Ecology, Economy and Society–the INSEE Journal | March 5, 2025
It was January 17, 2022, and I was in the Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve (STR) in Erode, Tamil Nadu, a biodiversity-rich protected area (PA) with interspersed forest and agricultural land. My field assistant and I waited on the red concrete steps of the range office for the range forest officer (RFO) to arrive. The range office was a small building, painted yellow with brown windows and a banner displaying its name. A notice board hung on a wall listed the documents the public must submit to seek compensation for crop damage, loss of life, and livestock casualties caused by wildlife.
