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The biotic component of our environment on land, i.e. plants and animals (leaving aside the oceans and other water bodies) are overwhelmingly found in forests. Forests form a buffer for the earth to protect life forms; in fact that's where all our biodiversity and including cultivated crops and horticulture plants and trees originated from. Forests comprise an area of diverse and complex ecosystems consisting mainly of trees, shrubs and wild plants which house an extraordinary variety of communities of living organisms. The Indian forests for example include variety of plant and animal life. India has over 45,000 plant species and its forests have about 800 species of mammals, 2000 species of birds, 420 species of reptiles, 2000 species of fish, 50,000 species of insects, 4000 species of molluscs. Good forest areas therefore are called the 'biodiversity hot spots' due to the wide range of life forms and genetic diversity of life forms.
One may recall through earlier studies on the ecological web of life on how all life forms are interconnected and how the well being of one organism is dependant on the other. Even the bacteria which cause deadly diseases and food poisoning on one hand help in aiding digestion produce dairy products like milk and yogurt (curds) and help in decomposing huge amounts of waste and dead matter, fertilizing the soil with nitrogen. One of the main aims of conservation is to try and preserve the inherited biodiversity. A loss of diversity will lead to an ecological imbalance. There is a clear and mutual relation between the health of forests (trees), rainfall concentration, the amount of water in rivers and conservation of wild animals.
Make a list of forest produce that you use. What do you think a person living near a forest would use? What do you think a person living in a forest would use? Discuss with your classmates how these needs differ or do not differ from yours and the reasons for the same.
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Humans depend on the forests largely to meet rapidly growing demands for timber, fibre, fuel, fresh water and food. All use forest produce in one form or other, e.g., when used as timber, paper, herbs and spices. Modern approaches in forest conservation have found that enforcement of forest laws or policies that do not recognize the legitimate needs of different groups that depend on the forest, often fail in their objectives. When we consider the conservation of forests, we need to look at different stakeholders whose dependency on forest resources varies.
- People who live in or around forests are dependent on forest produce for various aspects of their life
- The Forest Department of the Government which owns the land undertakes protection and controls the resources from forests
- The industries that use various forests produce, but are not dependent on the forests in any one area
- Environment Conservationists, nature enthusiasts and NGOs who want to conserve nature in its immaculate form
 The practice of clearing huge areas to plant pine, teak or eucalyptus, results in destroying a large amount of biodiversity. It also adversely affects the stakes and needs of local people living in and around such forest plantations by loss of habitat and inaccessibility to these areas. They experience a scarcity of supplies of wood and fodder, herbs, fruit and nuts etc. The loss of valuable habitat and ecosystems is probably largest for flora and fauna living in the area.
What do these various groups depend on the forests for? Let us list few things that each group requires.
Local Communities that Stay Next to or in the Forests
Tribals staying within forest areas and villages bordering them need:
- Fuel as firewood
- Fodder for their cattle, as well as grazing of cattle
- Timber, thatch and bamboo for making slats for huts
- Implements for agriculture, fishing and hunting made of wood
- Baskets for collecting and storing food materials
- Fruits, nuts and medicines
- Sites for hunting and fishing
In many areas, the bourgeoning population increase of communities dependant on forest produce have unwittingly caused the depletion of forests. Nearly 40% of the primary energy needs in India are for cooking and met by wood as a fuel. Land is also cleared for agriculture and development. Communities strip forests to meet their local needs without considering how long forests take to regenerate. The need to inculcate sustainable harvesting of forests by villagers is often realized to late.
The Forest Department
While the major task of this department is to conserve forests and wildlife, it:
- Earns revenue from the sale of timber to construction and furniture markets
- Earns major revenue from commercial mono plantations grown of trees like popular, eucalyptus, Sal (teak), bamboo etc. to access the specific products for industries such as paper, plyboard etc.
| Do industries like paper and construction that depend on produce like timber have a sustainable basis in the long run? Do we need to find raw material substitutes or control our consumption of these products?
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Industries
A quick count of industries based on forest produce reveals timber, paper, resin and gum, lac, natural oils, minor foods products, medicines, sports equipment. Industries consider the forest as merely a source of raw material for their factories. They neither are interested in loss of valuable biodiversity and ecosystems per se, nor are they particularly interested in the sustainability of the forest in one particular area. After cutting down all the commercial pine trees in one area for instance, they will get their timber from a forest farther away. They have little reason for ensuring that the forest in specific area should be viable and yield an optimal amount of forest produce for all stake holders or future generations to come.
