In the 1970s the people of the Dengajhari village realised that they had destroyed the surrounding forests and decided to protect the forests around them. They joined with two other villages to protect the surrounding forests, but they eventually broke apart. The women were worried about the men trying to protect the forests and they decided to get spades and sharp weapons and drive away about 200 people from their forest. After this success they decided to take up the protection of the surrounding forests, banned hunting and established strict punishments for those who are caught illegally smuggling timber from the forest. This has been very good for the regeneration of the forest and wildlife has also reappeared. This is a very positive situation and it has encouraged the women in other smaller villages to follow this example.