Forest Conservation

WHY IN NEWS?

• The UN General Assembly has proclaimed March 21 as the International Day of Forests to celebrate and raise awareness about the importance of forests.
• On this day, countries are encouraged to organise activities such as tree planting campaigns to help increase the green cover, conserve biodiversity, and fight climate change.

WHAT IS FOREST CONSERVATION?

• Forest conservation is the practice of planting and maintaining forested areas for the benefit and sustainability of future generations.
• It does not mean the denial of use, but rather the proper use without causing any adverse effect on our economy and environment.
• Growing awareness on the part of governments and the general public, in India and around the world, of the benefits of forests to humans, has given rise to government agencies and a thriving industry devoted to forest conservation.

TECHNIQUES USED FOR FOREST CONSERVATION:

• Reforestation and Afforestation:
  • Reforestation is the process of planting trees in a forest where the number of trees has been decreasing.
  • Afforestation is when new trees are planted or seeds are sown in an area where there were no trees before, creating a new forest.
• Selective logging:
  • It is a method used to meet the needs of both the forests and humans seeking economical resources
  • Selective logging is the removal of trees within a stand based on size limitations
  • This technique allows for forest regeneration to occur between and after the selective harvest cycles
• Controlling forest fires
  • Forest fires are the most common and deadly cause of loss of forests. They can start due to natural causes or can be accidents caused by man
  • Hence, precautions must be taken for such incidents. Making fire lanes, spreading chemicals to control fire, clearing out dry leaves and trees etc.
• Better farming practices
  • Slash and burn farming, overgrazing by cattle etc. are farming practices that are harmful to the environment and particularly to forests.
  • Hence, these practices must be kept under control.
• Checking forest clearances for urbanisation
  • In the era of rapid urbanization and industrialization, clearing of forests either by encroachment or actual grant of permission is often done
  • Hence, strict policies should be in place, so as to avert forest land from urban encroachment

DEFINITION OF FOREST COVER IN INDIA:

• India’s definition of forest cover is in sync with that of the Kyoto Protocol.
  • A “forest” has a minimum area of 0.05 to 1 ha (India has 1.0 ha minimum), with the tree crown cover percentage being more than 10 to 30 per cent (India has 10 per cent) and with trees having the potential to reach a minimum height of 2 to 5 meter at maturity in situ (in India, it’s 2 m).
• The recently released India State of Forest Report (ISFR) 2021 shows the total forest and tree cover in India is 80.9 million hectares, which is 24.62 per cent of the geographical area of the country.
• The National Forest Policy (1988) aims to increase the forest cover to 33% of total area.
• The definition thus arrived at by India assesses forests as all lands, more than 1 hectare in area, with a tree canopy density of more than 10 per cent irrespective of ownership and legal status. Such lands may not necessarily be a recorded forest area.

SIGNIFICANCE OF FOREST CONSERVATION:

