This qualitative study explores the geographies of knowledge creation in forest rights claims-making processes in three Indigenous communities in Madhya Pradesh, India. In two of the villages, the process is described from the point where the Forest Rights Act is introduced to communities, to the lodging of claims and beyond. One of the villages had not been able to secure their community forest rights. The challenges to knowledge creation, and success factors to overcome the challenges, are explored through the analytical lens of space and the dynamics of distances in material and cognitive space. The main challenges include difficulties in understanding the legal language of the Forest Rights Act, difficulties in bridging the cognitive distance to the forest bureaucracy, and the geographical distance to the town where the offices are. The co-presence of a non-governmental organisation was necessary in bridging the geographical and cognitive distance. During the process, the residents developed a shared understanding of the concept of Community Forest Rights. The notion that the residents are the most skilled in protecting the forests where they live is one of the most commonly shared conceptual anchors to this understanding. In terms of tenure security, the development of shared understanding of forest rights helps in maintaining the perceptions of secure tenure and acts as a protective shield against violations to the forest rights in the future.

本定性研究探讨了印度中央邦三个原住民社区森林权利主张过程中知识创造的地理分布。在其中两个村庄，该过程是从《森林权利法》生效的角度来描述的被引入社区、提出索赔等。其中一个村庄未能确保其社区森林权。通过空间的分析镜头以及物质和认知空间中的距离动态来探索知识创造的挑战以及克服挑战的成功因素。主要挑战包括难以理解《森林权利法》的法律语言，难以弥合与森林官僚机构的认知距离，以及与办公室所在城镇的地理距离。非政府组织的共同存在对于弥合地理和认知距离是必要的。在此过程中，居民对社区森林权利的概念形成了共同的理解。居民最擅长保护他们居住的森林的观念是这种理解最普遍共享的概念锚之一。在权属保障方面，形成对森林权利的共同理解有助于维持对权属有保障的看法，并成为防止未来侵犯森林权利的保护盾。