‘Everyone is aghast.’ India’s move to weaken forest protections outrages conservationists

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https://www.science.org/content/article/everyone-aghast-india-s-move-weaken-forest-protections-outrages-conservationists

By Tanvi Dutta Gupta, Science. 

Excerpt: Conservation scientists fear more than one-quarter of forests in India could lose legal protection under controversial legislation that the nation’s Parliament could approve as early as this week. The legislation amends India’s flagship 1980 Forest Conservation Act. The government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi says it will help India meet its commitments to combat climate change by planting trees, and “eliminate ambiguities” in rules that govern how officials legally define forests and regulate their use. But researchers and others worry the measure—which has triggered nationwide protests—will irrevocably transform India’s landscape. They say the amendments will open forests to development, harm biodiversity, and weaken the rights of Indigenous people....

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