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Tiger Conservation In India
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NATIONAL FOREST POLICY, 1988
1. PREAMBLE
In resolution No. 13/52/F, dated12th May 1952, the Government of India in the erstwhile ministry of food and agriculture enunciated a forest policy to be followed in the management of state forests in the country. However, over the years, forests in the country have suffered serious depletion. This is attributable to relentless pressures arising from ever-increasing demand for fuel-wood, fodder an d timber; inadequacy of protection measures; diversion of forest lands to non-forest uses without ensuring compensatory afforestation and essential environmental safeguards; and the tendency to look upon forests as revenue earning resource. The need to review the situation and to evolve, for the future, a new strategy of forest conservation has become imperative. Conservation includes preservation, maintenance; sustainable utilisation, restoration, and enhancement of the natural environment. It has thus become necessary to review and revise the national forest policy.
2. BASIC OBJECTIVES
The basic objectives that should govern the national forest policy are the following:- Maintenance of environmental stability through preservation and, where necessary, restoration of the ecological balance that has been adversely disturbed by serious depletion of the forests of the country.
Conserving the natural heritage of the country by preserving the remaining natural forests with the vast variety of flora and fauna, which represent the remarkable biological diversity and genetic resources of the country.
Checking soil erosion and denudation in the catchment areas of rivers, lakes, and reservoirs in the interest of soil and water conservation, for mitigating floods and droughts and for the retardation of siltation of reservoirs.
Checking the extension of sand dunes in the desert areas of Rajasthan and along the coastal tracts.
Increasing substantially the forest/tree cover in the country through massive afforestation and social forestry programmes, especially on all denuded, degraded and unproductive lands."
Meeting the requirements of fuel-wood, fodder, minor forest produce and small timber of the rural and tribal populations.
Increasing the productivity of forests to meet essential national needs.
Encouraging efficient utilisation of forest produce and maximising substitution of wood.
Creating a massive people's movement with the involvement of women, for achieving these objectives and to minimise pressure on existing forests.
3. ESSENTIALS OF FOREST MANAGEMENT
¤ Existing forests and forest lands should be fully protected and their productivity improved. Forest and vegetal cover should be increased rapidly on bill slopes, in catchment areas of rivers, lakes and reservoirs and ocean shores and on semi-arid and desert tracts.
¤ Diversion of good and productive agricultural lands to forestry should be discouraged in view of the need for increased food production.
¤ For the conservation of total biological diversity, the network of national parks, sanctuaries, biosphere reserves and other protected areas should be strengthened and extended adequately. Provision of sufficient fodder, fuel and pasture, specially in areas adjoining forests, is necessary in order to prevent depletion of forests beyond the sustainable limit. Since fuel-wood continues to be the predominant source of energy in rural areas, the programme of afforestation should be intensified with special emphasis on augmenting fuel-wood production to meet the requirement of the rural people.
¤ 3.4 Minor forest produce provides sustenance to tribal population and to other communities residing in and around the forests. Such produce should be protected, improved and their production enhanced with due regard to generation of employment and income.
4. STRATEGY
AREA UNDER FOREST:
The national goal should e to have a minimum of one - third of the total land area of the country under forest or tree cover. In the hills and in mountainous region, the aim should be to maintain two-third of the area under such cover in order to prevent erosion and land degradation and to ensure the stability of the fragile eco-system.
AFFORESTATION, SOCIAL FORESTRY & FARM FORESTRY:
» A massive need-based and time bound programme of afforestation and tree planting, with particular emphasis on fuel-wood and fodder development, on all degraded and decuded lands in the country, whether forest or non-forest land, is a national imperative.
» It is necessary to encourage the planting of trees alongside of roads, railway lines, rivers and streams and canals, and on other unutilised lands under state/corporate, institutional or private ownership. Green belts should be raised in urban/industrial areas as well as in arid tracts. Such a programme will help to check erosion and desertification as well as improve the microclimate.
