In the APSA Public Scholarship Program, graduate students in political science produce summaries of new research in the American Political Science Review. This piece, written by Komal Preet Kaur, covers the new article by Saad Gulzar, Princeton University, Apoorva Lal and Benjamin Pasquale, Independent Researchers,  “Representation and Forest Conservation: Evidence from India’s Scheduled Areas.”

The conservation of forests has emerged as a central theme in addressing pressing global concerns, ranging from climate change and global warming to poverty alleviation and employment generation. Forests, often referred to as the Earth’s lungs, serve as vital carbon reservoirs and play an irreplaceable role in preserving biodiversity and providing essential ecosystem services. Consequently, they feature prominently in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) outlined by the United Nations and in various international agreements and negotiations.

Successful forest conservation initiatives revolve around empowering local communities and establishing effective governance arrangements. Extensive research has explored ways to empower communities. One such way is political empowerment. This critical aspect is at the heart of a recent article published in the APSR by Saad Gulzar, Apoorva Lal, and Benjamin Pasquale.

Their research focuses on impact of improving political representation of Scheduled Tribes (STs), one of India’s most marginalized communities, on forest outcomes. These communities’ livelihoods are deeply connected with forests. Recognized under the Indian Constitution, Scheduled Areas are regions inhabited predominantly by Scheduled Tribes, spanning 41% of the territory across nine states. Since 1996, the Panchayat Extension to Scheduled Areas Act (PESA) has extended the provisions of local governance to these areas, mandating that half the seats in local governments be reserved for STs.

“It remains to be seen whether the increase in forest cover is primarily due to the monoculture of commercial tree crops, forest regeneration, or the planting of native tree species.” The authors used high-resolution satellite data to examine the link between the political representation of STs through PESA and forest conservation. Their findings are compelling: the implementation of PESA is linked to a significant increase in forest cover, particularly in areas that initially had some forested land. Their analysis also suggests that STs are better stewards of forests substituting away from timber extraction and towards increased use of non-timber forest products such as leaves, fruits, and flowers for economic purposes. They are also more likely to resist large-scale industrial and mining operations. Thus, the political empowerment of forest-dependent communities is linked with safeguarding the forests.

In sum, Gulzar, Lal, and Pasquale’s research sheds light on the vital role that political representation can play in the conservation of natural resources, particularly in marginalized communities like the Scheduled Tribes. Their findings highlight the importance of policies like PESA in striking a balance between sustainable development and environmental preservation.

This research holds significant relevance in the context of rising deforestation and concerns about climate change. Notably, Brazil, India, and Indonesia, the top three countries with the highest rates of deforestation between 1990 and 2020, have dense forests crucial for biodiversity and are also home to significant impoverished populations dependent on forests. Often, economic concerns are considered at loggerheads with environmental concerns. This research suggests that this does not need to be the case. Policy tools such as PESA can strengthen communities to adopt more sustainable and responsible forest management practices.

This article opens up further avenues for research. It remains to be seen whether the increase in forest cover is primarily due to the monoculture of commercial tree crops, forest regeneration, or the planting of native tree species. Future studies should also look into the conditions under which forest-dependent communities choose to utilize their political empowerment for forest conservation rather than pursuing short-term economic gains.

• Komal Preet Kaur is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Political Science, University of Colorado Boulder. Her research focuses on public policies and governance reforms aimed at reducing inequality. Specifically, she explores areas such as electoral quotas, property rights, and social policies. Her dissertation work, which investigates the impact of gender and ethnicity-based electoral quotas on group discrimination and electoral participation, has received the Carrie Chapman Catt Prize for Research on Women and Politics and a grant from the American Political Science Association’s Women, Gender, and Politics Research section. Her work has been published in Political Research Quarterly and Conservation Letters.
• Article details: GULZAR, SAAD, APOORVA LAL, and BENJAMIN PASQUALE. 2023. “Representation and Forest Conservation: Evidence from India’s Scheduled Areas.”, American Political Science Review
• About the APSA Public Scholarship Program.