Degraded soils do not hold healthy forests. The scientists and foresters need to explore the causes of forest degeneration, said Uttarakhand Governor Dr KK Paul. He was speaking at the conclusion of the international symposium on transforming mountain forestry organised at the Forest Research Institute by the institute in collaboration with International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development.
Speaking on the occasion, the Governor said that traditional practices like sacred forests in tribal areas could offer cultural methods of sustaining forests. He also stressed on the need to conduct research on finding hydrocarbon species that can address the fossil fuel crises. By drawing patents on the new discoveries of products from forests, the scientists can make the best use of harnessed knowledge to generate wealth, he said, while adding that the recommendations drawn by the symposium should influence policy.
Addressing the media later, the Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE) director general Dr Ashwani Kumar said that participants in the symposium had agreed on the need for the eight Himalayan countries to have regular and proactive interaction along with close cooperation among ICIMOD member countries to ensure efforts in an integrated and holistic manner. Pointing out that the Himalayas are the third largest source of fresh water in the world with a ice cover of about 60,000 square kilometers, he stressed on the need for regular meets and sharing of success stories among member countries along with focus on ensuring sustainability of natural resources in the Himalayas.
Speaking about recommendations emerging from the symposium, Dr Rajan Kotru, regional programme manager, Transboundary landscapes at ICIMOD, said that participants had recommended need for establishing strong and inclusive institutions for forest governance. “Along with focus on good forest governance, there is also need to promote mixed forests for resolving various problems including habitat fragmentation and human-wildlife conflict. Along with encouraging incentive based mechanisms as adopted in India, Nepal and Bhutan, we also need to ensure that people get to see the economic benefits of good forestry practices. There is also need for bridging the communication gap between the policy makers and the community,” he said.
The FRI director Dr PP Bhojvaid said that various important issues were deliberated upon in 43 sessions of the five-day long symposium. He said that he had also requested that a regular publication be brought out containing not only scientific material but also news and case studies by NGOs. About 200 regional and global experts, including cross sector policy makers, scientists, practitioners, donors, market actors, legal experts, forestry professionals and representatives from the business and civil society had attended the symposium.