Which one of the following Forest Acts divided forests of India into reserved, protected and village forests?

The Indian Forest Act of 1878 was a landmark colonial legislation that fundamentally restructured forest governance in British India. It addressed the perceived shortcomings of the earlier 1865 Act by establishing a comprehensive classification system. Under this Act, forests were divided into three distinct categories: Reserved Forests, Protected Forests, and Village Forests [2]. Reserved forests were the most restricted, representing a state monopoly where community access was strictly prohibited to protect commercially valuable timber like deodar and sal [2]. Protected forests allowed for limited, regulated customary use, while village forests were intended for community management under state oversight. This classification system prioritized revenue generation and state control over the traditional rights of local communities and pastoralists, effectively transforming customary forest use from a right into a state-granted privilege.

Sources

1. [1] http://indianculture.gov.in/digital-district-repository/district-repository/forest-act-1878
2. [2] India and the Contemporary World - I. History-Class IX . NCERT(Revised ed 2025) > Chapter 5: Pastoralists in the Modern World > 2 Colonial Colonial Colonial Rule and ule and ule Pastoral astoral astoral Life > p. 104