| |
|
Here rules laid down by the
community are more effective than government orders... |
Sacred groves: treasure troves
Let me tell you a story. Some years ago the social forestry department
in Ratnagiri district of Maharashtra cleared several trees from a forest
near Nandivse village to plant acacia trees. It did not know that this
patch was a ‘sacred grove’ surrounding the temple of a powerful local
deity, Kal Bhairon. The villagers, too, joined in because they were paid
for the felling and planting.Within a few years the stream that flows
from the grove began losing water.The villagers believed they were
suffering the wrath of their deity.
Sacred groves — tracts of virgin forests — are vestiges of an ancient
practice in which people protected a forest to avoid the wrath of its
resident god.
Can you think of a more effective tool to ensure protection of species?
Take the Mawsymai sacred grove near Cherrapunjee, for instance. While
the rest of the region wears denuded look, the rich variety of
vegetation in the grove stands out as a vivid reminder of what the
region was once like.
Sacred groves are found even now in many parts of India—from Meghalaya
in the northeast to Rajasthan in the west and the states along the
Western Ghats. They also exist in such countries as Ghana, Nigeria,
Syria and Turkey. They constantly remind us that intricate government
regulations are not the only instruments by which the environment can be
protected….
Taking stock
India’s forests. The panorama ranges from evergreen tropical rain
forests in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, the western Ghats and the
north-eastern states, to dry alpine scrub high in the Himalaya to the
north. How much forest cover do we have…and who measures it?
The Forest Survey of India (FSI), created in June, 1981, under the
Ministry of Environment & Forests, Government of India, measures Indian
forests. Its job is to monitor periodically (10 years cycle) the
changing situation of land and forest resources in the country. Based on
which the policy makers hammer out their management strategy.
Several factors are taken into account while assessing forest resources.
Such as:
 Forest cover;
Types and
composition of species found in the forests;
Their annual
growth rate;
Biodiversity;
non-timber
forest produce, such as fuel wood, flowers, roots, fruits, herbs—both
medicinal and cosmetic—gum, resin, and a range of other products.
The first report on the forest cover of the country was published in
1988. Since then, the FSI has been conducting surveys every two years.
Till early 1980s, extremely time consuming conventional ground level
surveys were conducted by the states to measure forests. Now with the
advent of the satellite remote sensing technology, the process is much
more efficient and hence accurate.
| LORD OF
THE JUNGLE: The deity is used to protect pristine forest
lands. |
 |
How much do we have?
The forest cover of the country, as per the latest assessment, is 63.73
million hectare (mha), that is, 19.39 per cent of the geographic area of
the country, out of which 37.74 mha (11.4 per cent ) is dense forest,
25.50 mha (7.76 per cent) open or degraded forests and 0.49 mha (0.15
per cent) mangroves.
Wait…look more closely!
So then do we have plenty of forests…and really have nothing to worry
about? If you take the figures given by FSI at face value, then it
certainly seems so. Because, as per this record, the area under forest
cover has increased from 55.52 mha in 1972, and 46.35 mha recorded in
1982—to a healthy 63.73 mha now. But now let’s delve deeper. While dense
forests have shrunk from 46.42 mha in 1972, to 37.4 mha now, the
degraded zone has jumped from relatively controlled 8.77 mha in 1972, to
a whopping 25.50 mha now!
It is pretty obvious, therefore, that our forests are unhealthy… and
large portions of these are growing seriously sick…
|
