How should the relation between colonial profit and local rights in deforestation be understood?

Correct answer: As colonial profit increased, local communities’ forest access and rights could be restricted

Colonial governments treated forests as sources of timber, revenue and land for railways, ships, construction and plantations. Forest laws and reserved forests often restricted grazing, fuelwood collection, shifting cultivation and other customary uses by local communities. Thus, policies designed to increase colonial profit could limit local rights. Option B is incorrect because such rights were not automatically strengthened; they were often curtailed. Exam tip: link colonial demand for timber and revenue with restrictions on customary forest rights.