This Act recognizes and vests forest rights and occupation in forestland to forest dwelling Scheduled Tribes and other traditional forest dwellers who have been residing in such forests for generations but whose rights could not be recorded.

Forest dwelling Scheduled Tribes :

Implies the members or community of the Scheduled Tribes who primarily reside in and who depend on the forests or forestlands for bona fide livelihood needs and includes the Scheduled Tribe pastoralist communities.

Other traditional forest dwellers :

Implies any member or community who has for at least three generations (one generation equivalent to period of 25 years) prior to the 13th day of December, 2005 primarily reside in and who depend on the forest or forests land for bona fide livelihood needs.

The recognition and vesting of forest rights is subject to the condition that such Scheduled Tribes or tribal communities or other traditional forest dwellers need to have occupied forest land before the 13th day of December 2005.The forest rights recognized and vested under this Act shall include the right of land to forest dwelling Scheduled Tribes and other traditional forest dwellers who can establish that they were displaced from their dwelling and cultivation without land compensation due to State development interventions, and where the land has not been used for the purpose for which it was acquired within five years of the said acquisition.