What was the main reason for local peoples problems in commercial forestry?

Correct answer: Government restrictions

The direct answer is C, government restrictions. Commercial forestry introduced rules that limited customary access to forests. Local people who had collected fuelwood, fruits, leaves and timber, grazed animals or practised shifting cultivation could be fined, removed or denied entry. The reasoning is: the government claimed control over forests; laws divided forests into categories and regulated use; traditional activities were restricted; local people therefore faced serious problems. C is correct. A, distance of the sea, does not explain loss of forest rights. B, shortage of cotton, concerns a different crop and is not the main cause here. D, number of schools, is unrelated to restrictions on forest access. The problem was not simply that forests were commercial; it was that state rules changed who could use them and how. Memory cue: colonial forest law plus commercial cutting = restricted customary rights.