The Vanguards of Angul: People and forests

It was around the early 1990s that the villagers in Angul district of Odisha woke up to the reality of losing their forests completely. And started efforts to bring back their forests, their lifeline. In 2007, the Odisha forest department infused fresh energy into this movement by reviving the Van Suraksha Samitis and entrusting them with full responsibility to manage their forests. The Vanguards tells a story of transition- of how communities who once exploited their forests turned into its protectors and managers. It further reminds us why such stories must be acknowledged in the national and global discourse on mitigating climate change.