The roots of this problem go back more than a thousand years with the conquest of Britain by William the Conqueror in 1066. He parcelled Englands land among a handful of feudal Lords. These Lords enclosed the village commons, impoverishing the peasantry. All humans, barring rare exceptions, have indulged in hunting since our species originated as group hunters three lakh years ago. Nonetheless, the domineering British Lords reserved hunting for themselves branding peasants hunting to fill their bellies as poachers and summarily hanging them. The fallout of these authoritarian measures was that Britains forests and wildlife were wiped out by the 14th century.
When the British became Lords of India they were intent on looting its Resources. Their tool in this plunder was the forest department, an agency created to confiscate the tree wealth nurtured by our farmers and forest-dwellers by taking overcommunitylands.
The result mirrored what had happened in Britain and Indias forest wealth was rapidly depleted by the end of 19th century. Goa was spared this fate under rule.
The Portuguese also tried to dismantle community control, but since this led to serious loss of agricultural production and revenue, they permitted its continuance. So, Goa retained its green mantle till the end of Portuguese rule in 1961. On being integrated into the Indian Union the new regime has consistently attempted to take power away from people and dismantle comunidades triggering an erosion of Goas natural heritage.
The foresters with their colonial legacy stepped into Goa clear cutting natural forests to raise exotic tree plantations. With the promulgation of Wildlife Protection Act in 1972 the entire countryside came in the foresters grip with farmers and forest-dwellers becoming victims of conflict with wildlife. Goans too are suffering with wild pigs, monkeys and gaur the major problem species inflicting huge losses of crops and Livestock.