Relevance: GS-3: Conservation, Environmental Pollution and Degradation, Environmental Impact Assessment.

Key Phrases: Van Mahotsav, International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), deforestation, Afforestation, Reforestation, Forest landscape restoration, Carbon sink, Regulating Ecosystem, Bonn Challenge, UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration.

Context:

• According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), deforestation and forest degradation contribute around 12% of global greenhouse gas emissions.
• The total area occupied by primary forests in India has decreased by 3.6%.

Forest Landscape Restoration (FLR):

• Governments usually have relied on afforestation and reforestation as a means of establishing trees on non-treed land.
• The focus is now on Forest Landscape Restoration (FLR) i.e.
  • the process of regaining ecological functionality and improving human welfare across deforested or degraded forest landscapes.
• FLR keeps in mind multiple land use and need of the people in the short and long terms.
• FLR seeks to involve communities in the process of designing and executing mutually advantageous interventions for the upgradation of landscapes.
• Nearly two billion hectares of degraded land in the world (and 140 million hectares in India) have scope for potential restoration as forest land.
• A crucial aspect of this process is to ensure the diversity of the species while planting trees. Natural forests with diverse native tree species are more efficient in sequestering carbon than monoculture tree plantations.
  • Planting diverse species is also healthier for local communities and their livelihoods.
  • An international study found that diversifying species in forest plantations have a positive impact on the quality of the forests.

Environmental and ecological benefits of planting trees:

• Regulating Ecosystem:
  • Forests are integral in regulating ecosystems, influencing the carbon cycle and mitigating the effects of climate change.
• Carbon sink:
  • Annually, forests absorb roughly 2.6 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide. This absorption includes nearly 33% of the carbon dioxide released from burning fossil fuels.
• Livelihood:
  • Millions of lives and livelihoods are intertwined with the forests.
  • Forests are a boon for local communities and their livelihoods by functioning as a resource base for goods and services.
• Boost Rural economy:
  • According to academics from the World Resources Institute, forest ecosystems
    • enrich soil fertility and water availability,
    • enhancing agricultural productivity, and
    • in turn the rural economy.
  • Tree planting prevents erosion and stems flooding.
  • Sustainable forest crops reduce food insecurity and empower women, allowing them to gain access to more nutritional diets and new income streams.
• Reduce migration:
  • Agro-forestry lessens rural-to-urban migration and contributes to an increase in resources and household income.
• Holistic wellbeing:
  • Planting trees is deeply linked to the ‘wholistic’ well-being of all individuals, the community, and the planet.

Forest landscape restoration in India:

• The span 2021-2030 is the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, emphasising efforts to restore degraded terrestrial ecosystems including forests.

• India joined the Bonn Challenge in 2015, pledging to restore 26 million hectares of degraded and deforested land by 2030.
• An additional carbon sink of 2.5 billion-3 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent through forest and tree cover is to be created by 2030.
• In India there are many government programmes focusing on plantation of tree. This includes:
  • Compensatory Afforestation,
  • the National Afforestation Programme,
  • the National Mission for a Green India (Green India Mission),
  • the Nagar Van scheme and
  • the Forest Fire Prevention and Management Scheme etc.
• There is a spotlight on youth via the Green Skill Development Programme for youth who aspire to attain employment in the environment and forest sectors.
• State governments are also promoting the tree plantation programmes. For instance Telangana has initiated a large-scale tree planting programme called ‘Telanganaku Haritha Haram’.
• Forest restoration in India faces hurdles in terms of:
  • The identification of areas for restoration,
  • A lack of importance accorded to research and scientific strategies in tree planting, stakeholders’ conflicts of interest, and
  • Financing.

What is the right way to undertake tree plantation drives?

• To be successful, forest landscape restoration must be implemented proactively, bolstering landscapes and forest ecosystems to be durable and adjustable in the face of future challenges and societal needs.
• It also needs the involvement and the alignment of a host of stakeholders including the communities, champions, governments and landowners.
• The restoration of natural forest ecosystems can be strengthened through participatory governance by engaging stakeholders.
• Vulnerable forest-dependent communities should be factored in, and any effort should be tailored to the local socio-economic context and landscape history of a region.

Conclusion:

• There is an urgent need to secure the future of communities and their well-being while maximising the rewards of tree plantation.
• India should pledge to truly celebrate the forests by doing tree plantation drives in the right way. That is the kind of Van Mahotsav Indian forests need.

Source: The Hindu

Mains Question:

Q. How far can ‘forest landscape restoration’ become a tool to regain ecological functionality and improve human welfare in India? Discuss.