• Forests play a critical role for the global environment, population and economy.
• Besides alleviating the effects of climate change and natural disasters, they represent some of the richest biological areas on Earth.
• They also provide food, renewable raw materials for many of our products, and livelihoods for millions of people.
• Forests can mitigate climate change:
  • By capturing and storing carbon, forests remove significant volumes of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
  • A tree will continue to store carbon after it has been harvested and used – furniture and wooden homes can store carbon for hundreds of years. That is why it is so important to use wood-based products.
  • Forests also ameliorate the extremes of climate by reducing the heat in summer and cold in winter. They also influence the amount of rainfall by lowering the temperature of moisture-laden winds and increase the RH by transpiration.
  • They reduce the surface velocity of the winds and retard the process of evaporation.
• Renewable raw materials:
  • Sustainably produced wood and paper-based goods are a wise, renewable and environmentally friendly choice compared to other materials such as plastics, which alone, use 4% of the total global oil production.
  • Similarly, energy production from forest-based wood and biomass can replace other more greenhouse-gas intensive products, such as oil and coal.
• Cope with natural disasters:
  • Forests also influence nature’s capacity to cope with natural hazards, acting as barriers against heavy rains, flooding and strong winds.
  • They help control or reduce the risk of soil erosion, landslides and avalanches.
  • Forests therefore have an important role in protecting the homes and communities (FAO) of animals and people, and they help to maintain the environmental conditions needed for agricultural production.
  • Flood control:
    • Roots of trees absorb much of the rainwater and thus regulate the flow of water and help in controlling the floods, acting as rain holder and a rain banker.
    • Trees also act like millions of tiny dams and check the flow of water like a barrage.
  • Prevent droughts
    • Forests with their network of tree roots and transpiration process play a pivotal role in influencing weather, especially rainfall. They also store water.
  • Checks on spreads of deserts
    • Sand particles are blown away by strong winds in the deserts and are carried over long distances resulting in the spread of deserts roots bind the sand particles.
    • The roots of trees and plants bind the sand particles and do not permit their easy transportation by the wind.
• Biodiversity:
  • Forests are among the most biodiverse ecosystems on the planet and are home to about 80 percent of the world’s land-based animals and plants (FAO).
  • Thanks to their presence and interaction, ecological processes such as pollination, seed dispersal and soil fertilization can take place.
  • Biodiversity forms the basis of many of the values and services that society derives from forests, including food, fibre, biomass, wood and shelter for people and wildlife.
• Protection of water resources:
  • Forests play a key role in the protection of the world's water resources and in the global water cycle.
  • Much of the world’s drinking water comes from forested areas, and millions of people depend on high-quality freshwater flowing from forests (FAO). 
  • Forests absorb water as direct rainfall from the atmosphere and through their roots from the ground.
  • Through a process of evapo-transpiration, they then re-release water to the atmosphere. Without this process, a key part of the global water cycle would be interrupted, resulting in increased drought and desertification.
  • Through stabilization of soil, forests minimize erosion and reduce the impairment of water quality due to sedimentation.
  • Woodlands protect water bodies and watercourses by trapping sediments and pollutants from other up-slope land uses and activities.
  • Forested watersheds supply 75 percent of the world’s accessible fresh water for domestic, agricultural, industrial and ecological needs.
• Soil protection:
  • Forests also help to maintain nutrient cycling in the soil.
  • The fallen leaves of trees add humus to the soil after their ‘decomposition. Thus forests help in increasing the fertility of the soil.
• Socio-economic benefits:
  • Forests have numerous social benefits, ranging from indigenous peoples’ rights to contributions to sustainable livelihoods, rural development, and local employment.
  • Livelihood benefits:
    • Forests contribute to the livelihoods of some 1.6 billion people worldwide, including 60 million indigenous people who are fully dependent upon them.
    • Fuelwood and charcoal are the main sources of energy for an estimated two billion people around the world.
    • Two billion people also rely on traditional medicines from forests for their health.
    • Forest-based activities such as hunting and fishing provide over 20% of household protein requirements in developing countries.
  • Survival of indigenous communities:
    • With increasing deforestation, the culture, tradition, and survival of indigenous communities who are heavily dependent on forests are threatened.
  • Rural development:
    • Forests also contribute significantly to national and regional economies.
    • In developing countries, forest-based enterprises provide about 13–35% of all rural non-farm employment, that’s equivalent to 17 million formal sector and 30 million informal sector jobs.
    • In some developed countries, such as Canada, Sweden, Finland and parts of the United States, where the forestry sector is a major part of the rural economy, the forest sector is an important contributor to rural development (FAO).
  • Food security
    • Apart from humans who use nuts, mushrooms, berries found in forest, the forests also support animals which we depend on for food and other resources. Deforestation aids food insecurity in many populations.
  • Forests products:
    • Major forest products
      • Major forest products consist of timber, softwood, and fuelwood including charcoal.
      • Indian forests produce numerous species of wood, 90% of which are commercially valuable.
      • Hard woods include teak, mahogany, logwood, iron-wood, ebony, sal etc, which used for furniture, wagons, tools, and other commercial products.
      • Softwood includes deodar, poplar, pine, fir, cedar, balsam, etc. They are light, strong, durable, and easy to work on and are useful for construction work and the production of paper pulp.
      • 70% of hardwood is burnt as fuel and only 30% used in industries, while 30% of softwood is used as fuel while 70% is used in industries.
      • Jammu and Kashmir is the largest producer of timber, closely followed by Punjab and MP.
    • Minor forests products
      • Bamboo is called the poor man’s timber as it provides cheap material for roofing, walling, basketry etc.
      • Oils are obtained from sandalwood, lemongrass etc.
      • Gum is exuded from the stems or other parts of different trees; used in textiles, cosmetics etc.
      • Fibers are obtained from the tissues of some trees; used for rope making.
      • Drugs are obtained from different parts of trees. Quinine is the most important drug.
      • Fruits, flowers, leaves or roots of various species provide edible products.

