Back to basics
Back to basics
![](http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/files/images/20010430/19-sp.jpg)
SUSTAINABLE forest management has been practiced since time immemorial. The Arthashastra records management of forests and wildlife during Kautilya's rule. There were 18 forest laws during the Mauryan period. But the centuries-old indigenous knowledge, developed after careful observations of natural and physical environments, is today a victim of neglect or has been diluted by modern practices. To address the need to save Indic traditions, practitioners and academicians gathered at the Indian Institute of Forest Management (iifm) in Bhopal recently.
According to K F Weirsum of the department of environmental sciences, Wageningen University, the Netherlands, Indic traditions are observed in two aspects