Conserve The Greenery, Don't Spoil The Scenery

By Bhavna, Diya Vinod and Akanksha Kumari

Forests In India

The term "forest cover" refers to the total geographic region designated by the government as a forest. The entire forest area of India was 712,249 square kilometres (71.22 million hectares) in 2019, accounting for 21.67 percent of the country's total land area. India's entire forest and tree area, on the other hand, is 807,276 sq. km (80.73 million hectares), or 24.56 percent of the country's overall geographic area. The Government of India has just released its latest National Forest Coverage Report, claiming that there has been some increase in forest and tree cover throughout the country. It does, however, show that since 2009, the biodiversity-rich woodlands of the country's northeastern region have lost forest cover on a regular basis. The Forest Survey of India uses satellite data to examine the country's forest cover mapping every two years. The main objective is to provide information on the country's forest resources at the state and district levels, as well as to construct 1:50,000 scale forest cover maps.

via Deccan Herald

Forest cover is divided into four categories: very dense forest, moderately dense forest, open forest, and mangrove forest. The dense and sparse forest classifications are based on internationally recognised categorization standards. Mangroves are divided into categories based on their colour and texture, as well as their ecological characteristics.

India has established a target of filling 33 percent of its territory with forests, according to the National Forest Policy of 1988. This was also one of the primary objectives outlined in the NITI Aayog's document Strategy for New India at 75. (2018). In total, the nearest wooded cowl covers more than 33% of the geographic area in 17 states / union territories. Forest coverage exceeds 75% in five of these states and union territories: Lakshadweep, Mizoram, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Arunachal Pradesh, and Meghalaya.

The 2021 ISFR report attributed improved forest coverage to "better conservation, tree planting and agroforestry." According to the 2019 study, the northeastern states are losing forest on a regular basis. Except for Assam, forest coverage in six states fell by about 18% between 2011 and 2019.

Forests are critical for large-scale country development and civilization. The value of forests in an agricultural country like India cannot be emphasised. Forests contribute roughly 40% of the country's energy demands and 30% of its food needs, according to the 10th Five-Year Plan. Each year, the forest is predicted to lose 270 million tonnes of firewood, 280 million tonnes of feed, more than 12 million cubic metres of timber, and innumerable non-timber forest products.

A well-known observer has remarked that the forests of India are a wonderfully useful resource in monetary terms. They provide daily full-time employment to about 150,000 people as loggers, sawmills, boxers and craftsmen and in various related professions in the forest area. They also supply primary and secondary products from the forest area, such as bamboo, bamboo, medicines, spices, peaks and vegetables suitable for human consumption, fibres and floss, hay and fodder, gum and resins, rubber and latex, incense and aromatic woods, tanning and dyeing materials, bidi leaves, vegetable and oilseed oils, sandalwood, oil, lacquer, ivory, honey, beeswax, myrobalans, cutch and kutha, aromatic herbs like lemongrass, rosha grass, munj grass, khas, tiger grass, etc.

via Vidhi Mitra - WordPress.com

India is a rustic country where visitors are drawn by the spectacular splendour of the Indian subcontinent's floral plants and animals. Millions of people travel from all over the world to discover the secrets hidden deep within India's forests.

Causes Of Disappearance Of Forests In India

Forests and forest resources are extremely beneficial to the ecosystem in a variety of ways. The survival of the majority of living organisms is dependent on the forest. Forests are beneficial in a multitude of ways, including providing habitat for a range of wildlife, pollution management, carbon sinks, and the water cycle, as well as regulating soil erosion and temperature rise. Despite the fact that it plays a significant role in several stages, it is rapidly disappearing from the planet. Every minute, roughly 36 football fields are cleared, according to the World Wildlife Fund. The reasons behind the disappearance of forests in India are as follows:

via Deccan Herald

Agriculture

The majority of forest area is being converted to agricultural land in order to promote high-demand commercial horticulture. People in the highlands clear the forest as part of their slash and burn farming method, which clears around 5 lakh acres of forest each year for shifting cultivation. In India, states like Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, and M.P., as well as some parts of the north east, account for about half of the yearly forest clearance.

Logging

Forest loss is primarily caused by logging. Loggers fell the trees for a variety of reasons, including raw materials and other commercial uses.

Increase in population

As the world's population grew, so did the demand for forest products, resulting in the clearance of additional forest land.

Industrialization and urbanisation

As the demand for industrialization and urbanisation grows, so does the demand for forest commodities and resources.

Construction of Dam reservoirs

If a dam is built over a forest region, the land becomes vulnerable. Floods, droughts, and landslides become more common in such locations, disrupting the region's biological equilibrium.

Overgrazing

Desertification and erosion are caused by overgrazing, which diminishes the land's usefulness, production, and biodiversity.

Forest fire

Forest fires result in a significant loss of forest area as well as valuable timber resources. Forest fires cost India at least $1 billion every year, according to the World Bank.

