District-wide movement achieves recognition of community forest rights

Location: Koraput District, Odisha, India

Timeline: 2011-2015

The struggle of 125 Adivasi and Dalit families of the Doliambo village in Odisha, led to the legal recognition of their entitlement to their ancestral land and forests, denied to them since colonial times. Historically, marginalised and poor forest dependent peoples were stigmatized as ‘encroachers’. The District Forest Network (DFN) supported a district-wide movement for land justice and the rights of indigenous peoples. Since the Forest Rights Act was passed in 2006, Trócaire and local organisations increased their awareness raising efforts and provided technical support to communities for submitting their claims.