INITIATIVES TAKEN FOR FOREST CONSERVATION

• Constitutional provisions for forests
  • Forests are included in the Concurrent List in the (Seventh Schedule) of the Constitution of India.
  • Through the 42nd Amendment Act, 1976 Forests and Protection of Wild Animals and Birds were transferred from State to Concurrent List.
  • Article 48 A in the Directive Principles of State policy:
    • It mandates that the State shall endeavor to protect and improve the environment and to safeguard the forests and wildlife of the country.
  • Article 21 includes the right to a healthy environment:
    • The Supreme Court held that the right to life under Article 21 includes the rights to free water and free air from pollution for the full enjoyment of life in the case of Subhash Kumar v/s State of Bihar
  • Article 51 A (g) of the Constitution:
    • It states that it shall be the fundamental duty of every citizen to protect and improve the natural environment including forests and Wildlife.
• Indian Forest Policy, 1952
  • This was a simple extension of colonial forest policy, which became conscious about the need to increase forest cover to on-third of total land area
  • The policy laid stress on
    • Weaning the primitive people by persuasion, from the harmful practice of shifting cultivation
    • Increasing efficiency of forest administration by having adequate forest laws
    • Providing facilities for forest research and for conducting research in forestry and forest products utilisation
    • Controlling grazing in forestry
• Forest Conservation Act 1980:
  • Objectives
    • Protect the forest along with its flora, fauna and other diverse ecological components while preserving the integrity and territory of the forests.
    • Arrest the loss of forest biodiversity
    • Prevent forest lands being converted into agricultural, grazing or for any other commercial purposes and intentions. From 1951 to 1976, about 1.6 lakh hectares of forest area was being diverted every year. The figure came down to 32,000 hectares annually between 1980 and 2011 due to the implementation of the FCA.
  • Features:
    • The Act restricts the state government and other authorities to take decisions first without permission from the central government.
    • The Forest Conservation Act gives complete authority to the Central government to carry out the objectives of the act.
    • The Act levies penalties in case of violations of the provisions of FCA.
    • The Forest Conservation Act will have an advisory committee which will help the Central government with regard to forest conservation.
  • Amendments in 2021 (to balance economic and ecological concern):
    • All land acquired by the Railways and Roads Ministries prior to 1980 to be exempted from the Act
    • Allowing the construction of structure for individuals:
      • For individuals whose lands fall within a state-specific Private Forests Act or come within the dictionary meaning of forest as specified in the 1996 Supreme Court order, the government has proposed to allow construction of structures for bonafide purposes, including residential units up to 250 sq m as a one-time relaxation.
    • Exemption to defence structures:
      • Defence projects near international borders will be exempted from forest clearance.
    • Oil and natural gas extraction from forested lands will be permitted, but only if technologies such as Extended Reach Drilling are used.
    • Doing away with levies for non-forestry purposes during the renewal of a lease.
    • Protected forest and plantations along linear projects like highways and railways that currently require prior central government permission can be used by NHAI or the ministry of railways without forest clearance.
    • Through the amendments, the Central government will have powers to initiate criminal proceedings against violations. This includes even the state governments, which the Centre can penalize.
• Forest policy of 1988:
  • Objectives:
    • Conservation of forest as natural heritage.
    • Substantial increase in forest cover through massive afforestation and social forestry schemes.
    • Check on soil erosion and denudation in catchment areas of rivers, lakes and reservoirs.
    • Check on extension of sand dunes in the desert areas of Rajasthan and along coastal tracts.
    • Steps to meet requirement of fuel wood, fodder, minor forest produce and soil timber of rural and tribal populations.
    • Increase in productivity of forest.
    • Steps to create awareness among peoples and achieve the objectives with minimizing the pressure on existing forests.
    • Involvement of people in forest management under Joint forest Management.
• National Mission for a Green India:
  • It is one of the eight Missions under the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC).
  • The primary aim is to protect, restore and enhance India’s diminishing forest cover.
  • Goals:
    • Improvement in quality of forest cover and ecosystem services of forests /non-forests, including moderately dense, open forests, degraded grassland and wetlands.
    • Eco-restoration/afforestation of scrub, shifting cultivation areas, cold deserts, mangroves, ravines and abandoned mining areas
    • Improvement in forest and tree cover in urban/peri-urban lands
