Ecological Perspective on Poverty Alleviation

Rural poverty is one of the main factors contributing to Forest degradation in the country. Poverty alleviation, Social and Economic development of the forest-dependent people should be the long term strategy and hidden agenda of the Forest Department. With a large portion of India's population living on natural resources, India remains a biomass-based civilization. Poverty alleviation programmes should be woven around the natural systems, human resources and social systems. Balanced development of ecosystems is the key to the success. The Forester in the new role has to work as an agent of social change and as a manager of ecosystems.