Losing the Forest, Losing Themselves: How Climate Change is Erasing the Sahariya Tribe's Legacy in Madhya Pradesh

Sheopur/Shivpuri – For centuries, the Sahariya tribe lived in harmony with the forests of Madhya Pradesh, relying on nature for food, medicine, and livelihood. But as climate change accelerates and deforestation worsens, their way of life is vanishing—along with the forests they once called home.

The districts of Sheopur and Shivpuri, once rich in medicinal plants like Safed Musli, Guggul, and Kalihari, are now witnessing a sharp decline in biodiversity. Rising temperatures, erratic rainfall, and deforestation have pushed these species to the brink of extinction, leaving the Sahariyas without their primary source of income and cultural identity.

“I’ve seen the forest change before my eyes,” says Veerendra Parashar, a social worker who has worked with the Sahariya tribe in Sheopur’s Karahal block since 1995. “The medicinal plants that generations of Sahariyas identified and used for healing and selling are vanishing. These herbs were once the backbone of their economy and identity.”