Pinning their hope on only islands of protected areas, some conservationists and foresters are trapped in an obsolete paradigm. One of the great misfortunes in India’s effort towards socially just forest conservation is the false dichotomy between conservation and the forest dwellers’ rights created by some hardline conservationists. A recent article by Praveen Bhargav in The New Indian Express titled “Forest Rights Act: Triggering the apocalypse of forest loss and fragmentation” attempts to widen this divide by grossly misreading and misinforming conservationists about the Forest Rights Act (FRA). Nearly 19 years after the promulgation of the landmark law, the author spins spurious tales claiming the law has hollowed out India’s forests, instead of acknowledging its gains.