» Village and community lands, including those on foreshores and environs of tanks, not required for other productive uses, should be taken up for the development of tree crops and fodder resources. Technical assistance and other inputs necessary for initiating such programmes should be provided by the government. The revenues generated through such programmes should belong to the panchayats where the lands are vested in them; in all other cases, such revenues should be shared with the local communities in order to provide an incentive to them. The vesting in individuals, particularly from the weaker sections (such as landless labour, small and marginal farmers, scheduled castes, tribals, women) of certain ownership right over trees, could be considered, subject to appropriate regulations; beneficiaries would be entitled to usufruct and would in turn be responsible for their security and maintenance.
» Land laws should be modified wherever necessary so as to facilitate and motivate individuals and institutions to undertake tree-farming and grow fodder plants, grasses and legumes on their own land. Wherever possible, degraded lands should be made available for this purpose either on lease or on the land should be subject to the land grant rules and land should be subject to the encourage them to do so must be taken. Appropriate regulations should govern the felling of trees on private holding.
MANAGEMENT OF STATE FORESTS
» Schemes and projects which interfere with forests that clothe steep slopes, catchments of rivers, lakes, and reservoirs, geologically unstable terrain and such other ecologically sensitive areas, should be severely restricted. Tropical rain/moist forests, particularly in areas like Arunachal Pradesh, Kerala, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, should be totally safeguarded.
» No forest should be permitted to be worked without the Government having approved the management plan, which should be in a prescribed format and in keeping with the National Forest Policy. The Central Government should issue necessary guidelines to the State Government in this regard and monitor compliance.
» In order to meet the growing needs for essential goods and services, which the forests provide, it is necessary to enhance forest cover and productivity of the forests through the application of scientific and technical inputs. Production forestry programmes, while aiming at enhancing the forest cover in the country, and meeting national needs, should also be oriented to narrowing, by the turn of the century, the increasing gap between demand and supply of fuel-wood. No such programmes, however, should entail clear felling of adequately stocked natural forests. Nor should exotic species be introduced, through public or private sources, unless long-term scientific trails undertaken by specialists that they are suitable and have no adverse impact on native vegetation and environment.
In resolution No. 13/52/F, dated12th May 1952, the Government of India in the erstwhile ministry of food and agriculture enunciated a forest policy to be followed in the management of state forests in the country. However, over the years, forests in the country have suffered serious depletion. This is attributable to relentless pressures arising from ever-increasing demand for fuel-wood, fodder an d timber; inadequacy of protection measures; diversion of forest lands to non-forest uses without ensuring compensatory afforestation and essential environmental safeguards; and the tendency to look upon forests as revenue earning resource. The need to review the situation and to evolve, for the future, a new strategy of forest conservation has become imperative. Conservation includes preservation, maintenance; sustainable utilisation, restoration, and enhancement of the natural environment. It has thus become necessary to review and revise the national forest policy.
2. BASIC OBJECTIVES
The basic objectives that should govern the national forest policy are the following:- Maintenance of environmental stability through preservation and, where necessary, restoration of the ecological balance that has been adversely disturbed by serious depletion of the forests of the country.
Conserving the natural heritage of the country by preserving the remaining natural forests with the vast variety of flora and fauna, which represent the remarkable biological diversity and genetic resources of the country.
Checking soil erosion and denudation in the catchment areas of rivers, lakes, and reservoirs in the interest of soil and water conservation, for mitigating floods and droughts and for the retardation of siltation of reservoirs.
Checking the extension of sand dunes in the desert areas of Rajasthan and along the coastal tracts.
Increasing substantially the forest/tree cover in the country through massive afforestation and social forestry programmes, especially on all denuded, degraded and unproductive lands."
Meeting the requirements of fuel-wood, fodder, minor forest produce and small timber of the rural and tribal populations.
Increasing the productivity of forests to meet essential national needs.
Encouraging efficient utilisation of forest produce and maximising substitution of wood.
Creating a massive people's movement with the involvement of women, for achieving these objectives and to minimise pressure on existing forests.
