Forest
Conservation
Introduction to Forest
Conservation
Forests may provide a diversity of ecosystem services including recycling carbon
dioxide into oxygen, acting as a carbon sink, aiding in regulating climate, purify
water, mitigating natural hazards such as floods, and serving as a genetic reserve.
Forests also serve as a source of lumber and as recreational areas.
Under the growing pressure of population in the developing countries and over
industrialization, urbanization and consumerism in the developed countries, there
is large scale deforestation in the tropical and sub-tropical countries of the world.
Deforestation
Deforestation
Factors Responsible for Deforestation:
(i) Rapid growth of population in the developing countries.
(ii) Extension of agricultural and grazing lands.
(iii) Rising demand for lumber, timber, paper, pulp, fuel-wood and charcoal, and other forest products.
(iv) Industrialization, urbanization and consumerism in the developed and developing countries.
(v) Demand of raw material for the forest-based and agro-based industries.
(vi) Demand of land for infrastructural (roads, highways, railways, airways, irrigation, electricity and telecommunication
services) facilities and civic amenities.
(vii) Construction of multi-purpose dams all over the world.
(viii) Practice of shifting cultivation in the humid-tropical regions of the world.
(ix) Change in food habits
(x) High rate of poverty in the third world countries. It is said that poverty directly or indirectly leads to deforestation.
(xi) Forest fires (natural and manmade)
(xii) Acid rains
(xiii) Delayed administrative decision, and less effective implementation of forest laws, especially in the developing
countries.
Consequences of Deforestation
Consequences of Deforestation
(i) Soil erosion,
(ii) Floods,
(iii) Desertification,
(iv) Loss of biodiversity,
(v) Decrease in forest products like fruits, nuts, medicinal plants, wood and timber,
(vi) Drying up of springs in the mountains,
(vii) Alteration in the rate of albedo
(viii) Spread of certain diseases because of global warming
(ix) Aesthetic loss
(x) Climatic change.
Forest Conservation Movements
in India
Forest Conservation Movements in India
Chipko Movement:
a. The Chipko movement or Chipko Andolan was primarily a forest conservation movement
in India that began in 1973 and went on to become a rallying point for many future
environmental contrast and movements all over the world; it created a precedent for non-
violent protest started in India.
b. The movement occurred at a time when there was hardly any environmental movement
in the developing world, and its success meant that the world immediately took notice of
this non-violent movement, which was to inspire in time many such eco-groups by helping
to slow down the rapid deforestation, expose vested interests, increase ecological
awareness, and demonstrate the viability of people power.
Forest Conservation Movements
in India
Appiko Movement:
a. It was a revolutionary movement based on environmental conservation in India.
b. The Chipko movement (Hug the Trees Movement) in Uttarakhand in the
Himalayas inspired the villagers of the Uttara Kannada district of Karnataka State
in southern India to launch a similar movement to save their forests.
c. Lead by Panduranga Hegde, on September 1983, men, women and children of
Salkani “hugged the trees” in Kalase forest. (The local term for “hugging” in
Kannada is appiko.) Appiko movement gave birth to a new awareness all over
southern India.
Forest Conservation Movements
in India
Appiko Movement:
a. It was a revolutionary movement based on environmental conservation in India.
b. The Chipko movement (Hug the Trees Movement) in Uttarakhand in the
Himalayas inspired the villagers of the Uttara Kannada district of Karnataka State
in southern India to launch a similar movement to save their forests.
c. Lead by Panduranga Hegde, on September 1983, men, women and children of
Salkani “hugged the trees” in Kalase forest. (The local term for “hugging” in
Kannada is appiko.) Appiko movement gave birth to a new awareness all over
southern India.
Methods of Forest Conservation
i. Regulated and Planned Cutting of Trees:
One of the main reasons of deforestation is commercial felling of trees. Although trees are considered
as perennial resource, when exploited on a very large scale, their revival cannot be possible.