    • Improvement in forest and tree cover on marginal agricultural lands/fallows and other non-forest lands under agroforestry /social forestry
    • Management of public forest/ non-forests areas by the community institutions
    • Adoption of improved fuelwood-use efficiency and alternative energy devices by project-area households.
    • Diversification of forest-based livelihoods of about 3 million households living in and around forests.
• National Afforestation Programme (NAP):
  • It has been implemented since 2000 for the afforestation of degraded forest lands. It is being implemented by the MoEFCC.
• National Action Programme to Combat Desertification:
  • It was prepared in 2001 to address issues of increasing desertification and to take appropriate actions.
• Addressing forest fires:
  • Intensification of Forest Management Scheme
    • The components of the scheme includes:
    • Forest fire control and management
    • Survey, demarcation and preparation of working plans,
    • Strengthening of infrastructure such as roads, camp offices, watch towers,
    • Improved mobility, providing fire arms and use of modern information and communication technology.
  • National Action Plan On Forest Fires, 2018
    • The plan also aims to reduce the vulnerability of forests against fire hazards across the diverse forest ecosystems in the country, enhancing the capabilities of institutions in fighting fires, and accelerating the recovery after a fire incidence.
• Wildlife Protection Act 1972:
  • Prohibition of hunting:
    • It prohibits the hunting of any wild animal specified in Schedules I, II, III and IV of the act.
  • Prohibition of Cutting/Uprooting Specified Plants:
    • It prohibits the uprooting, damage, collection, possession or selling of any specified plant from any forest land or any protected area.
  • Protected Areas constituted under the provisions of Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972:
    • Wildlife Sanctuaries and National Parks:
      • It is a protected area constituted for the protection and conservation of wildlife or its environment.
      • They are declared in areas that are considered to be of adequate ecological, geomorphological and natural significance.
    • Conservation Reserves
      • They are declared by the State Governments in any area owned by the Government.
      • The aim of conservation reserves is to protect landscapes, seascapes, flora and fauna and their habitat.
      • They act as buffer zones between established national parks, wildlife sanctuaries and reserved and protected forests of India.
    • Community Reserves
      • They are declared by the State Government in any private or community land.
      • The land should not be within a National Park, Sanctuary or a Conservation Reserve. It is basically an area where an individual or a community has volunteered to conserve wildlife and its habitat
  • Constitution of Various Bodies:
    • The act provides for the constitution of bodies to be established under this act such as the National and State Board for Wildlife, Central Zoo Authority and National Tiger Conservation Authority.
• The Scheduled Tribes And Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition Of Forest Rights) Act, 2006
  • To fulfill the need for a comprehensive legislation to give due recognition to the forest rights of tribal communities.
• Compensatory Afforestation Fund Act, 2016
  • It seeks to provide an appropriate institutional mechanism, both at the Centre and in each State and Union Territory, to ensure expeditious utilization in efficient and transparent manner of amounts released in lieu of forest land diverted for non-forest purpose which would mitigate impact of diversion of such forest land.
• National Afforestation and Eco-Development Board (NAEB)
  • It is responsible for promoting afforestation,tree planting, ecological restoration and eco-development activities in the country, with special attention to the degraded forest areas and lands adjoining the forest areas, national parks, sanctuaries and other protected areas as well as the ecologically fragile areas like the Western Himalayas, Aravallis, Western Ghats, etc.
  • Recently, the National Afforestation and Eco-Development Board, launched an ambitious Rs.19,000 crore plan for an afforestation project to rejuvenate 13 major rivers through forestry intervention.
  • This project would increase ‘forest’ cover by 7,417.36 square kilometres in the vicinity of these rivers.
• National Green Tribunal Act:
  • The Tribunal is tasked with providing effective and expeditious remedy in cases relating to environmental protection, conservation of forests and other natural resources and enforcement of any legal right relating to environment.
• Support NGOs/movements:
  • The Chipko Movement is a living examples of how general public action on forests can help conserve them
  • NGOs like the TREE Foundation, the Nature Conservancy, Center for Biological Diversity, and Rainforest Action Network offset deforestation and conserve threatened ecosystems around the world
  • In the absence of effective and environmentally-friendly governance in many areas, NGOs provide important organizational and monetary support for a variety of conservation efforts.

