ICAR AICE-JRF/SRF Forest Policy, Law & Governance: practice questions

1 · Forest policy: concepts and process · hard

A recurring lesson of forest policy worldwide is that rules imposed without regard to local rights and livelihoods:

1. Are always more effective than participatory approaches in protecting forests over time
2. Have no effect at all on local behaviour, whether enforced or not
3. Are welcomed by communities because they reduce local responsibilities
4. Are hard to enforce, while secure tenure and benefit sharing give reasons to conserve

2 · National forest policies: evolution from production to conservation and people · hard

How did the 1952 and 1988 policies differ in their treatment of local communities near forests?

1. 1952 gave communities ownership of forests; 1988 took it away
2. Both policies excluded local communities from forests entirely
3. 1952 put national needs first; 1988 made local needs the first charge
4. 1952 made local needs the first charge; 1988 placed national needs first

3 · National forest policies: evolution from production to conservation and people · hard

Which development followed directly from the 1988 policy's emphasis on people's participation?

1. The Indian Forest Act of 1927
2. The 1990 joint forest management circular
3. The Wildlife (Protection) Act of 1972
4. The 1894 classification of forests into four classes

4 · Forest acts: reserved and protected forests and control of forest-land conversion · hard

Why was the 2023 amendment to the Forest (Conservation) Act controversial?

1. It banned all diversion of forest land for any purpose, including defence
2. It abolished compensatory afforestation and net present value payments
3. It narrowed coverage from the wide Godavarman reading and exempted certain projects
4. It transferred all forest land to state revenue departments

5 · Forest law compared across countries · medium

Why does the EU have no common forest policy comparable to its agricultural policy?

1. All EU forests are privately owned and so fall outside public law entirely
2. Forests in the EU are managed entirely by the United Nations
3. The founding treaties give it no specific competence for forests
4. The EU has no forests within its territory

6 · Forest law compared across countries · hard

In the United States, forestry practices on private land are regulated mainly by:

1. State forest practice acts and best-management practices, which vary by state
2. The National Forest Management Act, which applies equally to all private land
3. The Wilderness Act, which covers all private forests
4. The Forest Service, which issues felling licences for every private tree

7 · Forest offences, settlement of rights and forest settlement procedure · hard

Several states have amended the Indian Forest Act to allow departmental confiscation of seized property. The main purpose is to:

1. Remove the right of appeal from all accused persons
2. Transfer all forest cases from criminal to civil courts for trial
3. Act quickly against organised timber theft, with appeal against the order
4. Abolish compounding of offences

8 · International instruments: CBD, UNFCCC, CITES, Ramsar, UNFF · medium

The three objectives of the Convention on Biological Diversity are:

1. Conservation, prohibition of trade and creation of national parks
2. Sustainable use, carbon storage and the protection of wetlands
3. Research, education and ecotourism
4. Conservation, sustainable use and fair sharing of benefits from genetic resources

9 · Timber legality: EU Deforestation Regulation, US Lacey Act, FLEGT · easy

The cut-off date in the EU Deforestation Regulation, after which deforestation makes a product non-compliant, is:

1. 31 December 2020
2. 1 January 2013
3. 31 December 2005
4. 1 January 2024

10 · Decentralisation and forest governance · hard

A key risk of forest decentralisation is:

1. Guaranteed loss of all forest cover within one year
2. Elite capture and devolving duties without real powers or benefits
3. Complete exclusion of local people from decisions about their forests
4. Automatic transfer of forests to foreign companies