Adopting methods to regulate cutting:
(i) Clear cutting,
(ii) Selective cutting,
(iii) Shelter woodcutting.
The clear cutting method is useful for those areas where the same types of trees are available over a
large area. In such case, trees of same age group are cut down in a selected area and then marked for
replantation. But in selective cutting only mature trees are selected for cutting. This process is to be
followed in rotation.
Shelter woodcutting is where first of all useless trees are cut down followed by medium and best
quality timber trees.
In regulated cutting only one-tenth of the forest area is selected for use and rotational system is
always followed for their protection. This technique is called the ‘sustained yield’ method.
Methods of Forest Conservation
ii. Control over Forest Fire:
Destruction or loss of forest by fire is fairly common; because trees are
highly exposed to fire and once started it becomes difficult to control.
Sometimes, the fire starts by natural process, i.e., by lightning or by
friction between trees during speedy winds, while in most cases it is
also by man either intentionally or unintentionally. In order to save
forests from fire, it is necessary to adopt latest techniques of
firefighting and trained staff.
Some of the fire suppression techniques are to develop three metre
wide fire lanes around the periphery of the fire, back fires, arrangement
of water spray, fire retardant chemicals should be sprayed from back
tank and if possible by helicopters.
Methods of Forest Conservation
iii. Reforestation and Afforestation:
The sustained yield concept dictates that whenever timber is removed, either by block cutting or
by selective cutting, the denuded area must be reforested. Similarly, any forested land, which has
been destroyed by fire or mining activities, should be reforested. In rugged terrain aerial seeding
is the method of choice.
Besides all this, fresh afforestation programmes should be started. This would increase the forest
cover as well help in making up the eco-balance. Selection of trees should be done according to
local geographical conditions
iv. Forest Clearance for Agricultural & Habitation Purposes:
For the development of villages, towns and cities, forestlands have been cleared and this process
continues to this day causing loss of forest cover. This should be checked and green belts around
cities be developed.
Most of the present-day agricultural land was once forested and then cleared for the use of
agriculture; it has reached a stage where further clearance will be dangerous for the entire
ecosystem.
According to an estimate, about 40 million sq. km of land is used for shifting cultivation by 200
million tribals of the world.
Methods of Forest Conservation
v. Protection of Forests:
Apart from commercial cutting, unorganized grazing is also one of the
reasons. There are several forest diseases resulting from parasitic fungi, rusts,
mistletoes, viruses and nematodes, which cause the destruction of trees.
The forests should be protected either by use of chemical spray, antibiotics or
by development of disease resistant strains of trees.
vi. Proper Utilization of Forest and Forests Products:
Generally, trees are cut for logs and the rest, including stump, limbs, branches
and foliage, etc., is left out as worthless debris. Further waste occurs at the
sawmills. Therefore there is a need to utilize this waste material.
Similarly, forests can be used or developed as tourist centres. The concepts of
‘national park’ and ‘game sanctuary’ have now become popular. This is a
good method of forest conservation.
Methods of Forest Conservation
vii. Role of Government and Forest Management:
Implementation of the policies in an effective manner is the need of the hour.
(i) Pass acts for the conservation of forests,
(ii) Survey of the forest resources,
(iii) Categorization of forest areas and proper delimitation of reserved forest areas,
(iv) Find out the areas where reforestation can be done,
(v) Regulate the commercial use of forest products,
(vi) Protect forest from fire, mining and other natural calamities,
(vii) Develop national parks,
(viii) Encourage forests developmental activities like social forestry, agro-forestry, etc., and
(ix) Prepare master plans, both for long-term and short-term period, etc.
(x) Administrative setting for forest management,
(xi) Training programmes for persons engaged in forest conservation activities,
(xii) Development of new techniques for the conservation of forests,
(xiii) Research for efficient use and conservation of forest, and
In brief, conservation of forest resources can be done by cooperative efforts of the government, non-government
organizations and the public through a proper management system
Thank You