ISSUES:

• Economic pressure on forests:
  • Due to the rising population there is enormous pressure on forest land for extraction of forest based industries and encroachment for extension of agriculture.
  • The rising conflicts between conserving forests for generating ecosystem services and diversion for developmental project poses one of the biggest challenges in managing the forest resources.
  • It is estimated that the demand for timber is growing at a faster speed from 58 million cubic meters in 2005 to 153 million cubic meters in 2020.
  • In India 67 per cent of the rural household depend on firewood for cooking.
• Diversion of forest land to non-forest use:
  • A large part of our achievements made by virtue of afforestation are neutralized by diversion of forest land for non-forest use.
  • In 2019 alone, a total 11,467 hectares forest lands were diverted in 22 states. The largest area of forest land was diverted for irrigation and mining projects.
• Threat of forest fires:
  • As per the India State of Forest Report (ISFR) 2019 >> about 21.40% of forest cover in India is prone to fires.
  • Examples:
    • Bandipur forest fire in 2019 destroyed more than 1000 hectares and also claimed the life of a forest guard.
    • Uttarakhand forest fire in 2016 brought 4000 hectares of forest to ashes and claimed seven lives.
• Dilution of Forest (Conservation) Act:
  • Through proposed amendment to the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980, government aims to liberalise forest laws through facilitating private plantations for harvesting and exploration or extraction of oil and natural gas deep beneath forest land by drilling holes from outside the forest areas.
• Low productivity:
  • The productivity of Indian forests is very low as compared to some other countries, For example, the annual productivity of Indian forests is only 0.5 cubic meters per hectare while it is 1.25 cubic meters per hectare in the USA.
• Nature of forests and their uneconomical utilization
  • The forests are thick, inaccessible, slow-growing, and lack in gregarious stands in many parts of the country.
  • Some of them are very thin and comprise only of thorny bushes.
  • These factors make their utilization uneconomical because there is a good deal of wastage and this makes it very expensive in spite of the cheap labor available in India.
• Lack of transport facilities:
  • One of the biggest problems faced by the Indian forests is the lack of proper transport facilities, About 16 percent of the forest land in India is inaccessible and does not have proper transport facilities.
  • It must be remembered that the major product of the forests is timber which is a cheap and bulky commodity.
  • As such it cannot afford high freights charged by the railways and roadways, Therefore, Indian forests cannot be economically exploited without the availability of cheap and efficient transport facilities.
• Obsolete methods of lumbering and sawing.
  • In most of the Indian forests, obsolete methods of lumbering, sawing, etc. are practiced. This system leads to a lot of wastage and low forest productivity.
• Lack of scientific techniques
  • Scientific techniques of growing forests are also lacking in India.
  • The only natural growth of forests takes place in India whereas in many developed countries new scientific techniques are being used through which tree growth is quickened.
  • A large number of trees are malformed or consist of species which are slow-growing and poor yielders.
• Mining
  • Mining leads to the degradation of lands and loss of topsoil.
  • It is estimated that about eighty thousands hectare forest land is under the stress of mining activities in India
  • Examples: Indiscriminate mining in forests of Goa since 1961 has destroyed more than 50000 ha of forest land. Coal mining in Jharia, Raniganj, and Singrauli areas has caused extensive deforestation in Jharkhand.

WAY FORWARD:

• Reduce stress on forest resources:
  • Rural population should be provided alternate sources of fuel.
  • The customary rights and concessions were given to tribals and local people should not be allowed to exceed the carrying capacity of the land.
• Reducing the impact of developmental activities on forests:
  • Developmental projects should be planned to have minimal damage to forests and the environment.
  • Mining constructs should have a mandatory clause of reforestation when the process of mining is over.
  • Industries should adopt anti-pollution devices and must develop and compensate for the forest loss by new plantations.
• Increasing Forest Productivity:
  • The productivity of forest can be enhanced by:
    • Proper Forest Management
    • Supplying proper nutritional demand to the plants by inorganic and organic fertilizer.
    • Controlling disease, pests and weed by adequate insecticides, pesticides and weedicides.
    • Use of advanced technique for forest tree breeding and tissue culture method.
• Community led forest management:
  • Tribal and local people should be directly involved in the protection, regeneration, and management of forests.
  • People should be encouraged to participate in the Van Mahotsava and should be made aware of the Chipko movement.
  • People’s participation can be further encouraged by giving loan assistance to villagers who want to revive degraded lands.
• Encourage research:
  • Scientific methods should be adopted to check and contain forest fire diseases and pests.
  • Research on forestry should be encouraged in universities and appropriate funding should be provided for this purpose.
• Awareness generation:
  • There should be special programs, demonstrations, seminars, and workshops to develop awareness among the people about the social relevance of the forests.

PRACTICE QUESTION:

Q. Examine the efficacy of measures taken for forest conservation in India?