Whose traditional uses were affected by forest laws?

Correct answer: Forest-dependent communities

Correct answer: A. Forest-dependent communities included villagers, shifting cultivators, pastoral groups, hunters, gatherers and others whose livelihoods used forest products or spaces. They collected fuelwood, fruits, leaves, fodder and other materials, and some practised grazing or cultivation according to local custom. Colonial forest laws often restricted these activities, required permits or changed access rights in the interest of regulated forestry and commercial timber. A is correct because these communities had direct economic and cultural links with forests. B, C and D are wrong because the options describe groups not identified here as the main holders of traditional forest-use rights. This does not mean every person in a forest community used the forest in exactly the same way. Memory cue: forest laws changed the daily rights of people whose work and survival depended on forests.