This Act provides for the protection and management of forests in Kerala.
The Government may declare any land at its disposal to be a Reserved Forest in the manner provided for in the Act. The Act also regulates the use of the pasturage or of the natural produce of any land at the disposal of the Government and not included in a Reserved Forest.
The Act provides for the control over timber and forest produce including powers of the Government to: regulate trade and transport, even though the produce does not belong to the Government; prescribe the routes for import and export, and to prohibit the import or movement; prescribe documentation, marks and rules for all timber products; provides that timber on the margin of any public road is assumed to be timber in transit until the contrary is proved; etc. The Government may also regulate or prohibit in any forest or waste land not at the disposal of the Government the breaking up or clearing of land, the firing or clearing of vegetation or the pasturing of cattle for purposes specified in the Act.
The Act further provides for: the collection of drift and stranded timber; the preservation of wild elephants; offences, penalties and procedures; fines for cattle trespassing in reserved forests; powers of forest officers; forest development taxes; the establishment of the Kerala Forest Development Fund; etc.
An Act to unify and amend the law relating to the protection and management of forests in the State of Kerala.
Date of consolidation/reprint 12 Nov 1992This Act repeals the Travancore-Cochin Forest Act, 1951 (III of 1952) and the Madras Forest Act, 1882 (XXI of 1882) and the Madras Wild Elephants Preservation Act, 1873 (Act 1 of 1873) as in force in the Malabar District.