Forest restoration- enriching forests and communities
Forests play the most significant role in maintaining the ecological balance of our planet. They support and regulate all the factors affecting life on land, and are therefore the natural life support system of all living beings. apart from providing habitats for numerous species of plants and animals, they provide humans with plentiful natural resources. They touch every aspect of human lives by laying out innumerable benefits.
Benefits of forests
Environmental benefits
- Air purification: forests are home to abundant trees which absorb large volumes carbon di oxide and release oxygen through photosynthesis, thereby purifying the air around.
- Water retention: forests have good water -absorption capacity and the root systems of forest trees help restore ground water. In this way, forests prevent excess water runoff, which further prevents floods. They are also essential for the proper functioning of the water cycle
- Soil restoration: the forest ecosystem is ideal for the growth of worms and other organisms which add organic matter to mineral soil, and improve the overall quality of soil by enhancing its porosity and fertility
- Temperature regulation: forests absorb large amounts of carbon dioxide, which is responsible for global warming; Increasing earth’s forest cover would help in bringing down atmospheric temperature. Forests also help in maintaining good rainfall levels, by increasing moisture content of air, through the process of transpiration
- Carbon sequestration: forests capture good amount of carbon through the process of photosynthesis, and store it in the form of biomass.
- Biodiversity: from microorganisms to large animals, forests provide habitats to diverse living forms including fungi, shrubs, trees, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals. all these living forms benefit each other and flourish in forests. Cutting down of forests has led to biodiversity loss resulting in the extinction of various species.
Social benefits
- Tribal life: forests are home to more than 100 million people in India, who live in and around forests. These tribal communities depend on forests for their socioeconomic needs. They live in harmony with forests, and their culture reflects their love and respect for forests. They teach us how to draw benefits from forests, while conserving and protecting them.
- Recreation: forests have always attracted humans for their scenic beauty and rich biodiversity. People living in urban areas see forests as ideal spaces for recreation and relaxation, and closely observe wildlife.
Economic benefits
as stated earlier, people living in and around forests, depend largely on them for earning their livelihood. Apart from that, forests contribute to India’s GDP through forest products. Around 1.7% of India’s GDP is generated through forest-based products which include:
- Timber
- fuelwood
- Food products
- Medicine
- Latex
- Gum
- Resin
- Forests also help generate income through tourism and hospitality. National parks and reserves are gaining popularity among nature lovers and tourists.
Importance of forest restoration
The vitality of forests and the presence of abundant resources have made forests vulnerable to human intervention. To fulfil unsatiable demand of forest products, humans have overexploited forests. India is one of the largest consumers of timber and other wood products which is a major reason for deforestation. Fuelwood is another reason leading to deforestation; India consumes 85000 tonnes of firewood annually. Forests are also being cleared up for making land available for various development projects. 50% of Earths forest cover has been lost to agriculture, mining and urban development. India is losing its forest cover at an alarming rate; around 1.5 million hectares of forest cover is being lost each year. Deforestation leads to soil erosion and climate change, which further leads to natural disasters. By stripping down our forest cover, we are heading towards mass destruction. We cannot continue to use forests irresponsibly anymore, or we could completely loose our forests in another 20 years.
India needs to act strongly and urgently, against deforestation; but this does not mean, we should completely stop using forests for meeting our needs. Around 375 million people in India are dependent on forests, directly and indirectly. We need to come up with forest restoration strategies that also enhance well-being of forest dependent people. Forests must be managed sustainably to bring about environmental, social and economic benefits.
Sustainable forest management planning
A detailed study of the forest and the surrounding region must be conducted, in order to arrive at a practical and effective solution for restoration.
Role of local communities
Local communities play a crucial role in forest conservation and restoration. People living in and around forests have a better understanding of using forests in a sustainable way. With the help of local communities, the process of restoration becomes easier and smoother. If the traditional knowledge of local communities regarding sustainable management of forests is combined with scientific principles through training and financial and technical support, it would result in the economic development of the entire region. Such projects would create ample employment and business opportunities for the local communities.
Promoting local culture for tourism and recreational activities, would help in preserving the cultural heritage of forest regions and make these regions popular. This would again add to the economic development of the region and would prove to be an effective way of spreading awareness about the importance of conservation of forests among visitors.
Forest Restoration Methods
Responsible logging
Cutting down of trees need not always be harmful; if carried out responsibly, it can be beneficial for both, the forest and its people. it can be done in two ways;
Selective logging- in this method, mature trees are cut down, so that young trees receive more sunlight and get more space to grow.
Thinning- reducing density of forests, by cutting down slow growing and weak trees, to ensure better growth of remaining trees is called thinning. Sometimes, some parts of a tree are cut down for this purpose, in place of cutting the entire tree.
Replanting after logging
planting new trees against logged trees must become a compulsory practice, for ensuring reforestation. It might take long time for new trees to grow, but the practice would surely prevent deforestation. Selected trees could be planted, which would yield produces having commercial value.
Non-timber forest products
Forest produce, other than timber, like berries, nuts, medicinal herbs, mushrooms etc. are either collected or cultivated by tribal community for earning livelihood. Streamlining the NTFP market would bring prosperity to these communities. A recent study has revealed that India’s tribal community collects NTFP worth around rupees 2 trillion annually. Several programmes are being run by government and other organizations to ensure that these communities get fair earnings through NTFPs.
Tribal art and crafts
Traditional art and craft of tribal communities are quite popular in India. Their culture and lifestyle are reflected through their creations, for which they obtain materials from forests. Promoting their skills would help in economic growth of these communities and preserve their cultural heritage.
Wildlife reserves
These are protected forests where hunting and poaching are strictly prohibited. These reserves not just help enhance and conserve biodiversity of forests, but are also emerging as popular tourist spots.
Success Story
Aadhimalai
Based at the Nilgiris biosphere reserve, Aadhimalai Pazhanagudiyinar Producer Company Limited, collects forest produce directly from the tribal communities, processes them and market them; the company pays fair amounts to forest dwellers for their produces. Over 1600 indegenous people from around 200 villages are involved in collecting and providing NTFPs to the company. These products include honey, beeswax, soapnuts, shikakai etc. the company aims at providing livelihood to tribal communities through fair trade practices, while conserving forests and preserving cultural heritage.
India’s commitment
As 2021-2030 has been declared as the UN Decade of Ecosystem Restoration, India has committed to restore 26 million hectares of land by 2030. India needs to scale up its forest restoration actions and ensure that the environment and people of India are benefitted through forests.
