Environment Special

New Delhi, 1 July 2016

Saving Our Forests

LARGE AFFORESTATION VITAL

By Dhurjati Mukherjee

Kudos for the draft National Forest Policy (NFP) which has proposed a green tax while calling for safeguarding forest land by exercising strict restraint on diversion for non-forestry purposes like mining and industrial projects.

Alas, the Government, for reasons best known to it, has denied it being a policy and instead a study prepared by the Indian Institute of Forest Management (IIFM). Either which way, the measures are expected to bring one-third of the country’s total geographical area under forest tree cover through scientific interventions and responsible eco-tourism to ensure safety of wildlife.   

Undeniably, there was a dire need for a new policy as the old one had been in force since 1988. Whereby, the IIFM study should be a guide to framing a policy towards forest management through a new administrative and legal regime.

The study noted that as forests constitute nearly one-fourth of the country, “protection of this vast and valuable resource, improving and increasing the forest and tree cover requires adequate investment keeping in view the pressures on these forests and the eco-system services that they provide”.

True, the forest fires in Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh created a big problem wherein the total forest lost in the fire was around 2000 hectares out of 80 million hectares of forest land in India. Happily, the Government has been taking measures to douse such fires as soon as they are noticed and developed a pre-alert system which will sense places that are likely to catch fire. 

According to the Environment and Forests Minister Rs 42,000 crores meant for afforestation which was lying in banks has been given to States for afforestation. He accused the Congress regime for diverting 36,000 hectares of forest land every year some but in the last two years, this has been brought down to 17,000 hectares.

Alongside the Government has been encouraging increase of tree cover outside forest areas to meet the target of having 33 per cent forest cover in the country.

Prime Minister Modi too recently expressed concern over massive deforestation which has led to many environmental problems like heat wave and drought and urged people to save forests in his monthly radio ‘Mann ki Baat’.

Adding, that accumulation of dry leaves and carelessness were the main reasons for forest fires for which people are responsible. As pointed out by the IPCC’s Fifth Assessment Report among various hazards identified in temperature-related extreme events is the increased risk of wild fires.    

Moreover, the loss of forest cover has been widespread. A recent RTI query found that Maharashtra lost 530 sq. km. of forest cover during a 28-year period due to acquisitions by both the Government and private sector for various purposes. Of this, 175 sq. km. was lost during 2005-15, high by all standards.

Undoubtedly, afforestation has to be carried out judiciously as afforested land would take four-five decades to deliver unlike goods and services. Specially as only the spread and intensity of forest cover can save human race.

Obversely, development needs roads and highways, power projects, mining ventures etc. which have resulted in the clearing and diversion of forests. In such cases, the Forest (Conservation) Act of 1980 requires that non-forest land equal to the size of the forest being ‘diverted’ is afforested.

Unfortunately, this is not happening due to lack of strict monitoring by forest officials and political pressures at various levels.

Shockingly, The Forest Ministry issued an order in October 2014 allowing diversion of forest land for roads, laying of pipelines/ optical fibre cables and transmission lines without seeking the Gram Sabha’s consent if plantations or any piece of land were notified as forests after 1930.

Predictably, this went against the FRA and was vehemently opposed by the Tribal Affairs Ministry, social activists and environmentalists.         

Notably, factoring all this along-with the developmental needs of the country, the Government has set up the Compensatory Afforestation Management & Planning Authority (CAMPA) to ensure that afforestation work is carried out properly thereby upholding a 2006 Supreme Court order to set up an ad hoc CAMPA.

Also, if any user agency wants to divert forest land for non-forest purposes, it has to deposit money for compensatory afforestation. Since over Rs 40,000 crores has accumulated from various sources and the fund is increasing at the rate of Rs 6000 crores per annum, CAMPA would be mandated to use this money judiciously.     

Pertinently, CAMPA passed by the Lok Sabha is awaiting clearance in the Rajya Sabha. This entails setting up of a central CAMPA at the Centre and State units.

Similarly, a National Compensatory Afforestation Fund (CAF) and one in each State would be created. Whereby the States would deposit money collected from user agencies with the national CAF which would eventually be credited to them, as per their entitlement.  

Though the principle of compensatory afforestation is imperative to save the human race from the vagaries of global warming and climate change, availability of land in the country is a big problem. While land contiguous to the forest is rarely available, it is impossible to find land elsewhere, specially in smaller States and in heavily forested ones like Chhattisgarh.

Consequently, the Bill before Parliament has rightly decided that money should not just be used for compensatory afforestation but general afforestation programme run through the Green India Mission, forest protection and management, forest and wildlife related infrastructure development, wildlife conservation and relocation of people from protected wildlife areas. Obviously, this would help in for forest development, directly or indirectly.   

Factually, India’s forest cover increased by 3775 square km since 2013, totalling 701,673 sq km or 21.34 per cent of the country’s geographical area yet there has not been any significant increase in dense and moderately dense forest area, as per the latest Forest Survey of India report released December last.

The report showed that big States, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, J&K and Karnataka recorded gains. But compared to 2013, there has been a decrease of 490 sq km in moderately dense forest area though an increase of 30 sq km in open forest.

Significantly, as open forests which occupy a significant part of the country’s forests do not reap much ecological benefits in the long run, the need of the hour is to finalize the study and evolve a forest policy at the earliest after incorporating suggestions and extend forest covers through whatever means possible.

In sum, enforcement of rules and regulations need to be strictly monitored and no vested interests should be allowed to interfere in the functioning of forests.

Clearly, forests are of great value offering carbon sequestration, soil conservation, water recharge and seed dispersal, apart from timber and fuel-wood.  Their value is high for which forests conservation is vital. ----- INFA    

(Copyright, India News and Feature Alliance)