Whose power increased through Forest Acts?

Correct answer: Colonial government and forest department

The direct answer is A: the colonial government and the forest department. A Forest Act is a law, and laws can give an authority legal power. Colonial forest laws marked areas as reserved or protected forests and allowed officials to regulate cutting, grazing, hunting and collection of forest products. Thus, the government and its forest department gained greater control over forests and over the people who used them. Option A is correct because it names the institution whose legal authority increased. Option B is wrong because sea fishers were not the main beneficiaries of forest legislation. Option C is wrong because folk artists had no special administrative power through these Acts. Option D is wrong because cotton farmers were not given control over forests by these laws. The important chain is: Forest Acts → legal rules → officials’ control → reduced customary access for many local communities. Memory cue: connect “Act” with “authority and control,” not with unrelated occupations.