Forest Department may take up drone survey to verify land claims in Anamalai Tiger Reserve

The Forest Department in Tamil Nadu is considering deploying drone surveys to verify land claims filed under the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Fores...

What Happened

The Forest Department in Tamil Nadu is considering deploying drone surveys to verify land claims filed under the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006 (FRA) within Anamalai Tiger Reserve.
The claims have been filed by residents of settlements located inside the reserve — predominantly tribal and other traditional forest-dwelling communities who have historically inhabited and cultivated forest land within what is now a Protected Area.
The drone survey is intended to map the extent of land actually under cultivation or habitation to cross-check the boundaries claimed by applicants, a step in the formal claim verification process under FRA.
Anamalai Tiger Reserve, located in Coimbatore and Tiruppur districts of Tamil Nadu, was declared a Project Tiger sanctuary in 2008 and covers a total area of 1,479.87 km² (core area: 958.59 km²; buffer area: 521.28 km²).
The move reflects the broader institutional tension between conservation priorities in core tiger habitats and the legally recognised rights of traditional forest dwellers under FRA.

Static Topic Bridges

The Forest Rights Act, 2006 — Statutory Framework

The Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006 (commonly called FRA or the Forest Rights Act) was enacted to recognise and vest rights over forest land and forest resources in forest-dwelling Scheduled Tribes (FDSTs) and other traditional forest dwellers (OTFDs) who have inhabited and depended on forests for generations.

Enacted on 18 December 2006; came into force in 2008.
FRA recognises two broad categories of rights: (i) Individual Forest Rights (IFR) — primarily rights to land under occupation for self-cultivation and habitation as on 13 December 2005; and (ii) Community Forest Rights (CFR) — including grazing, fishing, water access, and the right to protect and manage Community Forest Resources.
Individual land rights under FRA are capped at 4 hectares per household and are heritable but not alienable or transferable.
Eligibility: Scheduled Tribes who have primarily resided in and depended on forests before 13 December 2005; OTFDs must demonstrate at least 75 years of bona fide forest residence (three generations).
The Act explicitly establishes that historical injustice was done to forest communities by colonial and post-independence forest administration, which treated them as encroachers on land they had traditionally used.
Claims are adjudicated at three levels: Gram Sabha (village assembly) → Sub-Divisional Level Committee → District Level Committee. The Gram Sabha's role is foundational and its consent is required for any diversion of community forest rights land.

Connection to this news: The land claims being verified by drone survey in Anamalai Tiger Reserve are IFR claims under FRA — the drone mapping aims to verify the area under actual cultivation or habitation as of the cut-off date (13 December 2005), which is the legal standard for entitlement.

Tiger Reserves and the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA)

Tiger Reserves in India are designated under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 (WPA) through Project Tiger, which was launched in 1973. The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) was given a statutory basis through the WPA Amendment of 2006.

Tiger Reserves have a mandatory two-zone structure: a Core (Critical Tiger Habitat, CTH) — where no human activity is permitted — and a Buffer zone, where regulated, non-extractive use by local communities may be allowed.
Section 38V of the WPA (inserted by 2006 amendment) mandates the declaration of Critical Tiger Habitats (core areas) only after a scientific assessment and in consultation with gram sabhas and local communities.
The WPA prohibits any construction, livestock entry, or commercial activity in national parks without prior approval of the National Board for Wildlife (NBWL). Boundary alterations of a national park require NBWL recommendation.
Anamalai Tiger Reserve was declared a Project Tiger sanctuary in 2008 and is part of the Parambikulam-Indira Gandhi tiger habitat landscape complex, with an estimated metapopulation of 42 tigers and an occupancy area of about 3,253 km².
Under Section 38O of WPA, the NTCA can conduct periodic evaluations of tiger reserves and give binding directions to state governments.

Connection to this news: The overlap between the reserve's declared Critical Tiger Habitat and FRA claimants' cultivated/habitation land creates a legal and conservation governance challenge — both the WPA (which prohibits most human activity in the core) and FRA (which recognises vested rights) carry the force of Parliamentary legislation, making resolution complex.

Scheduled Tribes and Constitutional Protections

India's Constitution provides specific protections for Scheduled Tribes (STs), who are notified under Article 342. The Fifth Schedule (for non-tribal-majority states) and Sixth Schedule (for certain northeastern states) provide for Tribal Advisory Councils and restrictions on transfer of tribal land.

Article 46 (Directive Principles): The State shall promote with special care the educational and economic interests of the weaker sections of the people, particularly Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, and protect them from social injustice and exploitation.
The Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996 (PESA) extends Panchayati Raj institutions to Fifth Schedule areas and recognises gram sabha authority over natural resources, including forests.
Forest-dwelling STs were among the worst affected by the colonial Forest Act of 1865 and the Indian Forest Act of 1927, which extinguished customary rights without compensation.
Ministry of Tribal Affairs is the nodal ministry for FRA implementation; as of recent reports, claim recognition under FRA has been uneven across states — Tamil Nadu has had a relatively lower rate of claim recognition compared to states like Odisha.

Connection to this news: The drone survey in Anamalai is an administrative step within the FRA claim verification process — its outcome will determine which ST residents receive land title rights and which face potential resettlement, directly implicating Constitutional protections for STs and due process under FRA.

Key Facts & Data

Forest Rights Act enacted: 18 December 2006 (came into force 2008).
FRA individual land right cap: 4 hectares per household.
FRA cut-off date for occupation: 13 December 2005.
Three-tier claim verification: Gram Sabha → Sub-Divisional Committee → District Level Committee.
Anamalai Tiger Reserve total area: 1,479.87 km² (core: 958.59 km²; buffer: 521.28 km²).
Declared Project Tiger sanctuary: 2008.
Location: Coimbatore and Tiruppur districts, Tamil Nadu.
Estimated tiger population in the landscape complex: ~42 tigers across ~3,253 km².
NTCA established with statutory powers: WPA Amendment 2006 (Section 38L–38V).
Earlier name of Anamalai Tiger Reserve: Indira Gandhi Wildlife Sanctuary and National Park.