Synopsis A Lot has been said recently about the destructive nature of colonial exploitation of nature resources in the tropics. This uniquely detailed study of one of the most wooded districts in India, North Canara (Uttara Kanada) in the Western Ghats, Karnataka, reveals that economic stake as well as a conservation agenda were at the centre of the British forest policy in the area. The study also argues that one of the most destructive consequences of colonial intervention was the disruption of social organization, which was originally closely linked to the environment. In understanding these socio-economic changes, one may find some answers to the challenge of contemporary attempts to reconcile the needs of the local communities with the conservation of a vulnerable environment.