MINING: A GUIDE TO INDIA’S WEALTH, ITS RESOURCE CURSE         Map: Forest + Minerals           Click to enlarge   India – forest + minerals Minerals do not occur only in barren wastelands. The forests that are home to large and overwhelmingly impoverished tribal populations are also home to some of the country’s wealthiest mineral deposits. Mining swallows forest land and spits out a decrepit, virtually uninhabitable landscape rampant with fires and floods. In Korbam Chhattisgarh, the largest coal-producing district, forests cover 51% of the geographical area. Overall, the total forested area in the 50 major mineral-producing districts amounts to 18% of India’s total forest cover. This figure would be higher, but the mining districts with the lowest forest cover are either in arid regions or, tragically, have been mined for so long that there are no more native forests totally. The presence of large mineral deposits in ecologically sensitive areas threatens India’s already vulnerable forests. The government estimates that the total forested land diverted for mining between 1980 and 2005 was 95,003 ha, but it has been estimated to be as high as 1,64,610 ha. From a strictly ecological perspective this figure is worrisome because forests are important natural habitats and are crucial to stabilising the landscape. Without adequate forest coverage, India’s other invaluable natural resources, such as water and wildlife, are at risk. Not only does deforestation wreak havoc on ecosystems, but it also destroys people’s livelihoods. In fact, 90% of India’s coal and 80% of its other minerals are found in tribal areas. Thus, the same forest land that is merely a woody obstacle to mineral extraction for a mining company is also an essential component of India’s vibrant ecology and the home to some of the country’s most marginalized groups.