Without forest's green cover, clouds will not be attracted to our lands. If clouds move away without giving rains, then there will be no agriculture, no rivers, and no hydro power for electricity. We would have turned the lights off and will have to start learning to live in a dessert. Forest clearance means doom to our civilization.Our top soil would be blown away by wind erosion.
The importance of homes of the birds and pollinating insects has yet to be learnt by Indian forest studies. The birds eat away pests which would cause damage to the crops. Important bird species have disappeared because of loss of forest's green cover. When pests(like locusts) multiply, the use of pesticides becomes compulsory to save crops. Pesticides seep into the water table poisoning the land.And people use the water from the water table for drinking.The incidence of cancer has become very very high where pesticides have been used.
Similarly, pollination of crops becomes automatic process with pollinating insects. Without bees nobody can pollinate billions of flowers in crop production. Nature and human life are intertwined in such a way that we cannot exist without help from these species which have co-evolved and co-existed with us. Life here depends on these small animals like the birds and the beneficial insects which are essential parts of the ecology of the forests of India. The biodiversity, once destroyed, cannot be recreated or replaced.New ecological systems can be made but the old ecological balances cannot be replaced.The loss is for ever.
Forest people or the tribals often get exploited,for they lack knowledge to live in settled cultures;by acculturation through a period of time, they will be integrated into the national mainstream.Their homes could be lost forever unless measures are taken now.They have rights over the forests they inhabit.Their lands have to be protected, till they are integrated.Our forest lands are taken away for mining, for industries and there is no way to stop this. In India, timber yield and growth of teak(for ship building) was encouraged by the British. And even now plantations have been made after removing trees of the forests.Actual measures to save forests came in 1952 by New Forest Policy, it was realised that India needs to keep one third its land as forests and prevent them from becoming grazing land. In 1976, there was awareness that development can take place without destruction by linking forest conservation to tribal economy. In India a recent Forest land records indicate that forest areas (in square metres) have reduced by 36% less than the previous year’s survey.Deforestation is going on at a much faster pace than afforestation measures can replace trees. Although expert committees had been constituted for conservation, no sincere steps have been taken in this direction.Forest conservation Act of 1980 also was ineffective. Information was concealed and accountability of decisions was clouded by the forest department officials,and members of the Forest Advisory Committee had brought to notice this questioning the credentials of the officials.Scientists are needed and the authority of the bureaucratic officials has to be counter checked. Supreme Court ruling of 2007 was enacted to check the environmental clearance issues which had arisen. Centre for Science and environment in 2011 showed the impact of mining in forests; still to revive coal-blocks, new definitions of “go-go zones”and“no-go zones" were made to increase coal production as per needs of the energy deficiencies. E-auctioning by computerised tender bidding is now left to the individual states, and not it is not a mandatory procedure(leaving space for non-transparent ways to gain control of forest lands)Haphazard policies are leading to deforestation and steps have to be taken now to stop this squandering of the national wealth lest our forests be lost forever.
No comments:
Post a Comment