Forest Degradation and the Rural Livelihood in Odisha, India

Economic development, in general, reduces the size and the quality of forest which is commonly known as forest degradation. Most of the developing countries are suffering from this problem of forest degradation. Odisha, one of the poorest States in India having large forest area (top 5th in the country) also has experienced the same. This book analyses the extent of forest degradation in Odisha over time taking inter-State and inter-District data. It finds the shrinkage of forest area in the 1980s and 1990s substantially, though during the last fifteen years there is improvement in the situation. Conducting a micro study it also examines the role of forest in the livelihood of the people staying in the neighbourhood of forest.