The World’s Forests-2020 released by the FAO reports that forestscovered 4.06 billion hectares or approximately 31 per cent of theglobal land area. In India about 21.67 per cent of the geographicalarea is covered by forests.
India with total geographical area of 32,87, 590 square kilometers is the 7th largest country in the world area wise, occupying 2 per cent of the world’s landmass.With ever expanding development activities and urbanisation, thenatural forest cover is receding. The virgin village forest ecosystemis the back bone of rural and tribal economy. The sacred grovesprotected by the villagers in Odisha and the neighboring Statesharbour indigenous plants like Sala, Arjuna, Asana and a few other such auspicious associate species.
These species are protected in the name of God, spirit, religion, culture and ritual. They live close to the forests and have been its custodians inherently.
Forest resources are essential for them and they collect wood, bamboo, bark, leaf, straw and various other materials for house construction, agricultural implements, bullock cart, day to day needs and various other purposes.
The materials used are available within one km radius of stay for which no mining or any processing industryis required. The pharmaceutical industries of all faith (ayurvedic, homoeopathic, unani, sidha, allopathic, etc.) make their preparations from the raw materials derived out of the natural plants and plant parts. Most of these species were abundantly available earlier, but are losing their numbers due to loss of suitable habitats.The forest economy is linked to sustenance of 1.6 billion people worldwide. In India 1,70,000 villages with 147 million population are located in forest vicinity. Deforestation accounts for up to 20 percent of the global greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to global warming, according to World Bank.
The forests absorb about 40 per cent of CO2 emissions. On an average a single adult tree absorbs 6 tonnes of CO2. The ecological value of a tree is several times more than its mere timber value.
The ecological values are estimated based on its role in maintenance of ground water table and water cycle, thermo-regulation of climate, shelter to wildlife, soil conservation, wood, food, medicine, bequeath value, etc.
Development of forest cover, horticulture, silviculture, medicinal plants cultivation, forest and agricultural resources based cottage industries and processing industries would help income generation of local community as well as sequester carbon dioxide and other green house gases. Such measures would go a long way in promoting the ‘forest ecosystem’ as a plausible combatant for climate action. As an example, in Similipal forest, sericulture is a traditional culture. By promoting sericulture naturally the food plants like Arjuna, Asana, Sal are also promoted.
Apiculture is another good example to cite here. Best quality of honey is collected in Similipal unless rich forest vegetation is there it is not possible. Sabai is a dry-land grass; once cultivated it yields crops for about eight to ten continuous years and all the members of the family remain engaged in processing the grass for making rope and other value added materials.
The accumulation of green house gases leading to increased incidences of weather disturbances and natural calamities threatens the very sustenance of life on earth. Therefore, it is time now that we plan our strategies for a livable future through saving forests, protection of natural habitats (forests, oceans, coasts, lakes, rivers, ice caps, etc.) and bio-diversity, improving energy efficiency, planning cities better, conservative water use, managing the coasts, curbing environmental pollution and improving health, recycling the waste, ending environmentally destructive subsidies, accomplishing a second green revolution, and stabilizing human population.
Integrating environmental considerations with developmental activity is one of the basic principles of sustainable development, which means development that ensures protection and conservation of the ecosystem along with the natural habitat for the present and posterity.
The Indian Forest Act was enacted in 1865; amended in 1878 and again in 1927. The Act had provision for constitution of ‘village forests’ to meet local needs. However, after independence, the State has attempted to dilute the ‘village forest’ system by increasing bureaucratic control over the councils.
The forest policies of colonial India continued into the post-colonial period, as exemplified by the National Forest Policy (NFP) of 1982, which reinforced the right of the State to exclusive control over forest protection, production and management. The State has taken over many areas that tribal people considered as their ancestral property and has classified them as State forests and labeled tribes as encroachers on State land. These actions have undermined the application of Article 338 (9) of the Constitution of India, which places the protection and welfare of tribal people as a ‘sacred trust’ of the State.
Large tracts of forests were diverted for mining, industry, hydro-electric dam projects, agriculture, and other development projects in the years after independence.
According to an assessment by the World Watch Institute, India lost 40 per cent of its forest covers between1951-1991.
The National Environment Policy (NEP) 2006 is a response to our national commitment to clean environment, mandated in the constitution in Articles 48A and 51A(g), strengthened by judicial interpretation of Article 21. The NEP 2006, following the NFP 1952 and 1988, emphasized that one-third of the total geographical area of the country to be under forest cover. NFP 2018 also reiterates it. The UN Summit on Environment and Development, better known as Earth Summit, attended by the representatives of about 192 countries was the largest global conference held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 1992. It yielded in adoption of two historic conventions namely- the ‘United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change-UNFCCC)’ and the ‘Convention Biological Diversity-CBD’.
Both these Conventions emphasized on conservation and development of forest areas. Leaders at the UN Climate Summit unveiled "The New York Declaration on Forests” 2014, which many hope will inject life into efforts to reverse forest loss, pledged to halve the rate of deforestation by 2020, to end it by 2030, and to restore hundreds of millions of acres of degraded forest land.
The National Action Plan on Climate Change 2008 has set up Eight Missions to combat the climate change impacts. One of those was Mission for a Green India. Let us try to give healing touch in a way that does not lead to loss of ecological resilience of Nature. ‘Ecological Resilience’ means the capacity of the ecosystem to absorb disturbance or stress and remain within its natural variability.
A resilient ecosystem resists damage and recovers quickly from stochastic disturbances such as fires, flooding, windstorms, insect population explosions, and human activities such as deforestation and the introduction of exotic plant or animal species.
The forest ecosystem is the best resilient ecosystem in this context. Across the globe lie more than a billion hectares of lost and degraded forest land that could be restored, IUCN. Nature worship was an ancient tradition in India.
Many villages set apart sanctified land to propitiate the vanadevatas/ vanadevis, i.e. tree spirits. In certain groves the entire vegetation was considered sacred and worshipped. Such groves persist to the present day, and have an important role at various socio-cultural, economic, religious activities.
(Dr Patro is president, Orissa Environmental Society snpatro11@rediffmail.com, M-9437190420)
