There is arogyapacha. A rare herb with extraordinary medicinal properties. There is the Kani tribe of Kerala. It has preserved the herb and the knowledge about its use. Enter scientists and the state government. They try to sell the herb and share the ben

From deficit to surplus: a success story of joint forest management from Sakwa, a tiny village in south Gujarat

Scientists are only now finding out the Kanis' knowledge of herbal remedies. The most outstanding find so far is arogyapacha

The forest department reserves the right to conserve arogyapacha, and prevents Kanis from selling it outside

The benefit sharing scheme for arogyapacha saw hurdles right from the start. On July 22, 1995, the then chief minister of Kerala, A K Antony, was to sign a memorandum of understanding with Arya

Kanis are dragged into bureaucratic wrangling, pitting them against each other

Body Shop is one of the largest companies in the herbal cosmetics market. Consequently, it is one of the largest users of the bioresources and traditional knowledge systems of the world. In order to

A usual story: a transnational company develops a profitable product based on the resources and knoledge preserved by an indigenous community from the South. However, very little is done to compensate the community. Author analyse

When the official system learns to loot the official treasury, it also targets the natural estate, the biggest property of the modern state. Good environmental management demands effective regulation to bring about a balance between environment and develo

Laws meant to protect the forests are doing exactly the opposite. Funds for afforestation programmes are pocketed by the corrupt and land remains denuded in the process