This study looks at how people who rely on forests, both legally and illegally, impact the forests in Thiruvananthapuram, South-India. The researchers compare the effects of indigenous tribes living in the forest and non-tribal rural communities living near it. They found that when the tribal population is too large for the forest to support, it leads to forest degradation. Additionally, the level of dependency on the forest by non-tribal rural people also affects the forest cover. Understanding these relationships can help future efforts to protect forests by focusing on the activities of forest-dependent communities. It shows that for successful forest conservation, it's important to consider the culture of local communities and involve them in sustaining the forest.