Forests- A Gift of Nature to the Mankind

Forests- A Gift of Nature to the Mankind

"In Indian mythology, forest is not known simply as a source of wood or other things but it is worshipped and regarded as 'God of Forest'[VAN DEVTA)."

Forests that cover nearly one-third of the world's land, are a very important  and invaluable gift of nature to the mankind. Since times immemorial forests  are regarded as universal and unending source of many kinds of raw material  by men. From eatables to cooking wood, from clothes to housing facilities,  everywhere we are directly or indirectly benefitted by the forests.

  The forest cover of India is around 23% at present, but about two decades  ago, the picture was highly dismal. About 17% of  India's land area,  approximately 50 million hectares, were regarded as forest land in the early  1990s. In FY 1987, however, actual forest cover was 64 million hectares.  However, because more than 50% of this land was barren or brushland, the  area under productive forest was actually less than 35 million hectares, or approximately 10% of the country's land area. The growing population's high  demand for forest resources continued the destruction and degradation of  forests in 1980s. An estimated 6 billion tons of topsoil were lost annually.  However, India's 0.6% average annual rate of deforestation for agricultural  and nonlumbering land used in the decade beginning 1981 was one of the  lowest in the world and on a par with Brazil.  

Many Indian forests in the mid-1990s are found in high-rainfall,  high-altitude regions, areas to which access is difficult. About 20% of total  forest land is in Madhya Pradesh; other states with significant forests are  Odisha, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh (each about 9% of the total forests);  Arunachal Pradesh (7%); and Uttar Pradesh (6%). The variety of forest  vegetation is large: there are 600 species of hardwoods, sal (Shorea robusta)  and teak being the principal economic species. 

 Forests play very important role in the economy of a country. In India , our  approximately half the population even today depends on the forests for their  fuel needs. The fodder demand for the cattle are met from the forests. For the  shelter of the cattle the required wood is taken from the forests. From  economic point of view, the paper manufacturing industries are mainly  dependent upon the forests for their need of the wooden pulp. The soil erosion  and flood control are only possible with the existence of forests. Even the rain,  on which the Indian culture pends, is possible with the forests. The  eco-balance means, the conservation of the environmental purity is mainly  done with the conservation of the forests. Forests help the mankind by  absorbing the carbon dioxide and exhaling the life gas, the oxygen. 

 Conservation of forests has been an avowed goal of Indian government  policy since Indian Independence. Afforestation increased from a negligible  amount of the first plan. The cumulative area afforested during the 1951-91  period was nearly 17.9 million hectares. However, despite large-scale tree  planting programmes, forestry is one arena in which India had actually not  progressed much since Independence. Annual fellings of about four times the  growth rate were a major cause. Widespread pilferage by villagers for firewood  and fodder also represented a major decrease. In addition, the forested area  had been shrinking as a result of land cleared for farming, inundations for  irrigation and hydroelectric power projects, and construction of new urban  areas, industrial plants, roads, power lines and schools.  

India's long-term strategy for forestry development reflects three major  objectives: to reduce soil erosion and flooding; to meet growing needs of the  domestic wood products industries; fuelwood, fodder, small timber and  miscellaneous forest produce. To achieve these objectives, the National  Commission on Agriculture in 1976 recommended the reorganization of stave  forestry departments and advocated the concept of social forestry. The  Commission itself worked on the first two objectives, emphasizing traditional  forestry and wildlife activities; in pursuit of the third objective, the commission  recommended the establishment of new kind of units to develop community  forests. Following the leads of Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh, a number of other  states also established community-based forestry agencies that emphasized  programmes on farm forestry, timber management, extension forestry  reforestation of degraded forests, and use of forests for recreational purposes.     

 Forests not only help the mankind but also are the source of livelihood for  he wild life and the birds These beautiful creatures of the almighty are given  fall shelter and protection by the forests. Had there been no forests, this Earth  would have been destroyed long ago, Nobody could have found the lions, the  tigers, the zebras, the beautiful birds which have been a source of inspirations  to many poets and writers.  

The role of India's forests in the national economy and in ecology was well  emphasized in the 1988, National Forest Policy, which focused on ensuring  environmental stability, restoring the ecological balance, and preserving the  remaining forests. Other objectives of the policy were meeting the need for  uw-wood, fodder, and small timber for rural and tribal people while  recognizing the need to actively involve local people in the management of  forest resources. Also in 1988, the Forest Conservation Act, 1980 was amended  to facilitate strict conservation measures. A new target was to increase the  forest cover to 33% of India's land area from the then-official estimate of 23%.  In June 1990, the Central Government adopted resolutions that combined  forest science with social forestry, taking the sociocultural traditions of the  local people into consideration. 

 Since the early 1970s, when it was realized that deforestation threatened  not only the ecology but livelihood in a variety of ways, people have been more  interested in conservation. The best known popular activist movement is the  Chipko Movement, in which local women decided to fight the government and  the vested interests to save forests. The women of Chamoli District,  Uttarakhand, declared that they would embrace-literally 'to stick to' means  chipakna in Hindi)--trees if a sporting goods manufacturer attempted to cut  down ash trees in their district. Since initial activism in 1973, the movement  has spread and become an ecological movement leading to similar actions in  other forest areas. The movement has slowed down the process of  deforestation, exposed vested interests, increased ecological awareness, and  demonstrated the viability of people power.

  But, man is the biggest enemy of the mankind. Man has forgotten that his  very existence in this world was once at the threshold of the forest. The present  day lust for money is reducing the forests day by day. With the advent of the  industrialization, the deforestation of the forests had begun. The rapid growth  of population, the growth and development of cities, the increasing need for  Wood  many forests by the unscrupulous contractors, etc., have caused an irreparable  loss to  beautiful extinction of various wild anim  birds species etc., are because of the deforestation being done by men. The  recurrences of the flood, the drought, the famine, the scanty or no rain for  years, the earthquakes, the spreading of many unknown diseases because of  the polluted environment are nothing but silent revenge of the nature against  the man's act of deforestation. 

 The merciless destruction of forests must be stopped if the mankind wants  to save itself from curse of the nature. The man has now become aware of the  Vagaries of nature and understand the reasons thereof. The need of intensive  forestry is being realised. In India, we worship trees and treat them as live  creatures. For preservation of this precious gift of nature in the form of forest needs general awakening of the common man.  The  preservation and  conservation of the forests is essential for the well being of every creature on  this Earth. The great lover of nature, Wordsworth has rightly written 

 "One impulse from the vernal wood 

 May teach you more of man  

Of moral evil and of good  

Than all the sages can."