The traditional forest tenure rights of Indigenous peoples are increasingly recognized across many developing countries as a means to address to historical injustices and socio-economic marginalization. Acknowledging the critical relationship between forests and the livelihoods of approximately 275 million forest-dependent people, India introduced the landmark legislation - the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006, widely known as FRA, 2006 . The FRA formalizes land titles and recognizes both individual forest rights (IFR) and community forest resource rights (CFR) of Scheduled Tribes (ST) and other traditional forest dwellers (OTFD). This Act has created transformative policy spaces for enhancing forest-dependent livelihoods. Since its enactment, more than 2.5 million titles have been recognized across India. IFR titles – granted for purposes such as cultivation or habitation – cover over 2.05 million hectares, accounting for more than 21% of the total land recognized under the Act . In addition to securing tenure, IFR lands represent a critical opportunity to integrate social justice with environmental sustainability, positioning IFR holders as key actors in both climate mitigation and adaptation efforts.
Beyond legal recognition, the FRA 2006 also mandates relevant government departments to ensure inclusion of IFR holders in development schemes and welfare programs. The recently announced Dharati Aaba Janjatiya Gram Utkarsh Abhiyan by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs has enabled inter-ministerial convergence of schemes to benefit IFR landholders. In this context, it becomes imperative to discuss the opportunities for aligning the existing policy landscape with the needs of those whose individual forest rights have been recognized.
Aligned with Track 6 (Strengthening Land Systems: Building Capacities for Transitions) of ILDC 2025, this session will explore the convergence opportunities among local line departments involved in land planning and socio-economic upliftment of STs and OTFDs to ensure holistic development of IFR holders, with specific focus on:
Understanding various policy initiatives available for IFR holders.
Discussing the scope and challenges of integrating IFR holders within government programs and support required for this.
Deliberating on opportunities and interventions that can enable sustainable land use decisions among IFR holders.
About the session speakers
Mr Tushar Dash
Executive Director, Vasundhara
Panelist
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Mr Sataysovan Das
State Head - Madhya Pradesh, Foundation for Ecological Security (FES)
Panelist
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Ms Sailabala Panda
Integrator & Lead, Centre of Excellence Forest, PRADAN
Panelist
Sailabala, an agricultural engineer with 20 years of experience at PRADAN, has dedicated her career to working in the remotest pockets of Jharkhand and Odisha, directly empowering marginalized rural women. With deep grassroots experience, she has played a key role in forming and nurturing women's collectives, driving collective-led livelihood actions integrated with gender equality, forest conservation and management, nutrition, and grassroots governance.
Her work in remote forest villages has been instrumental in securing forest rights and empowering forest dwellers to conserve and sustainably manage forest resources. She has also excelled in designing and leading multi-stakeholder projects in collaboration with the government, ensuring impactful and sustainable interventions.
Sailabala is an active member of national and international professional networks and has represented her work on global and national platforms. She currently leads PRADAN’s Centre of Excellence on Forest, an initiative committed to transforming forests and empowering forest-dependent communities for a sustainable future.
Dr Richa Joshi
Research fellow, Landstack
Panelist
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Ms Anar Bhat
Program Manager, Sustainable Agriculture, Food, Land and Water Program, WRI India
Panelist
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Mr Mohan Dengi
Founder, Prayatna Samiti
Panelist
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Dr Seema Yadav
Program Manager, Sustainable Agriculture, Food, Land & Water Program, WRI India
Moderator
Dr. Seema Yadav is a Program Manager with the Food, Land, and Water program at WRI India. In her current role, Seema works to foster collaboration among diverse stakeholders and identify convergence opportunities to drive the transition toward sustainable food production and achieve the broader goal of ecosystem restoration. Prior to joining WRI India, she worked as a Research Associate at the Centre for Ecology Development and Research (CEDAR). Her research interests revolve around the nexus of food, forests, and water; ecology; the dynamics of forest produce; the role of communities in natural resources conservation and management; and the impact of environmental legislation