Female Farmer in Village near Mahan Forest

Women sowing seeds at the village of Pedtalli.

One of the oldest sal forests of Asia - Mahan, Madhya Pradesh are facing the threat of an absolute wipe out. Giant corporations Essar and Hindalco are after the coal reserves below these forests.

Over 14,190 lives and livelihoods are dependent on the Mahan forests, Madhya Pradesh. Their culture, community and lives are intertwined with the forests that the corporations threaten to destroy. Displacement from their natural habitat is going to be devastating for the indigenous community.

Unique identifier: GP0STO6KU

Type: Image

Shoot date: 05/08/2013

Locations: Asia, India, Madhya Pradesh, Mahan Forest, Singrauli region

Credit line: © Vivek M. / Greenpeace

Size: 1200px × 800px 382KB

Ranking: ★★★★ (E)

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Mahan Forest Documentation in India

Billionaire corporations Essar & Hindalco, among India’s most powerful business families, have been given the green light by the Indian government earlier this year to dig up a new open cast coal mine in the Mahan forest in Madhya Pradesh, an unspoilt area home to tribal populations as well as endangered wildlife such as elephants, leopards, and possibly even tigers. What makes Mahan critical is its status as the last remaining patch of dense, unfragmented forest in the central Indian landscape. Wiping out this verdant forest teeming with wildlife will pave the way for the surrounding forests in the region to get the axe for profits.The forest clearance involved will have an impact on the 50,000-plus people from 54 villages depending on this forest for their livelihoods, and two whole villages face being razed to the ground and their inhabitants being relocated to the infamous ‘resettlement colonies’ – grim concrete blocks where villagers live in often squalid conditions.

Related Collections:

Mahan Fight in India (All Photographers)

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