Libertatem Magazine Issue 2 | Page 31

Moreover,  the  Act  is  important  for  the  conservation  of  forest  resources.   The  Act  does  focus  on  conservation  and  gives  impetus  to   the  tribal  communities  to  play  a  role  in  conservation  of  forest  resources  by  utilizing  some  of  their  traditional  techniques.  Forest   conservation   is   important   for   reaching   the   goal   of   sustainable   development.   India   has   been   aiming   towards   sustainable   development   from   1972   onwards   after   the   Stockholm   Conference   that   took   place   in   the   same   year.   It   is   the   objective   of   every   nation   to   give   importance   to   sustainable   development   and   the   issue   has   been   raised   in   various   held   conventions.   India   has   international  pressure  towards  conservation  of  natural  resources,  forest  being  one  of  the  most  important  out  of  them.  India  is  also   a  signatory  to  Agenda  21  which  was  formulated  in  the  Rio  Conference  held  in  the  year  1992.  The  Agenda  deals  with  sustainable   development  through  natural  resource  conservation.  The  Agenda  also  includes  forest  as  a  resource.  The  objective  of  sustainable   development   was   kept   in   mind   while   drafting   the   Forest   Rights   Act,   dilution   of   the   same   would   mean   an   obstruction   in   the   achievement  of   the  objective.  In  all   these  aspects   the  Forest  Rights   Act  does   play  a  very  important   role.  The   reason  given   that   the   Act   is  a   bad   law   because   it  causes  an  obstruction  to  development  seems  to   be  a  weak  one.   Development  should   be  sustainable   development  which  means  that  development  of  a  nation   should  not  be  at  the  cost  of  its  environment.   The  forest  rights  provided   to  the  tribal  communities  are  equivalent  to  their   right  to  livelihood  and  as  all  of   us  know  the   right  to  livelihood  is  a  fundamental   right  as  per  Article  21  of  the  Constitution     31