Afforestation for sustainable development

Gunin Borah

(The writer is a faculty of Geography in Biswanath College, Chariali. He can be reached at borah.gunin@gmail.com)

As a result of deforestation, climate change, and the loss of biodiversity, our planet’s health hangs in the balance. Despite these bleak prospects there remains hope in the form of afforestation, an all-encompassing approach that aims to transform barren landscape into forests.

Afforestation is the effort to plant trees on barren lands, so as to create a forest. Lands that have been left fallow because of soil depletion or over-grazing are often the target of afforestation measures. Many areas could benefit from these initiatives, such as dry lands, deserted areas, degraded grazing pastures, idle farmlands, and decommissioned industrial zones. It is important because it helps to check the overuse of natural resources by providing an alternative source pool. It is the process of planting trees, or sowing seeds, on a barren land devoid of any trees to create a forest. While reforestation is increasing the number of trees of an existing forest, afforestation is the creation of new forest. Afforestation is highly important to maintain biodiversity. It is an effective strategy for revitalizing ecosystems and building a greener tomorrow. On 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 challenges of global warming, soil erosion, pollution, and the maintenance of biodiversity and ecological balances. Our Earth has been constantly trying to cope with the ways in which human beings use natural resources, clear forest lands, cut down trees, and contaminate the air, land and water. Industrial revolution, population explosion, and pollution create permanent damage to Earth, and the result is global warming and climate change. In such situations, something that can help extend the life of our planet and its living beings  is the increase of natural resources, and decrease of exploitation of these resources.

By planting trees and creating forests, many human commercial needs can be fulfilled, while 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 a means to stop over-exploitation of nature.

Considering the increasing demand for fuel wood and building materials, afforestation helps to meet these demands without cutting down natural forests. Deforestationcan lead to the depletion of trees in water catchments of riverside zones. Afforestation 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 many benefits of this practice called agro-forestry.

In terms of environmental benefits, planting trees is always beneficial whether it takes place on barren lands or is used as a method to regenerate a depleted forest. These help to check atmospheric carbon-dioxide, which is the prime greenhouse gas causing global warming. Large scale afforestation can curb the problems caused due to burning of fossil fuel, industrialization and so forth.

Sustainable development aims to ‘protect, restore, and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, reverse land degradation, and halt biodiversity loss.

Forests have significant role in reducing the risk of natural disasters, 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 percent of freshwater worldwide.

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

According to a NASA study, China and India have been leading in increasing the Earth’s greenery over the past two decades. In 1950, around 40.48 million hectares of Earth’s surface was 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 its surface is covered by natural forests. In 2018, the total forest and tree cover of India increased to 24.39 percent or 802,088 sq. km.

Based on satellite data analysis, India has total forest and tree coverage at 802,088 sq km, which is 24.39% of the total area of the country. The total forest cover is 708,273 sq. km, which is 21.54% of the total area of the country. Between the years 2015 and 2017, India has added 6,778 sq. km of forest cover and extended 1,243 sq. km of tree cover.

India targets bringing 33% of its geographical area under forests through afforestation as well as social forestry. As many as 15 States and Union Territories have forest cover exceeding 33% of their geographical areas. Out of these, seven States have more than 75% forest cover, while eight States have forest cover between 33% and 75%.

North-East India is a mega-biodiversity centre and hotspot. The region contains more than one-third of the country’s total biodiversity. It occupies 7.7% of India’s total geographical area of 255,083 sq. km, supporting 50% of the flora of 164,043 sq. km. The major threat to the rich biodiversity of the region are human activities and natural calamities causing biodiversity losses to some extent. The age-old practice of shifting cultivation has been the single biggest factor responsible for forest and land degradation in North-East India.

According to State of Forest Report 2011 released by the Forest Survey of India, the Assam has a total of 27,673 sq. km forest cover. This area is 24.58% of the total geographical area of the State. Assam shares 3.2% of India’s total forest cover.

In Assam, JadavPayeng 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. Through his personal reforestation efforts, wildlife returned to the area. Incredibly, he did it all by himself. The State Forest department also takes necessary measures for afforestation and protection of reserved forests in Assam.

Afforestation is a positive effort in curbing the overuse 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.  Therefore, ensuring the future of forests and forestry is important for sustainable development at all levels of human society while protecting the environment.