The Importance of Forest
Forests and climate change are
intimately intertwined. Forests have regulated the climate, rain, groundwater,
soil of the earth.
Their transpiration act as a
regulator of the balance of oxygen and carbon-dioxide.
The world’s forest and forest
soil currently store more than one trillion tonnes of carbon-twice the amount
found floating free in the atmosphere.
Deforestations and Greenhouse Gases
While deforestation is
responsible for about 20% of greenhouse gas, overall forests currently absorb
more carbon than they emit.
The problem, according to scientists, is that
this critical carbon-regulating service could be lost entirely if the earth
heats up 2.5 degree Celsius or more relative to pre-industrial levels, which is
expected to occur if emissions are not substantially reduced.
Further, higher temperatures, along with the prolonged droughts, more intense pest invasions, and other environmental stresses that could accompany climate change, would lead to considerable forest destruction and degradation.
Further, higher temperatures, along with the prolonged droughts, more intense pest invasions, and other environmental stresses that could accompany climate change, would lead to considerable forest destruction and degradation.
India is one of the 12 mega
diversity countries having a vast variety of flora and fauna. It commands 7% of
world’s biodiversity and support 16 major forest types, varying from alpine
pastures in the Himalaya to temperate, sub-tropical and tropical forests,
mangroves of the coastal regions. The country’s forest cover is 67.71 million
ha, (21.81%).

The problem of degraded soil in
India’s forest lands which increases the probability of forest fires and leads
to depletion groundwater resources. Poor soil quality also impacts of the soil
to retain moisture and replenish groundwater reservoirs. During the monsoons
the water washes away the soil.
India Initiative to curb
deforestation and climate change
India initiated several programmes
to fight against deforestation and climate. Green India mission is
one among the biggest national action plans to address the challenge of climate
change.
It was launched in February 2014 for
protecting; restoring and enhancing India’s diminishing forest cover and
responding to climate change by a combination of adaption and mitigation
measures.
The mission recognises the
influence forests on environmental amelioration through climate change
mitigation, water security, food security, biodiversity conservation and
livelihood security of forests living as well dependent communities.
The objective of the mission is to increase green cover to the
extent of 5 million hectares and improve quality of existing green cover o
another 5 million hectares, improve eco-system survives like carbon
sequestration, hydrological services and biodiversity and provisioning services
like fuel, fodder, and timber and non-timber forest produces. It also has to
increase forest-based livelihood income for about 3 million households.
Serious Concern on Green India Mission Report
According to parliamentary
committee report, Green India Mission, which aimed to protect climate change
and restore forest, is grossly underfunded.
The
report stated, that the scheme proposed for 10 years with an outlay, of Rs
50,000 crore.
During 2017-18, Rs 47.8 crore has been allocated for the scheme
which is grossly insufficient as the committed liability for 2015-16 and
2016-17 is Rs 89.53 crore which is much more than the budget allocated.
The
report also raises concern about the targets set by the green India mission on
India’s intended nationally determined contribution submitted to the United
Nation’s framework convention on climate change.
According to the Nationally Determined Contribution, India has a
target to sequester 2.523 billion tonnes of carbon by 2020-30. Our current
forest cover is 75 million hectare and to meet our target of carbon
sequestration, 30 million hectares
of additional land would be required for forests.
The mission document does not mention from where this land will be
arranged.
The report also found that in
2015-16 and 2016-17, the Green India Mission missed it targets by 34% instead
of the targeted 67, 956 hectares, only 44,749 hectares of land got green cover.
The committee also points out
that the afforestation done under the mission was only aimed at increasing tree
count without considering the soil and weather conditions. Trees like
eucalyptus were planted which make environmental problems worse rather than
solving it. Planting of unsuitable trees may cause drought, and prevent
biodiversity in regions.
How can India meet its Green
India Mission Target?
First, leveraging technological
strength will be a key. India is a powerhouse for development of
satellite-based monitoring systems and geospatial technologies.
These should be fully deployed to help the
India Forest Service monitor forest cover realistically, along with thorough
assessment of land and resource rights to identify areas for restoration.
The green Accounting of Indian
states project provides a framework for comprehensive.
In
India’s case, the needs are clear: redoubled efforts in forest restoration and
management—in addition to energy efficiencies, renewable energy systems, and
climate-smart agriculture – that counterbalance rapidly increasing emissions
from fossil fuel-based power generation.
Monitoring
of green assets. Such monitoring, combined with India long term ecological
observatories and systematic progress toward Green India Mission targets, is
required to realistically assess spatial/temporal trends in green assets.
Second, Meeting the Green India
Mission carbon uptake goals will require revolutionizing India’s forestation
policies and techniques, and forest management in general. There are currently
no rigorous guidelines regarding habitat restoration or land reclamation
projects.
Third, on the social front, the
country has a record of progressive land rights legislation and decentralized
governance systems for managing common-property resources, such as forests, but
implementation has lagged behind, government should work on local village
bodies to participate in funding and decision-making, rather than privileging
the private sector in establishing plantations.
The need to respond to climate
change is challenging as a large nation, India needs to develop new and adequate
administrative structures. India, of course, is not alone, as the United
States, China and others will have their own challenges to curb carbon and
restoring forests.
India formally ratifies the
Paris Agreement, which integrated ethics, economics, and resource conservation.
All of these factors will come into play. Given India’s strengths in science
and technology, public policy, and civil society, the country has the potential
for forge a greener development path over the next decades.
And importantly, genuine
progress toward realizing India’s Green India Mission aims would not only help
with global emissions targets, but also provide a model for other countries
facing similar climate challenges.
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