3. ESSENTIALS OF FOREST MANAGEMENT
¤ Existing forests and forest lands should be fully protected and their productivity improved. Forest and vegetal cover should be increased rapidly on bill slopes, in catchment areas of rivers, lakes and reservoirs and ocean shores and on semi-arid and desert tracts.
¤ Diversion of good and productive agricultural lands to forestry should be discouraged in view of the need for increased food production.
¤ For the conservation of total biological diversity, the network of national parks, sanctuaries, biosphere reserves and other protected areas should be strengthened and extended adequately. Provision of sufficient fodder, fuel and pasture, specially in areas adjoining forests, is necessary in order to prevent depletion of forests beyond the sustainable limit. Since fuel-wood continues to be the predominant source of energy in rural areas, the programme of afforestation should be intensified with special emphasis on augmenting fuel-wood production to meet the requirement of the rural people.
¤ 3.4 Minor forest produce provides sustenance to tribal population and to other communities residing in and around the forests. Such produce should be protected, improved and their production enhanced with due regard to generation of employment and income.
4. STRATEGY
AREA UNDER FOREST:
The national goal should e to have a minimum of one - third of the total land area of the country under forest or tree cover. In the hills and in mountainous region, the aim should be to maintain two-third of the area under such cover in order to prevent erosion and land degradation and to ensure the stability of the fragile eco-system.
AFFORESTATION, SOCIAL FORESTRY & FARM FORESTRY:
» A massive need-based and time bound programme of afforestation and tree planting, with particular emphasis on fuel-wood and fodder development, on all degraded and decuded lands in the country, whether forest or non-forest land, is a national imperative.
» It is necessary to encourage the planting of trees alongside of roads, railway lines, rivers and streams and canals, and on other unutilised lands under state/corporate, institutional or private ownership. Green belts should be raised in urban/industrial areas as well as in arid tracts. Such a programme will help to check erosion and desertification as well as improve the microclimate.
» Village and community lands, including those on foreshores and environs of tanks, not required for other productive uses, should be taken up for the development of tree crops and fodder resources. Technical assistance and other inputs necessary for initiating such programmes should be provided by the government. The revenues generated through such programmes should belong to the panchayats where the lands are vested in them; in all other cases, such revenues should be shared with the local communities in order to provide an incentive to them. The vesting in individuals, particularly from the weaker sections (such as landless labour, small and marginal farmers, scheduled castes, tribals, women) of certain ownership right over trees, could be considered, subject to appropriate regulations; beneficiaries would be entitled to usufruct and would in turn be responsible for their security and maintenance.
» Land laws should be modified wherever necessary so as to facilitate and motivate individuals and institutions to undertake tree-farming and grow fodder plants, grasses and legumes on their own land. Wherever possible, degraded lands should be made available for this purpose either on lease or on the land should be subject to the land grant rules and land should be subject to the encourage them to do so must be taken. Appropriate regulations should govern the felling of trees on private holding.
MANAGEMENT OF STATE FORESTS
» Schemes and projects which interfere with forests that clothe steep slopes, catchments of rivers, lakes, and reservoirs, geologically unstable terrain and such other ecologically sensitive areas, should be severely restricted. Tropical rain/moist forests, particularly in areas like Arunachal Pradesh, Kerala, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, should be totally safeguarded.
» No forest should be permitted to be worked without the Government having approved the management plan, which should be in a prescribed format and in keeping with the National Forest Policy. The Central Government should issue necessary guidelines to the State Government in this regard and monitor compliance.
» In order to meet the growing needs for essential goods and services, which the forests provide, it is necessary to enhance forest cover and productivity of the forests through the application of scientific and technical inputs. Production forestry programmes, while aiming at enhancing the forest cover in the country, and meeting national needs, should also be oriented to narrowing, by the turn of the century, the increasing gap between demand and supply of fuel-wood. No such programmes, however, should entail clear felling of adequately stocked natural forests. Nor should exotic species be introduced, through public or private sources, unless long-term scientific trails undertaken by specialists that they are suitable and have no adverse impact on native vegetation and environment.
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Wildlfe Conservation
Activities in National Parks
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Tiger Distribution in India
Forest Distribution in India
