The Tribune ‘Save the Himalayas’ campaign — IX

India’s green cover is disappearing at an alarming rate. According to a survey conducted by the Ministry of Environment and Forests, the country’s forests have reduced by 5,482 square kilometres between 1995 and 1997, and the dense forests have been the major casualty, writes Anil Sharma

Requiem for forests

India’s forests and green tree cover are disappearing at an alarming rate. According to a survey conducted by the Ministry of Environment and Forests, India’s forests have reduced by 5,482 square kilometres between 1995 and 1997, and the dense forests have been the major casualty. This is a matter of great concern not only for the present generation but for the ones to come too. Deforestation and denudation in our country has reached a serious proportion. Unless the forces responsible for destroying the country’s environment are checked and afforestation of denuded areas is taken up on a massive scale, it will gradually become impossible to continue with agriculture, the mainstay of our set-up. This does not mean that trees should not be felled at all. It only means that trees should not be haphazardly butchered.

The civilisation which once bloomed from the Indian subcontinent to the Mediterranean coast of North Africa has got diluted and wiped away because the land that supported it was denuded of its green wealth. Thus, a belt of deserts was left behind, stretching from Rajasthan, Sind, Baluchistan, Iran, Iraq, South Arabia, Syria, Palestine and Egypt to Tunisia and Morocco. Even during the excavation of Mohenjodaro, some charcoal was discovered, which was found to be rosewood — a tropical deciduous species occurring in high rainfall areas. This shows that the area which is now a barren land must have flourished with lush vegetation. Love for trees and forests has to be created and instilled, and people have to be made conscious of the fact that forest is a crop, which like other crops needs to be carefully tended to and harvested. In this respect, China offers a spectacular example of how during recent times, through planned and concerted mass plantation efforts, it has succeeded in curbing the perennial depredations by its Yangtze Kiang and Hwang Ho rivers. The land, thus salvaged from floods, is restored to the commune for cultivation.

During the Mughal times, forests were the territory of the empire. Forests were, thus, protected as shikar preserves for the rulers and for realisation of revenue.

The Forest Department was established way back in 1860s by the Britishers. While the total area covered by forests in the world is 30 per cent, in India they occupy less than 23 per cent of the area. According to our National Forest Policy, about 33 per cent of the area should be blanketed by forests. In India, Madhya Pradesh has the maximum forest area, which is about 15540 hectares. It is suggested that nurseries should be laid out where the soil is rich and fertile and irrigation water is available. Saplings should be cultivated in greenhouses. Plantation of eucalyptus trees should be encouraged. Apart from its numerous benefits, its commercial aspect should not be ignored.

Monsoon in India, bypasses the entire Arabian peninsula. Therefore, there is not only the need to preserve the existing forests but to plant more trees to balance and combat nature’s fury and imbalances. However, it will take a long time for India to make up for the horrors of illegal felling. Some stringent legislation should be introduced and implemented on a war footing. While forest officers and the forest rangers are there to safeguard forests, and check unauthorised occupation of forest land, the complete protection of such vast property is not possible without the help and cooperation of the inhabitants concerned.

The present global scenario demands eco-friendly contribution from the enlightened international community. We have to harness resources to propel the growth of flora. The core message needs to be imparted to politicians, planners and policy-makers.

Social forestry or forestry for community is a new concept of forest creation, for the benefit of society. Social forestry aims at combining hinterland, labour and water resources and utilising state-of-the-art machinery to the best interests of society. After all, trees create wealth for society and the latter has to safeguard them in return. In short, social forestry converts barren land into a profitable commercial venture. Moreover, trees have come to acquire an important role in our lifestyle.

Paper is perhaps the most useable contribution of the forests to modern civilisation. Wood is an equally important raw material for cottage and sports goods industry and timber for building purposes. What is more important than afforestation and plantation of trees is the protection of the existing trees from destruction. It is rightly averred, "Who plants a tree is a fellow of the Almighty for he renders service to many generations that haven’t seen him all, shall bless him". Greeting cards alone, consume about 15 lakh trees in India annually. Messages and greetings can be conveyed and communicated through the telecommunication network. The human consumption of wood should be brought down too. New ways and means should be chalked out to restrict the use of wood.

In rural areas, wood is commonly used as fuel. Rural folks should be provided subsidy to set up gobar gar plants. China in this respect has set a good example for other nations to follow suit. It is, therefore, pertinent to protect to the public property from being plundered. Trees should not be axed. If this practice goes unchecked, the day is not far when only human beings will have shelter in this planet sans forests.

Apple-growers of Himachal Pradesh have set a good example by using boxes for packaging apples in place of wooden boxes. In this way a number of trees are being saved from being butchered. Also, the bad habit to defecate everywhere has to be discouraged.

In spite of voices being raised to stop the illegal felling of trees, the destruction from smuggling continues unabated and offenders get away scot-free after committing the crime. On the other side, especially during summers, utmost care is needed to protect forests from fires. Though forest fires are rare in the bamboo (Dendrocatamus Strictus) and scrub forests, they are extremely common in Chil forests (Pinus longifolia). The forest management should maintain sufficient forest cover to reduce damage by erosion.

‘Bishnois’, a sparsely populated community in parts of Haryana and Rajasthan, have unflinching faith in the promotion of flora and fauna. The hundreds of sacrifices made by Bishnois, prior to Independence, to save the trees from being axed, is a saga of valour.

According to the Indian Academy of Environment Science, along the Himalayan ranges, birds like monal and black partridge and certain insects are on the verge of extinction, because of unauthorised hunting of birds and smuggling of insects. Butterflies too are smuggled from Himachal Pradesh to some of the European countries. Along with this, unlicensed grazing goes on in forests.

If the present trend of ruthless and reckless cutting of forests continues, the possibility of human-induced extinction of trees and forests might turn a shocking reality. Some development action plans must be formulated to put a check on deterioration and degradation of environment. If we look into our grand past, we will see that the tree of ‘Kadam’ has a special relationship with Lord Krishna. According to the Hindu mythology, the peepul tree (Ficus religiosa) is regarded auspicious. And did you know that the nation’s highest civilian award, Bharat Ratna, depicts a peepul leaf.