Effects Of The Disappearance Of Forests On Humans And The Environment

Deforestation has a wide range of environmental and natural consequences. Forest destruction would be disastrous for plants and animals, as well as humans, and would result in a greater loss of biodiversity on the world. The major issues of forest loss are discussed here.

via TERI

Loss of Biodiversity

This would be the most major deforestation issue. The loss of forest will result in the extinction of the majority of flora and animals. It occurs when certain species lose their habitat, are unable to move, and hence go extinct or endangered.

Food problems

Much of the deforested land is unsuitable for cultivation due to the loss of fertility and the lack of arable ground. They will be unsuited for agricultural production since they will not be productive.

Flooding

Trees can keep water and topsoil at a tolerable level, but because their topsoil is eroding, too much water might trigger downstream floods, which is a calamity.

Climate change

Deforestation on a large scale affects the climate all over the planet. Clearing forest cover is linked to an increase in CO2 levels in the atmosphere, which leads to increased heat.

Displacement of indigenous communities

When the forest and its resources are depleted, communities that rely on them become homeless.

The effects of forest loss are numerous; they affect people's socio-economic lives as well as environmental harm.

Government Acts And Policies To Safeguard Our Forests

Considering the daily growth of human activities into the forest and the harm they cause, the role of government becomes increasingly vital. The government has made many measures to protect the forest over time. The following are the government's significant acts and policies in this regard:

Indian Forest Act, 1927

The Indian Forest Act of 1927 (IFA) and its offshoots in numerous states provide India's general framework for forest management. The preamble to this Act notes that it aims to combine the law dealing with forests, forest produce transit, and the duty levied on timber and other forest produce.

The Reserved Woods Act established three types of forests: Reserved forests, Village forests, and Protected forests. Forest reserves are the most well-protected of the three types. In restricted forests, felling trees, grazing cattle, removing forest products, and other activities are prohibited.

Forest Conservation Act, 1980

In 1952, India's first forest policy was drafted. However, between 1952 and 1980, a considerable percentage of India's forest land was lost due to various development initiatives, the opening of forest regions for agriculture, and other factors. The central government was prompted to adopt the Forest Conservation Act in 1980 as a result of this destruction. It is widely regarded as the most significant legislative endeavour in Indian history aimed at reducing deforestation caused by the conversion of forest lands to non-forest uses. The State Government's jurisdiction to sanction such conversions without the permission of the Central Government was limited by this Act.

The Forest Policy of 1988 and Joint Forest Management (JFM)

This policy represented a paradigm shift from previous approaches, which began to take shape in India in 1990 with the introduction of Joint Forest Management. Unlike the use-oriented policy of 1952, the Forest Policy of 1988 emphasises the ecological functions of forests and envisions forest rights and concessions being used largely for bona fide purposes by groups living within and surrounding forest regions, particularly tribals.

In June 1990, the Ministry of Environment and Forests sent a circular to several State Forest Departments encouraging village communities and voluntary organisations to participate in forest land regeneration, and this circular officially established JFM in India.

The Biological Diversity Act, 2002

The Biodiversity Act of 2002 was drafted in response to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity, which was signed in 1992. This Act establishes a three-tier structure of authorities to manage the country's biodiversity: the National Biodiversity Authority (NBA), State Biodiversity Boards at the state level, and Biodiversity Management Committees at the local level. Conservation of Biological Diversity, sustainable use of its components, and equitable distribution of the benefits of biological resources are the core goals of this Act.

There are various more laws and acts, such as the Environment Protection Act of 1986, the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972, and so on. The proper application of these policies, as well as ongoing efforts from both the government and residents, can assure the preservation of our forests.

Measures And Ways To Protect Our Forests At The Individual Level

Dorothy Stang, an American environmentalist who spent her life defending the Brazilian rainforest, correctly stated that "the death of the forest is the death of our life," implying that we, along with the government and authorities, share equal responsibility for protecting our forests by taking the necessary measures.

The following are some of the individual measures we may take to conserve our forests:

• Plant as many trees as you can in your surroundings or wherever you can for reforestation and afforestation. However, planting new trees should never be used as an excuse to tear down existing ones. Conserve the trees and forests in your neighbourhood.

via The Hindu

• Support forest conservation organisations and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) through volunteering. Purchase forest-friendly products, such as shade-grown coffee, and avoid uncertified products, such as uncertified palm oil. raise public awareness about the dangers of using plastics and the damage we are causing to forests as a result of our activities. Take tiny actions, such as using public transportation, using organic manures, not wasting pages, and so on.

via The Indian Express

Even a tiny initiative counts and can have a significant impact on the preservation of our forests. 'Be cautious of your actions today in order to have a better and more green tomorrow.'

References

forestlegality.org

blog.ipleaders.in

Website of Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.

www.yourarticlelibrary.com

www.conserve-energy-future.com

www.bbc.com.

www.intechopen.com

fsi.nic.in

www.indiawaterportal.org

www.downtoearth.org.in

testbook.com