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Article History

Received: 11 August 2022

Accepted: 23 March 2023

First Online: 11 April 2023

Declarations

:

: The research protocol has been approved by an Institutional Review Board at Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE, Bangalore). The IRB approval code for the research is IRB/ACA/0008/AD/02/2019. The research questions emerged from the ongoing work with communities on the rights of forest dwellers. The authors sought prior consent from the Gram Sabhas (village councils) for conducting the study. Villagers were interested in the study and joined in the fieldwork whenever possible. Further permissions were sought when the study had to resume during the COVD-19 pandemic. Restrictions on movement within forests with minimal visits to settlement areas were respected. As the study involves the assessment of the use of fire that is deemed illegal, details on village names, names of informants, and specific locations of plots have been kept confidential. All photos have been taken with prior consent. Results from the study were discussed with the villagers, and inputs were sought on the correctness of our interpretations.

: The authors declare no competing interests.