Biju Dharmapalan
Do we need forests or do we need development? It’s a question that has always perplexed the human mind. From time immemorial humans have been destroying forests for their vested interests. All great civilizations that we study in our textbooks, flourished by utilizing natural resources. Different civilizations have had different impacts on their surrounding forests, depending on their technological advancements, cultural practices, and population size. From the perspective of the human species (Homo sapiens) , the dominating species that controls the whole biosphere, the priority was always development. Be it a religious place or a tourist place we always prefer state of art facilities in these areas. We need good infrastructure, good roads, train and air facilities, and good places to stay and none of our species’ members is concerned at what cost these developments have come.
In our civilization, forests have been considered sacred and are often preserved in the name of God or deities. This preservation of forests is deeply rooted in the religious and cultural beliefs of people, which have evolved over thousands of years. We offer divinity to many species of plants and animals. It is these traditions that helped us to protect whatever remnants of forests that we see around us. The religion that acted as a saviour of our forests and natural resources is now acting as a destructor, because of the insensible attitude of the followers.
With the advancements made in science and technology, the societal perception towards traditions has changed which has inadvertently affected the status of nature. For the present generation, nature is not at all a concern in their life. They are so greedy that they just want to enjoy their life and forget about their children’s future. A few environmental activists who speak for nature are also not genuine in their attitude. They speak utopian ideas enjoying all the fruits that have been born at the cost of the environment.
After independence within 30 years, we destroyed more than 4.2 million hectares of forests till 1980. It is at that juncture the government introduced Forest Conservation Act (FCA) in 1980. After the introduction of FCA only 1.5 million hectares have been lost. As per the latest forest survey in 2021, the total forest and tree cover in India is 80.9 million hectares, which is 24.62% of the geographical area of the country. As compared to the assessment of 2019, there is an increase of 2,261 sq km in the total forest and tree cover of the country. Out of this, the increase in the forest cover has been observed as 1,540 sq km and that in tree cover is 721 sq km. This increase was only because of stringent regulations in the act.
The recent Forest Conservation (Amendment) Bill, 2023 passed by parliament though addresses the concerns and challenges faced by today’s citizens, is bound to affect the status of forest cover in our country. The act will facilitate the decisions making process on the proposals involving non-forestry use of forest land by the authorities for national security and infrastructure projects. Non-forest purposes include the use of land for cultivating horticultural crops or for any purpose other than reafforestation. The blanket exemption for projects like zoos, eco-tourism facilities, and reconnaissance studies emphasised in the bill could hurt forest land and wildlife. All these exemptions will bring more destruction to forest cover. Already in regions of Western Ghats people are doing non-foresty activities like the cultivation of exotic plantations and cash crops that have destroyed our biodiversity. Similarly, even the influx of tourists has badly affected the health of our forests. For the past several years we have seen environmental havoc due to natural calamities in different parts of the country. Forests are nature’s conservatories, if we take care of them there is no need for botanical and zoological gardens in the country. The mature forest ecosystem that we see today is the result of 200 to 1000 years of formation. It would be difficult to restore a lost ecosystem within our generation’s timeline even with the best available compensatory mechanisms. Humans have destroyed all the natural resources available on this planet and we can’t expect more destruction during our lifetime.
Instead of making forests open for developmental activities, the government should declare all forests in our country as a National heritage and prevent their further destruction. The benefit of forest cover in a particular state can be enjoyed by the people in the neighbouring states. For example, any disturbances to forest cover in the Western Ghat region of Kerala may affect the ecological and climatic conditions of states like Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, similar is the case with other biodiversity-rich states. Our planet and our species are at a critical timeline, one further destruction of forest cover may lead to our extinction. Let’s keep developmental activities away from forest covers for the survival of the human species. There is no meaning in development if there are no human species available on this planet.
(The author is an adjunct faculty at National Institute of Advanced Studies (NIAS),Bangalore. )
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