RAIPUR: Tucked deep inside south Chhattisgarh’s Bastar division, Tiriya village has been recognised among the top 15 mentions, out of the 190+ nominated communities, for the 2025 Collective Action Awards by the Rights and Resources Initiative (RRI).
Tiriya’s model stands as a resilient example on how tribal (Adivasi) communities can lead inclusive, sustainable development rooted in traditional knowledge and collective action in Bastar region.
The RRI is a global coalition of grassroots organisations aimed at improving coordination and support for the recognition of land rights for indigenous people across Africa, Asia and Latin America. The global efforts intended to safeguard nature and preserve traditional knowledge for future generations are much appreciated.
The achievement of Tiriya has been supported by the Bastar-based team of ATREE, which has facilitated key steps in the community forest rights (CFR) claim-making and community planning processes.
The global recognition celebrates Tiriya’s exemplary grassroots efforts in securing community forest rights, strengthening collective governance and pioneering a self-sustaining eco-tourism model.
Led by the Dhruva tribal community, the Tiriya gram sabha (village council) successfully claimed community rights over 3057 hectares of forest under the Forest Rights Act and established a community-led management system to conserve its forests and livelihoods.
“The efforts of the tribal community are well acknowledged and it’s an occasion for them to celebrate. Tiriya was earlier a forest village known not just for rich natural forest resources but also for close bonding existing within the community. Tiriya became a revenue village in 2013. Forest management groups have also been diligently working in Tiriya and such rich forested areas of Bastar”, said V Sreenivasa Rao (PCCF & Head of Forest Force) told the TNIE.
Through daily forest patrolling and an innovative bamboo rafting enterprise along the Shabari river, the village has generated significant local employment and income while promoting environmental justice and cultural pride.