The Athamalik conservation zone is a large area spread over five forest ranges where many communities conserve patches of khesra forests, which are forests adjoining the Villages on which the local Village communities have traditional rights to use and protect. The major occupation of communities living in the Athamalik forest range is agriculture and also rearing of livestock. These communities are dependent on forests for firewood, fodder and timber among other resources. Communities have evolved norms for the protection of these forests and mechanisms have evolved for community patrolling, the prevention of illicit logging and resolution of inter Village issues, to name a few. A unique conservation practice is that communities do not harvest roots of any plants in the khesra forests.