traditional pastoralists/herders
disputed (Section 3f )
maintaining native animal breeds to enable free access
• The right to protect regenerate or conserve or manage
any forestry resource which we have been traditionally
protecting and conserving for sustainable use (Section 3i)
• The right of access to biodiversity and community right
to notified or demarcated grazing sites and
migration routes;
• Conservation and expansion on grazing land and drinking
water sources for livestock;
to intellectual property and TK related to biodiversity
• Documentation of indigenous livestock breeds to
and traditional knowledge related to biodiversity and
recognize and protect the intellectual property rights
cultural diversity (Section 3k)
of the local communities / individuals conserving these
• The right to traditional rights customarily enjoyed by
the Raika (Section 3l)
livestock breeds; and
• Involved of pastoralists in all local natural resource
management programs, including village forest
We acknowledge the limitation of these rights under Section
committees and joint forest management.
4 of the Act in cases where forests are designated as National
Parks or Sanctuaries, but point out that the processes set
out under Section 4(2) – such as ascertaining whether other
reasonable options such as co-existence are not available remain to be complied with.
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