As there is correlation between water and forest, both are critical to meet the growing demand of the rapidly urbanising economy. At the same time, forests support tremendous biodiversity, which needs water, for its survival and sustenance, said Union Minister for Water Resources Harish Rawat at the inauguration of a three-day international workshop on ‘Water and Forests-Beyond Traditional Forest Hydrology’ at the Forest Research Institute on Monday.
“There will be no exaggeration in saying that majority of the world’s available water is driven by the hydrological cycle in which forests play an important role,” he said.
The speech of Asia Pacific Association of Forest Research Institutions (APAFRI) chairman Al Mohammad was read the association secretary SH Chok who cautioned that availability and quality of forest water in many regions of the world is increasingly
endangered by overuse, misuse, pollution and massive environmental changes such as global climate change.
Reading the speech of Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education director general KJ Sekar, DDG (Research) GS Goraya said that ancient Hindu scripture are replete with calls to conserve water and water sources. It is here that the forests come to play a very important role.
Well preserved forests not only form catchment of river systems, but also regulate the water flows and help in maintaining high water quality. Traditional communities seem to have great appreciation for this fact and it is not uncommon to find patches of forests conserved by the local communities with the sole objective of harvesting clean water.
In the latter part of the day, country reports from Bangladesh, China, India, Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, Nepal, Phillipines, Thailand and Vietnam were read out. Ealier, the FRI director PP Bhojvaid welcomed the gathering and stressed on the importance of water in the ecosystem. Representatives from 16 nations are participating in this workshop.