India is known for being a natural resource dependent country as can be seen by the fact the 70 percent of the country’s population live in rural areas. These people are directly dependent on the land for food, the forests for fuels, etc. This means that well over 700 million people are directly interacting with the natural resources of India not to mention the 30 percent that live in urban areas that more indirectly put pressure on natural resources with their consumption. All this being said, the natural resources of India are under great pressure and are very hard to regulate. Resources like the forest are especially hard to regulate as they are commonly used and it is hard to exclude people from using them.
It is generally accepted that India has about 20 percent forest cover, which provides a great number of resources for surrounding communities from building material to food to even medicine. These people who are dependent on the forest are referred to as “ecosystem people” as they are dependent on the forest ecosystem and their role in it for their livelihood. With this in mind it would make sense that the conservation of the forest are in the best interest of those people living around and depending on the forests. However, there are still problems in reaching conservation goals. Firstly, although these people are dependent upon conserving the forest, they are often not formally educated in conservation practices. After all these people are trying to survive making a “conservation for conservation’s sake” argument not viable. Secondly, India’s population shows a never-ceasing, rapid growth in population, putting further stress on the natural resources. More and more people are living near the forest and exploiting them for their basic needs. Furthermore, as population booms so does the need for food causing an increase in the land used for agriculture. In many cases forest areas will be sacrificed for growing or grazing land
Other conservation issues include more historic clearing of forests: 70 percent of the mountain forest above 4,000 ft have been cleared to make way for tea plantations. These plants not only add to deforestation numbers but have their own set of environmental problems as it is said that each plant consumes over 40 types of chemicals in it’s lifetime. Another problem is that those most dependent on the forest and therefore those who could be convinced of conservation’s importance (again if it did not hinder their survival) are often from tribal communities specifically scheduled tribes and scheduled castes. ST’s in particular have little power to make their voices heard both socially and politically.
Therefore, an argument for conservation of forest must be made to the nation as a whole and those holding the power. It is simple, the forest is a life source for a large portion of the Indian people but they are also important to the nation as a whole. Deforestation is having a nationwide affect. For example, somewhere between 4.7 and 12 billion tons of topsoil are lost each year and while there is not exact proportion that can be attributed to deforestation it is a widely accepted fact that forest cover protects soil. Another important role of forest is the ability to act as a carbon sink. With India’s ever growing population not to mention their increasing number of cars, India is rapidly producing more and more CO2 emissions. Protecting forests and even helping to expand forest cover should be a key policy point as India looks to reduce carbon emissions among other measures such as improving engine requirements (many of India’s vehicles run on highly inefficient diesel engines), improving public transportation, etc.
Finally, when making policy to protect forests, it must be done in the right way – that is in a way the does not exclude those most dependent on them, the ST’s. India like many other countries has aspects of a political economy that leads to the distribution of natural resources being tied up in politics. If these politics respect the rights of the ST’s and SC’s depending on the forest then India can head towards conservation successfully. While the political power of ST’s is an entirely different cultural and social conundrum, I would still like to suggest policy that I hope includes their concerns. Firstly, I would suggest that the British idea of “scientific forestry” that has historically been used to ensure “sustainable use of the forest” but has simultaneously excluded tribal communities from forest use, be reexamined. Is timber production in India actually sustainable? Are the tribes who are dependent on the forests surviving? These questions must be answered to have a truly fair conservation policy. I also suggest that those who know the forest, usually the tribal women who know what plants they need for food, wood, fuel and medicine, be consulted when undertaking reforestation projects so that the forest will have the greatest potential for sustainable use in the future.
Conserving the forest of India has a number of social, cultural and political issues that come with it. However, the forest are integral part of life for millions of people directly and billions of people indirectly and for this reason deforestation and reforestation must be examinedcastes. ST’s in particular have little power to make their voices heard both socially and politically.
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