Afforestation and conservation of forests

Gunin Borah

(The writer teaches Geography in Biswanath College. He can be reached at borah.gunin@gmail.com)

A forestation is the efforts to plant trees in barren lands, so as to create a forest. It is important because it helps to check the over use of natural resources by providing an alternative source pool. It is the process of planting trees, or sowing seeds, in a barren land devoid of any trees to create a forest. While reforestation is increasing the numbers of tree of an existing forest, afforestation is the creation of a new forest. Afforestation is highly important to maintain the biodiversity. In many governmental lands non-governmental organizations directly engage in programmes of afforestation to create forests, increase carbon capture and carbon sequestration and help to anthropogenically improve biodiversity.

Afforestation is necessary to combat the issues of global warming, soil erosion, pollution, and the maintenance of biodiversity and ecological balances. Our earth has been constantly trying to cope with the way in which human beings use natural resources, clean forests lands, cut trees, and contaminate the air, land and water. Industrial revolution, population explosion and pollution create permanent damage to the earth, and the result is global warming and climate change. In such situations, something that can help extend the life of the planet and its living organism is the increase of natural resources, and decrease of exploitation of these resources.

By planting tree and creating forests many of the commercial needs of human beings are fulfilled, but not destroying what is left of the planet. Afforestation is therefore a practice that has been propagated by government and non-governmental agencies of many countries as away to stop over-exploitation of nature.

With the increasing demand for fuel wood and building materials, this process helps to meet these demands, without cutting down natural forest. Deforestation can be led to the depletion of tree in water catchments riverside zones. Afforestion ensures trees and plants that hold the soil in these sensitive areas remain protected.

Many countries have introduced the practice of planting trees along with agricultural crops in croplands. There are benefits of this practice which is called agro-forestry.

In terms of environmental benefits, planting tree is always beneficial whether it takes place in barren lands or it is used as a method of regenerating a depleted forest. This helps to check atmospheric carbon-dioxide, large-scale afforestation can cub the problems caused due to burning of fossil fuel, industrialization and so on.

Forests have significant role in reducing the risk of natural disaster, including flood, drought, landslide, and other extreme events. At global level, forests mitigate climate change through carbon sequestration, contribute to the balance of oxygen, carbon-dioxide and humidity in the air and protect watersheds, which supply 75 per cent of freshwater worldwide.

Forests are more biologically diverse ecosystems on land, home to more than 80% of the terrestrial species of animals, plants, and insects. They also provide shelter, jobs, and security from forest dependent communities.

India has been implementing the afforestation programme throughout the country right from beginning of the introduction of Forests Conservation Act. The country initiated large-scale afforestation under the social forestry programme starting in the early 1980s. This includes community wood-lots, farm forestry, avenue plantations, and agro-forestry. The afforestation and reforestation in India are being carried out under various programmes, namely social forestry initiated in the early 1980s, Joint Forest Management Programme initiated in 1990, afforestation under National Afforestation and Eco-development Board (NAEB) programmes since 1992, and private farmer and industry initiated plantation forestry.

According to NASA study, China and India have led in increasing the earth's greenery over the past two decades. In 1950 around 40.48 million hectares of land surface covered by forests. In 1980, it increased to 67.47 million hectares, and in 2006, it was found to be 69 million hectares. In India, 23% of the surface was covered by natural forests. In 2018, the total forest and tree cover in India increased to 24.39 per cent or 8,02,088 sq. km.

Nearly 25 per cent (one fourth) of India's total land area is now under forests and tree cover. The latest 'India State Forest Report' ( ISFR) 2019, revealed that the total forests and tree cover of the country is 807,276 sq. km. which is 24.56 per cent of the total area of the country, compared to 802,088 sq. km. ( 24.39 per cent ) in ISFR-2017. The report marked an increase of 5,188 sq. km. of forests and tree cover combined, at national level, as compared to previous assessment. India's forests and tree cover goes up by 3.0 per cent within this decade.

India targets bringing 33% of geographical area under forests through afforestation as well as social forestry. As many 15 states and union territories has forest cover exceeding 33% of their geographical area. Out of these while seven states have more than 75% forest cover, eight states have forest cover between 33 per cent and 75 per cent.

Afforestation in the country is taken up, sectorally under various centrally-sponsored schemes, such as National Afforestation Programme (NAP), Green India Mission (GIM), Mahatma Gandhi Rural Employment Gurantee Scheme (MGNREGS), Integrated Watershed Management Programme, National Bamboo Mission, Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management, and Planning Authority, and also under different state plan, non-plan schemes including externally-aided projects.

The North East India is Mega-Biodiversity centre and a Hotspot of forest resources. The region contains more than one-third of country's total biodiversity. The forest cover in the Northeast marked decline as the current assessment shows a decrease of forests cover by 765 sq. km. compared to 2017 data. The total forests cover in the Northeast is 170,541 sq. km., which is 65.05 per cent of its geographical area. The major threats to rich biodiversity of the region are human activities and natural calamities resulting in biodiversity loss to some extent. The age-old practice of shifting cultivation has been the single factor responsible for the forests and land degradation in North East India. The region lost nearly 25,012 sq. km. forests cover in this decade.

According to State of Forest Report 2011, released by the Forest Survey of India, the State of Assam has a total of 27, 673 sq. km. forests cover. This area is 24.58% of the total geographical area of the State. Assam shares 3.2% of India's total forests cover. The Assam Forest Policy (2004) states that Joint Forest Management (JFM) practices would form the basis of forests management in the State. The Assam Forest Policy (2004) has recognized the increased emphasis put on greater involvement of the communities in forest management.

In Assam, Jadav Payang is better known as the 'Forest Man of India'. He earned his name by spending 30 years of his life planting trees, creating a real man-made forest of 550 hectares on the bank of the Brahmaputra river near Kakilamukh in Jorhat district of Assam for his personal reforestation, wildlife return to the area. His own creation, the 'Mulai Kathani' forest on Aruna Chapari is rich in fauna and diversity of flora, including more than 100 species of trees and medicinal plants. He has been planting trees since 1980s transforming the barren sandbar of Aruna Chapari into vast expanse of green forests. Incredibly, he did it all by himself.

Afforestation is a positive effort in cubing the over-use and destruction of natural forests. If it is done with proper planning and at appropriate sites, it can become a commercially viable solution for many human needs, without harming the balance of nature. In fact, we need to move beyond conservation to sustainable management of tree resources. But we can only do if we grow trees and then plant them again. This is what we need to discuss and what we need to work on in the coming years.