A shift from plantation-focused efforts to natural regeneration offers a promising solution to fight menace of forest degradation and reversing climate change
As a ‘nature-based solution’, shifting our approach from plantations to focus on natural regeneration is the way out to overcome forest degradation. A multi-prong strategy is required for more emphasis on reducing the drivers of degradation and restoring degraded forest lands by strengthening participatory forest management. Strengthening age-old practices of joint forest management (JFM), covering activities like - assisted natural regeneration (ANR), enrichment plantation, contour trenching, native tree seed dissemination, soil, and improved water conservation practices with people’s participation against millions of hectares of new plantation every year will enable us to bear a sustainable result.Forest Department make their huge plantation targets for planting within the forest areas, whereas, civil society organisation and industries do their plantation outside the forest areas.
Rarely do we seek suggestions from common people of the area, as to which plants they like (choice of species) for selection of species during plantation.
Mostly it is based on the availability of saplings in local nurseries. Hence, we achieve only about 55-60 % of success (rate of survival) from these plantation drives. Also, generally, we do not give proper care and attention after planting in such large areas.Natural regeneration should be our ‘mantra’ for restoring natural resilience and diversity in forest vegetation by supporting forest bio-diversity. Supporting natural regeneration is much more economical, than raising new plantations and the best strategy for restoration and rehabilitation to control forest degradation.
There is an urgent need for expanding research on specific conservation and restoration techniques and more funds are to be allotted to support natural regeneration in every state.Forests are our natural capital, providing a plethora of ecosystem services.
Deforestation and degradation of forest and tree resources are accelerating in many parts of our country, due to our developmental target, other anthropogenic reasons, and natural disasters. Climate change is further exacerbating these challenges, and affecting natural resources, livelihood of people and public health. It is the poorest section of the society which is worst hit due to forest degradation.
The recent incidents of heatwaves across North India or the ravaging floods in Kerala, Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh are witness to the devastation caused by disturbing the ecosystem. The forest ecosystem is the master control for our mountain, river, grassland and agricultural landscapes. Indian forests play a critical role in carbon sequestration, fixing atmospheric C02 through foliage cover and acting as carbon sinks. Indian forests have 7,204 million tonnes of total carbon stock, to achieve the carbon sequestration target under the Paris Climate Convention. We need to generate an additional 2.5 to 3 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalents by 2030, which helps mitigate climate change.India is the world's 10th highest forest-covered country. As per FSI, the current forest cover of India is 7,13,789 square kilometres, which is 21.71% (forest cover) and 2.91 % tree cover outside the forest area. Together 24.62 % of the country's geographical area, and out of the total forest area 23.75% is the share of North Eastern states.
The per capita forest cover is less than 0.29 ha which is much lower than the global average 0.52 ha per person. Forests help regulate the local and regional climate by influencing temperature, humidity, and precipitation patterns.
The urban forest and vegetation play a role in reducing the urban heat island effect in cities.Forestry contributes significantly to India's bio-economy, providing timber, non-timber forest products (NTFPs), and employment to millions of people, particularly in rural areas. The sector supports livelihoods through activities like agroforestry, forest-based industries, and ecotourism, and sustains milk production by supplying free fodder for millions of cattle.
About 250 million people directly depend on forest resources for livelihood and income generation, more than 100 million people live in and around forests, and 2 million jobs are created annually because of forest dependency. Forestry is recognised as a sector that plays a positive role in poverty alleviation, eg. PVTGs (particularly vulnerable Tribal Groups) are majorly dependent on forests for their traditional livelihood.Forests act as a ‘natural pharmacy’, a rich source of herbal plants that support healthcare for a large section of rural areas.
Further, it is crucial for traditional medicine systems like Ayurveda. Natural forests supply more than 60% of plant-based raw materials for about 8000 herbal pharmaceutical companies across the country.Currently, there is a very low capacity for natural forest regeneration, with only 8-10 % good regeneration, 18-25% fair regeneration, and 42 % poor regeneration. 33% forest does not have any tree regeneration at all, which needs urgent attention from MoEF & CC.The average biological productivity of Indian forests has fallen below the global average.
This is majorly due to severe biotic pressure in the form of overgrazing, firewood and fodder collection and illicit felling, forest fire, invasion of weeds, climate vulnerability and pressure on land diversion for development purposes. Most NTFP-yielding species of natural forest of the whole central Indian landscape (Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and part of Maharashtra) are very low due to over-harvesting, premature harvesting and unhealthy practices of fruits, bark, gum and resin harvesting, as unsustainable harvesting practices.
The National Forest Policy 1988 envisages that 33% of the geographical area should be under forest and tree cover, and we are far from achieving the target. Most natural forests have a limited number of plus trees which are potential seed-producing trees. The quality of the country’s forest in terms of average productivity, per capita availability, growing stock, and forest composition and diversity has declined in the past three decades.
To restore ecosystem resilience and increase the forest cover in the country, afforestation and tree plantation activities have been given high priority but the implementation result is far below the target, to achieve an additional 5 million ha of forest and non-forest land plantation in the Green India Mission (GIM).
Every year during rainy season all 28 states and 8 union territories of India make a reasonable effort towards afforestation activities under various programs and schemes of line departments such as the National Compensatory Afforestation Fund (CAMPA), Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, National Bamboo Mission, Sub-Mission on Agroforestry, National Afforestation Programme (NAP), Green India Mission, etc. aim to increase forest cover, restore degraded lands, and promote sustainable forest management and take actionable steps towards responding to climate change.
Furthermore, investments in climate adaptations by implementing nature-based solutions will reduce the frequency and occurrence of natural disasters and stabilize the ecosystem services that are provided by forests.
There is an urgent need to strengthen forest land and resource rights for women and marginalised groups. Lastly, need to strengthen training, skills development resource management and transparent environmental monitoring in forest areas for the regeneration of forestry.
(The writer is professor of Ecology & Natural Resources Management, University School of Environment Management, GGSIPU; views are personal)
