TRIBAL SETTLEMENTS IN THE FORESTS OF KERALA

The Scheduled Tribes (ST) and Scheduled Castes (SC) in Kerala generally form the weaker sections of society, many of whom depend on forest resources for their livelihood. Collectively they are known as "hillmen".

Hillmen are mainly Scheduled Tribes and form an integral part of the forest ecosystem. To hillmen, forests signify a way of life in its manifold manifestations - food, employment, income, home, worship etc. Forests are their economic resource base and they, therefore, occupy a pivotal position in the tribal economy.

The total population of ST and SC, in Kerala, is of the order of 320, 967 and 2,886,522 respectively constituting 1.10% and 9.92% of the total population of the State. Of this population 71,918 (22.4%) of STs and 1,574 (0.05%) of the SCs reside inside the forest. The heaviest concentrations of human settlements occur in the districts of Thiruvananthapuram, Idukki and Waynad.

Various studies have estimated the dependence of tribal economies on forests ranging at 15-84% of total income depending on the community and the region. Our own socio-economic survey of eighteen settlements of Scheduled Tribes and Scheduled Castes showed that 75% of the cash income for these people was being generated from the collection of Non Wood Forest Products (NWFP) from the forests and wages from forestry operations.

Population of Important Forest Dwelling Tribes in Kerala