Appraisal of coexistence and interdependence of forest and tribes in Jhargram District of West Bengal, India using SWOT-AHP analysis

Since time immemorial, forests and tribes have shown a close symbiotic relationship. Tribal communities have designed their livelihood strategies in accordance with the quantity and quality of forest ecosystem services. The indigenous human communities settled in the tropical dry deciduous forest of Jhargram District of West Bengal also exhibit similar multidimensional interactions with the forest ecology. But with the introduction of the market economy since the Colonial time has resulted in deforestation, de-speciation, and degradation. This put forth a question of sustenance and conventional living styles of these groups of people. This is further expected to be altered under the present combination of forest species. The present endeavor strives to assess the patterns of coexistence and interdependency between the forest and the tribes in the tropical dry deciduous forest tract of Jhargram District, with the help of SWOT-AHP analysis. The internal Strength (S) and Weaknesses (W) as well as the external Threats (T) and Opportunities (O) of the prevailing interaction framework have been identified through in-depth field visits and direct discussion with the stakeholders. Further, an Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) has been employed to ascertain the strategies for improvement of the subtle linkages between forests and tribes. The forces effective upon forest-tribe coexistence and traditional ecological knowledge of the indigenous forest people have been proved to be beneficial for livelihood strategies in the selected area, while selective restrictions need to arrest the major weaknesses and threats for the sustainability of forest-people coexistence.