India, Sept. 15 -- From the Bishnoi sacrifice at Khejrali to the daily battles against poachers, smugglers and hostile terrain, frontline forest staff remain the largely unsung soldiers of conservation. The courage of officers who protect forests deserves not merely remembrance, but stronger institutional and legal protection

India recently observed Forest Martyrs' Day on September 11, when we remembered frontline staff who sacrificed their lives on duty while fighting for the conservation of forests and wildlife.

It was established in 2013 by the Union Government's Environment Ministry and has historical roots in the 1730 Khejrali massacre in Rajasthan, when 363 Bishnoi community villagers, led by Amrita Devi, sacrificed their lives to...