Environment Conservationists and Nature Enthusiasts
Lastly, we come to the nature and wildlife enthusiasts who are not in any way dependent on the forests. Environmentalists and Nature Conservationists, NGOs like the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural resources (IUCN), often exercise considerable say in policy and management of forests. Historically, conservationists took up causes of protecting large animals like tigers (Project Tiger was an internationally acclaimed result), lions, elephants and rhinoceros. But now they recognize the need to preserve biodiversity as a whole, regulate industrial over exploitation of forest resources and involve local people in the conservation of forests. Along with the Ministry of Environment and forests, they have designated protected forest areas, wildlife sanctuaries, Biodiversity Hotspots for special attention and management.
There have been enough instances of local communities working traditionally for conservation of forests and trees. Sunderlal Bahuguna and Pandey in the Uttrakhand Himalayas started the 'Chipko' movement for protecting trees in a typical conflict between commercial wood contractors who were cutting fully grown trees and villagers who would harvest them by only lopping some branches so that they would grow back. Earlier, in 1731 there is the famous example of the Bishnoi community in Rajasthan for whom conservation of forest and wildlife was a religious duty instilled by a holy man. Amrita Devi Bishnoi, sacrificed her life along with 363 others for the protection of 'khejri' trees in Khejrali village near Jodhpur in Rajasthan when a passing army of an emperor tried to requisition the trees. The Government of India has recently instituted an 'Amrita Devi Bishnoi National Award for Wildlife Conservation' in the memory of this community for exemplary valour.
One need to accept that human intervention has been very much a part of the forest landscape. The government has realized that enforcement of forest laws or policies and punishment of its contraventions, while ignoring the requirements of local people in the management of protected areas cannot be successful in the long run. Damages caused to forests are not solely caused by communities staying close to and dependant on the forests. Government infrastructure or development projects like building roads, dams, housing, cause large tracts of forest to disappear. The requirements of industry cause loss of forest biodiversity. Poaching of timber and wildlife for commercial gain is also a cause. Lastly, Eco tourism around forests and wildlife sanctuaries, adventure sports, forest camps and trekking tours, housing schemes as getaways near these areas are also liable to damage forest habitat and disturb sensitive ecology of the forests. One must find ways to use forest resources in an environmentally and developmentally sustainable manner.
India has about 63.5% million hectares of forests and forms 1/5th of the geographical area of the country. For any one stake holder namely the forest department, to safeguard the forests and its flora and fauna along with the sustainable harvest of forest produce by solely its own effort is extremely difficult. It is now recognized as a participative effort of the stake holders involved in a particular area. While the government, and conservation enthusiasts and organizations have a major role in overseeing the protection and conservation of forests, the acceptances of the dependencies of local players who have lived in harmony with natural resources is vital for success of forest conservation measures.
One needs to consider if the goals of all the above stakeholders with regard to the management of the forests. The stakes of local players, such as fuel and fodder, the right to stay, must be met if management of wildlife and forests has to be successful. This fact was exemplified when the West Bengal Forest Department recognized its failures in reviving the degraded Sal forests in the southwestern districts of the state in 1972. Traditional methods of surveillance and policing had led to a 'complete alienation of the people from the administration', resulting in frequent clashes between forest officials and villagers. Forest and land related conflicts in the region were also a major factor in fuelling the militant peasant movements led by the Naxalites.
The Department was forced to change its strategy and made a beginning at the instance of a far-seeing forest officer, A.K. Banerjee. In the Arabari forest range of Midnapore district Mr.Banerjeee involved the villagers in the protection of 1,272 hectares of badly degraded Sal forest. In return for help in protection, villagers were allowed fuel wood and fodder collection on payment of a nominal fee and given employment in both silviculture and harvesting operations, 25 per cent of the final harvest was given to the village community. The result was the active and willing participation of the local community. The Sal forests of Arabari underwent a remarkable recovery by 1983; a previously worthless forest was valued Rs. 12.5 crores.
Such instances have now been repeated and clearly pointed to a model in which decentralized economic growth and ecological conservation go hand in hand. This will ultimately determine whether the environment will be conserved or further destroyed.
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