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In precolonial India, forests occupied a central position in the ecological, economic, and cultural life of the subcontinent. They were not just tracts of wilderness but intricately connected to the lives of various communities, particularly tribal groups, shifting cultivators, pastoralists, and even settled agricultural societies. The nature of forests in precolonial India was diverse and multifunctional, supporting a range of livelihoods and embodying spiritual and social significance. The pattern of forest use and management in this period contrasts sharply with the colonial and postcolonial periods, especially in terms of the scale and nature of deforestation. Forests in precolonial India were vast and varied, shaped by the subcontinent’s diverse climatic zones, ranging from tropical rainforests in the Western Ghats and northeastern regions, deciduous forests in central India, thorn forests in the drier zones, to alpine forests in the Himalayas. These forests served as a vital source of subsistence for forest-dwelling communities, who practiced shifting cultivation, hunting-gathering, and pastoralism. Forests provided fuelwood, timber, medicinal herbs, fruits, honey, fodder, and other non-timber forest products. These communities had an intimate knowledge of forest ecology and practiced sustainable methods of resource use. Shifting cultivation (jhum), practiced especially in the northeastern hills and parts of central and southern India, involved clearing a patch of forest, cultivating it for a few __________ _________ ___ ____ _____ _____ _____.
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