Bhubaneswar: Hundreds of tribal inhabitants residing in the Similipal Biosphere Reserve have almost waged a war to protect forest and wildlife in the biosphere reserve spread over 5,569sqkm in Mayurbhanj district.

The tribal people, who have already been conferred the rights over forest resources under the Forest Rights Act, live amid nature while protecting the forest and its fragile ecology besides the wildlife.

Struggle of around 15,000 tribal people, including two Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups, is unique in proposition in itself. They fought for their rights to live in the forest in which they had been ensconced for generations. There are fewer instances in the country where community forest resource rights under the act have been recognised covering most part of sanctuary area, which is also a tiger habitat. "The government has protected our rights. So, we have to protect the forest and its resources," said Astakunar panchyat sarpanch Mohanti Birua.

"We have decided not to use wild vegetation. We are also not allowing anybody to damage the forest resources that we have been depending on for our livings for ages. According to the responsibility accorded to us in the act, 42 gram sabhas have formed their management committees to take charge of the forest protection," he said.

Hundreds of tribal people recently trekked 20 to 30km in dense forest to celebrate the completion of three years of the rights recognition day. Three years ago, the Mayurbhanj district administration had distributed community forest resource titles to 43 gram sabhas in a special function in Similipal.

The Similipal Bikash Parishad, a federation of gram sabhas formed to protect rights of tribal people in the sanctuary, held a two-day ceremony with the inhabitants pledging to keep the forest intact.

On the other hand, the villagers expressed displeasure over the forest department not involving the gram sabhas in the sanctuary conservation.

"We are entitled to collect, transport and sell non-timber forest produces from Similipal. But, the forest department is often restricting us. Our records of rights of individual and common land has been regularised in our name. But, these have not been recorded by the district administration," said Birua.

"The gram sabhas are authorised to govern and manage forest and biodiversity. They are free to develop their simple and independent plan. But, the forest department is dissociating from gram sabhas," said Hemant Kumar Sahoo, a facilitator of people's management plans.