DEFORESTATION - ENVIRONMENT
News:
● The
World Health Organization has released a report that points out that since
1990, 420 million hectares of forests were cleared for various purposes.
About the Report:
● The
World Health Organization (WHO) points out that since 1990, 420 million hectares of forests have been lost through
conversion to other land uses like agriculture, industrial use and biofuels in order to feed 11 billion humans by the end of this century.
● This
deforestation, in particular, affects tropical regions such as India, China and
Africa.
Forests in India:
● India’s
total forest and tree cover was 80.9 million hectares, which accounted for 24.62% of the geographical area of the
country.
● The
report said 17 States and Union
Territories had more than 33% of their area under forest cover.
● Madhya Pradesh
had the largest forest cover, followed by Arunachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh,
Odisha and Maharashtra.
● The
top five States in terms of forest cover as a percentage of their total
geographical area were Mizoram
(84.53%), Arunachal Pradesh (79.33%), Meghalaya (76%), Manipur (74.34%) and
Nagaland (73.90).
Deforestation Status in India:
● The
total forest cover in India is about 8 lakh sq km, which is 22% of the total
geographic area of the country.
● Andaman and Nicobar:
The twin islands of Andaman and Nicobar have 87% of the total area.
○ The
government has unveiled a project to develop a seaport and airport by removing
most of the valuable rainforest.
● Himalayan states:
The Himalayan States of Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand, and Himachal Pradesh have
about 21,000, 24,000 and 16,000 sq km of forest area, respectively.
○ The
government of India has removed a significant fraction of trees in order to
build underpass and overpass highways in these regions.
● Goa:
Goa has about 2,219 sq km forestation.
○ The
government there has cut trees with the idea of connecting Mumbai to Goa by a
four-lane highway.
○ Around
31,000 trees are being cut by local authorities.
● Telangana:
National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) is set to start the expansion of
the 45-km stretch of NH163, from two to four lanes.
○ Towards
this, they want to destroy 9,000 banyan trees in Chevella Mandal in Telangana.
Deforestation:
● Deforestation
is a very broad term, which consists of cutting of trees including repeated
lopping, felling, and removal of forest litter, browsing, grazing, and
trampling of seedlings.
Causes of deforestation:
1. Development Projects:
● Massive
destruction of forests occurs for various development projects like
hydroelectric projects, big dams, mining, road construction etc.
2. Agriculture:
● The
expanding agriculture is one of the most important causes of deforestation.
● As
demands for agricultural products rise, more and more land is brought under
cultivation, and for that more forests are cleared, grasslands and even
marshes, and lands under water are reclaimed.
3. Forest Fires:
● Fire
is the worst enemy of the forests. It destroys the full-grown trees, young
trees of future forests, seeds and even humans.
● Animal
life is also lost and there is a danger to human life too in a forest fire.
These may be natural or man-made and cause huge forest loss.
4. Shifting Cultivation:
● Shifting
cultivation or Jhoom farming is a 12000-year old practice and a step towards
the transition from food collection to food production. It is also known as the
slash and burn method of farming.
5. Overgrazing:
● The
poor in the tropics mainly rely on wood as a source of fuel leading to loss of
tree cover and the cleared lands are turned into grazing lands.
● Overgrazing
by the cattle leads to further degradation of these lands.
6. Raw Materials for Industrial Use:
● Wood
for making boxes, furniture, railway sleepers, match-boxes, plywood, pulp for
the paper industry etc. have exerted tremendous pressure on forests.
● Plywood
is in great demand for packing Tea for the Tea industry of Assam while fir tree
wood is exploited greatly for packing apples in J&K.
Consequences of Deforestation:
1. Emergence of infectious diseases:
● The
Harvard University Public Health Group further points out that deforestation
leads to spikes in infectious germs such as those causing diseases such as
malaria and dengue, which can adversely affect humans.
2. Non availability of drinking water:
● A
1% increase in deforestation leads to a 0.93% decrease in the availability of
clean drinking water in rural communities that depend on open wells and flowing
streams.
3. Global warming:
● 31%
of the land on earth is covered by forests. When trees are felled, they lead to
the accumulation of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and hence, global warming.
● Deforestation increases
11% of the global greenhouse gas emissions
(CO 2, CH 4, N 2O, SO 2, and chlorofluorocarbons).
4. Soil erosion:
● Problems
of soil erosion and loss of soil fertility increases and soil actually gets
washed leading to an accentuated cycle of floods and droughts.
5. Affects hydrological cycle:
● The
hydrological cycle gets affected thereby influencing rainfall. The summers
become hotter and the winters colder. Dust storms have become common.
6. Loss of wildlife:
● Forest-dwelling
species are becoming extinct, causing a loss of irreplaceable genetic
resources.
● Deforestation
causes habitat destruction and loss of wildlife.
● Biodiversity
and ecosystem is lost and along with that genetic diversity is eroded.
Government Measures:
1. Forest Conservation Act:
● The
Forest Conservation Act, 1980, deals with the conservation of forests and
related aspects. It considers any non-forest activity within a forest area as
illegal and makes provision for punishment.
● There
were some amendments made in this act in the year 1990, which further
strengthened the law.
2. National Afforestation Programme:
● It
has been implemented since 2000 for the afforestation of degraded forest lands.
3. National Mission for a Green India:
● It
aims to enhance the quality of forest cover and improve ecosystem services from
4.9 million hectares (MHA) of predominantly forest lands, including 1.5 MHA of
moderately dense forest cover, 3 MHA of open forest cover, 0.4 MHA of degraded
grasslands.
4. National Action Programme to Combat
Desertification:
● It
was prepared in 2001 to address issues of increasing desertification and to
take appropriate actions.
5. Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and
Planning Authority Scheme:
● The
funds can be used for treatment of catchment areas, assisted natural
generation, forest management, wildlife protection and management, relocation
of villages from protected areas, managing human-wildlife conflicts, training
and awareness generation, supply of wood saving devices and allied activities.
6. Environmental Impact Assessment:
● EIA
of developmental projects and preparation of Environmental Management Plan as
per the provisions of the Environmental Impact Assessment notification of
September 2006.
WAY FORWARD:
1. Discourage shifting cultivation:
● Shifting
cultivation should be discouraged and tribals depending on this type of
cultivation should be provided with alternative sources of livelihood.
2. Afforestation schemes:
● Intensive
development schemes for afforestation should be adopted. High yielding
varieties should be planted in suitable areas.
3. Leveraging Technology for Conservation:
● Technology
can be utilised such as remote sensing and GIS, to monitor and track forest
cover, forest fire and identify areas in need of protection.
4. Propagating Environmental Awareness:
● The
community can play an important role in conserving forests by propagating
awareness. Because before we all can take up environmental protection, we have
to be environmentally educated and aware.
5. Participation in Forest Conservation Events and
Movements:
● People’s
participation matters the most, so people should actively participate in
Environmental movements.