For decades, conversations around wildlife conservation in India have largely focused on forests, endangered species, protected areas and ecological restoration. But on the ground, conservation has never been only about animals. It is equally about people. More specifically, it is about the communities whose lives, cultures, livelihoods and identities are deeply intertwined with the forests they inhabit.
Across India, many tribal and forest-dependent communities have acted as some of the country’s oldest environmental guardians. Long before terms like “sustainability” or “climate resilience” entered mainstream discourse, indigenous groups practised systems of coexistence that protected ecosystems while sustaining livelihoods. Forests were never viewed merely as resources to extract from, but as living ecosystems tied to ancestry, spirituality, water, food, medicine and survival itself.
Yet today, many of these same communities find themselves caught in the middle of a growing conflict between development and survival.
Recent events across Madhya Pradesh and Odisha have also highlighted this tension. In Madhya Pradesh, tribal women protesting the Ken-Betwa river-linking project lay on mock funeral pyres in an act of resistance against displacement and the destruction of forests they have depended on for generations. For many families, the protest was about losing access to ancestral lands, livelihoods, sacred spaces and cultural memory tied to the forest landscape itself.
In Odisha, violent clashes recently erupted between tribal villagers and police over the expansion of a bauxite mining project in Rayagada district. Communities alleged that their consent and forest rights had been ignored despite the project threatening forests that support local livelihoods and water systems. Similar concerns have also emerged around railway expansion projects linked to mining activity in the region, where indigenous communities fear large-scale ecological damage and displacement in the name of industrial growth.
These incidents reflect a larger national question about what “development” means and who ultimately bears its costs. Can economic growth or conservation truly succeed if local communities are excluded from decision-making processes that directly affect their lives?
While these conflicts and questions often appear politically complex, a study of conservation history repeatedly shows that exclusionary approaches rarely succeed long-term.
On the other hand, conservation models that invest in people often create some of the strongest long-term safeguards for wildlife and the environment. When communities are given dignity, economic stability, education, healthcare access, and sustainable livelihood opportunities, they become active stakeholders in protecting ecosystems rather than adversaries of development efforts.
A Case Study of Successful Upliftment and Coordination
This philosophy has shaped the work of Wildlife SOS for years, particularly through its rehabilitation initiatives with the Kalandar community. Historically, members of the Kalandar tribe were associated with the practice of ‘dancing’ bears, a tradition passed down across generations as a primary means of livelihood. For centuries, sloth bears were captured from the wild, trained through cruelty and forced into performances on streets to sustain entire families economically.
However, simply confiscating bears without addressing the economic realities of the community would never have solved the issue permanently. Families dependent on the practice needed sustainable alternatives to survive.
Recognising this, Wildlife SOS adopted a more equitable model of conservation, one that focused not only on rescuing animals but also on uplifting people. Through education programmes, vocational training, women empowerment initiatives, healthcare support, secure shelters to the erstwhile nomadic tribe, small business assistance and long-term community development programmes, over 25,000 Kalandar families were supported in transitioning away from bear exploitation.
Today, many members of the community run embroidery enterprises, handicraft businesses, tailoring units and small shops. Women, in particular, have become central to this transformation. Several women-led embroidery collectives supported by Wildlife SOS Sewing Training Centres now create handcrafted products and merchandise for our organisation which provide stable household incomes while helping preserve traditional artistic skills.
Perhaps the most powerful transformation is visible at an individual level. Awareness and practical understanding has led many from the community to join Wildlife SOS’s caregiving teams for sloth bears. Not only this, former bear handlers who once depended entirely on exploiting wildlife for survival are today raising children with access to formal education and alternative career opportunities unimaginable just a generation ago. Young members of the community who may once have inherited the practice of bear dancing are instead pursuing higher education with aspirations to participate in modern economic systems with dignity and independence. As many as 17,000 Kalandar children have been supported with admission to schools, fees, and additional guidance at Wildlife SOS Tuition Centres till date.
Importantly, this transition has also benefited wildlife directly. With sustainable alternatives available, the economic incentive to capture and exploit bears drastically reduced over time. The upliftment of communities and the protection of wildlife became interconnected goals rather than opposing ones.
A philosophy applies and remains consistent across animal welfare and community rehabilitation: improvement requires rebuilding lives, restoring dignity and creating systems of coexistence instead of exploitation.
The way forward…
Native communities have lived alongside India’s forests and wildlife for generations and they cannot simply be viewed as obstacles. Their rich knowledge, participation, welfare, rights and upliftment are fundamental not only to their own future but also to the long-term health of the few remaining natural ecosystems.
As climate change intensifies, natural resources become scarcer and pressures on forests continue to rise, the need for community-centred conservation efforts has never been more urgent. It is time for us not to banish, but to “listen” to and respectfully acknowledge people native to the land. Real conservation and meaningful development cannot exist without social justice.
The strongest guardians of the forests, wildlife and biodiversity around them are also in need of secure livelihoods, access to education and healthcare and a meaningful role in the society. Their traditional ecological knowledge, combined with modern conservation efforts, creates a model that benefits both people and nature.
The future of India’s forests and the future of its indigenous communities are not separate conversations. They are deeply connected, and always have been.
As we promote a holistic approach for growth and development, we invite you to support Wildlife SOS in providing a dignified life to Kalandar families and their bright and aspiring children.
Feature image: Suryoday Singh Mann/ Wildlife SOS
