Forests are contested spaces where state agencies and local communities vie for authority. India’s Forest Rights Act (FRA) seeks to address these tensions by formally recognizing the rights of forest-dwelling communities and acknowledging historical injustices. Although this recognition is implemented through committees involving tribal welfare, forest, and revenue officials, forest departments continue to obstruct the process. How do they manage to do so despite the presence of the other departments?

Drawing on sensemaking and sensegiving theory, this article investigates the recognition of forest rights claims submitted by Adivasi communities in Nagarhole National Park. Using discourse analysis of forest rights committee meetings and interviews with relevant actors, we show that power is exercised through historically grounded knowledge and legal expertise, deployed via particular forms of sensemaking.

To enhance the effectiveness of transformative policies such as the FRA, training programs for officials must incorporate local histories to help them better navigate complex socio-ecological realities. Policymakers should also work toward integrating related laws to avoid fragmented reforms. Such measures can reduce the ambiguities that powerful actors exploit through certain forms of sensegiving, and instead, foster more constructive interpretive practices. Only then can transformative policies meaningfully redress past injustices against communities deeply connected to natural landscapes, supporting more just and sustainable futures.