Forest People and Forest Policy

The impact of forest policy on people is described through a ease study on the east side of the Pegu range Myanmar Here the Forest Village policy has been appiied sinee the 19th century wherl the British governed Burma and managed the forests Its purpose was to supply at low cost labour for teak taung va plantations arld to regenerate areas aff cted by shifting cultivation in remote and under popu ated areas A so caHed Karen area was lent to the Karen who lived in th reserved forests where enltivation was pr ( hibited in principle They were allowed to practice shifting cultivation but had to work for the government especiaUy on plantations whenever re quested The impact of this pQiicy on their hfe was relatively lew because plantation work was irregular and the area from which the Karen area was exclud d was sma1L Additionally unoccu pied land existed Dutside the Karen area and the manpower of the governnlent was limited so they could migrate according to thelr custom if they had any compla nt The present government sti 1 applies thls policy Consequently the Karen have maintained their own hfe syle whlch is identical to hat in the surrounding Burmese villages The plantatlon work has lncreased but its mpact is still s all However increasing population and rising de mand for land might change the balance between the government and people in the future 1

Burmese · Government (linguistics · Land area · Mountain range (options · Population · Public policy · Reforestation · Work (physics · Conservation, Biodiversity, and Resource Management · Forest Management and Policy · Global trade, sustainability, and social impact