Preserve Forests and Natural Habitats
23-03-2022 : The International Day of Forests was celebrated in Jammu and Kashmir covering all the districts and the main function was held at Convention Centre, Srinagar. This significant day is celebrated on 21st March, every year. The event was attended by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha and the theme of the event was “Forests and Sustainable Production and Consumption”. It aimed to raise awareness on combating climate change, environmental conservation, and efficient use of forests for the prosperity and well-being of current and future generations.
This day rings a bell among society about the importance of forests and the scores of benefits they offer to humankind. A forest just doesn’t mean trees, but it is an entire universe and a living community. We must seriously think about reckless deforestation, which is against the welfare of every living being in the ecosystem. There is a significant need for efforts to raise awareness among people for its protection. Sustainable forest management and efficient use of its resources is the need of the hour! There is an immediate need to create a fine balance between man and nature, the community needs to be involved with all modern techniques and development practices to preserve our natural habitats and forests.
The ‘Green J&K Drive’; ‘Har Gaon Hariyali’ campaign; besides the promotion of eco-tourism through the ‘Tourist Village’ network and thrust on development of viable wood-based industries are proving to be strong efforts to increase forest cover conservation. More such programmes be devised at the school and village level. Government developmental agencies and NGOs have also a strong role to play and their responsibilities should be fixed and realigned according to the need of the hour. Traditional forest dwellers should also be involved and their rights must not be infringed upon on the pretext of forest land development. The Forest Department should also encourage and recognize the contribution of women in forestry and wildlife conservation. Plant distribution schemes of the government should be further strengthened at local levels. The goal set by the J&K Forest Department of planting 130 lakhs of plants as earmarked for this year is a positive step that should be appreciated and every effort should be made to achieve this goal for the safeguard of the future generation.
Commissioner Secretary, Forest, Ecology and Environment, Sh. Sanjeev Verma, endeavours to intensify plantation drives, especially in Patnitop and Batote deserve all the praise. Hoteliers and other stakeholders at Patnitop be involved in framing strategies for further enhancing the forest and environment protection measures; this will further boost the tourism sector which is the backbone of J&K’s economy.
The management of the Nurseries is a vital area that needs to be looked into with the best available talent. Further, there should be timely availability of healthy plants to the community including proper stock, seeds, fertilizer, instruments, proper water arrangements- which are the major areas that need to be monitored at the highest priority level using the latest available technology of satellites and drones.
Wildfires are most commonly reported in the coming months owing to the presence of large quantities of dry wood, grass, and dead leaves on the ground. So, mitigating the risk of seasonal forest fires is also something that needs to be taken care of.
A fundamental shift in ideas about conservation and collaborative efforts between tribal people and the forest department bureaucrats can not only help mitigate the crisis but also accord recognition to these communities. The democratization of the conservation process will be crucial to the fight to protect the environment.
Everyone should actively participate in the protection of forests, and unnecessary deforestation should be avoided at all costs. Chopping down trees in hilly forest areas results in loosening of soil, which results in soil erosion and which further, leads to devastation during the rainy season.
Exploitation and burning of forests account for about 8 to 10 percent of greenhouse gases generated by human activities. Therefore, forest protection is an important activity to reverse the ill impact of deforestation on climate change. Jammu and Kashmir are highly dependent on their agriculture and forest economy. Hence, it becomes important for us to protect our forests and future.
