Mar 15, 2022
Hundreds of part-time forest watchers across India risk their lives every day for a front-line job that is vital for preserving the country’s forests but often pays less than minimum wage. They battle poachers, criminal gangs, and fires and other disasters, and in this part of the country, where forests mingle with villages, they are the de facto peacekeepers between humans and wildlife. It’s a broad mission that involves deterring wildlife from eating crops and livestock near protected areas, while also guarding the lives and livelihoods of local residents and the wildlife that could face reprisal attacks by communities.
Shalini Venugopal Bhagat, ‘Risking their lives, for little pay, to guard India’s forests’, New York Times
