Van Gujjars are nomadic buffalo-herders inhabiting the foothills of Himalayan states like Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand. They are one of many tribes who have lived in deep dependence on wild habitats in India and for whom, “transhumance” (the practice of moving livestock from one grazing ground to another in a seasonal cycle) has been a way of life for centuries.

Communities like these do not just derive their sustenance out of forests, but are also custodians of these forests - they have protected and conserved them for centuries.
However, Van Gujjars have increasingly found themselves on the wrong side of India’s Forest management policies. They are now thought of as “illegal encroachers”, and ones whose culture and way of living is not compatible with wildlife conservation. This has led to their illegal evictions from these forests.

VICE meets Van Gujjars and Forest Rights Activists in Uttarakhand to understand how these policies are not just hurting Van Gujjars, but also the wildlife that they claim to be protecting.

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