Final answer:
The British exploited India's forest resources, causing significant environmental and socio-economic issues for the local tribal communities. Movements like the Chipko Movement, led by villagers, especially women, arose in response to protect the forests. British policies of indirect rule and infrastructure development primarily served their economic interests and led to extensive deforestation and taxation.
Step-by-step explanation:
The British enacted laws in India to exploit forest resources for their benefit, which led to widespread environmental and social consequences. During British rule, timber extraction was intensified, particularly during the world wars, contributing to significant deforestation, soil erosion, and hardship for local communities, including the tribals. The tribals opposed these policies as the forests were their home and source of livelihood.
Resistance movements, such as the Chipko Movement, emerged from these conditions. In 1973, when a contractor was granted permission to fell trees, local women, led by Gaura Devi, heroically protected the trees and became symbols of resistance. This movement, characterized by decentralized activism by village women, led to the saving of approximately 100,000 trees and eventually forced the government to change its policies toward forest exploitation.
Beyond resource extraction, the British exerted control through indirect rule, which often leveraged pre-existing power structures but also resulted in the disruption of traditional practices and direct administration where Indigenous resistance was encountered. To solidify their hold, Britain built infrastructure that mainly benefited them and imposed harsh taxes on the Indian populace.