In forest restoration, the involvement of local communities and adequate funding and incentives are essential.
Covering approximately 30% of Earth’s land surface, forests around the world provide a wide variety of ecosystems and support countless and diverse species. They stabilize the climate, sequester carbon and regulate the water system. The State of the World’s Forest Report 2020 states that since 1990, about 420 million hectares of forest have been destroyed due to deforestation, conversion and land degradation. Globally, about 178 million hectares have been reduced due to deforestation (1990–2020). India lost 4.69 MHA of its forests to various land uses between 1951 and 1995.
Despite various international conventions and national policies to improve green cover, global forest cover has declined. This is the major reason for the rapid popularity of forest restoration activities including tree planting and the declaration of 2021-2030 as the United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration to improve environmental conditions and enhance human communities.
Restoration in layman’s terms is bringing the landscape back to its original state degraded or deforested by various interventions so that they can provide all the benefits. Creation and maintenance activities help to improve ecological functions, productivity and create resilient forests with diverse capabilities. India’s diverse edaphic, climatic and topographical conditions are spread over 10 biogeographical regions and four biodiversity hotspots, which shelter 8% of the world’s known flora and fauna.
However, the reliance on forests by about 18% of the global human population has put immense pressure on ecosystems; In India, this has resulted in the loss of 41% of its forests. To counter this, India joined the Bonn Challenge with a pledge to restore 21 MHA of degraded and deforested land, which was later revised to restore 26 MHA by 2030. Presented by India by bringing the country’s progress report for the first time under the Bonn Challenge. There is a feat under restoration of 9.8 million hectares since 2011. However, there is a need to deal effectively with continued degradation and deforestation to achieve the remaining goal of restoration by addressing various challenges.
key challenges
Local ecology with a research base: Forest restoration and plantation are key strategies to fight global warming through carbon sequestration. However, planting without considering the local ecology can cause more damage. Similarly, planting forests in the wrong places, such as savanna grasslands, can be disastrous for local biodiversity. Fortunately, recent research has shown that naturally regenerated forests have more secure carbon storage. Being less technology-sensitive, cost-effective and conserving more biodiversity, natural forest restoration is becoming more widely accepted. However, it is fundamental to consider the local ecology before implementing any restoration efforts to maintain their biodiversity and ecosystem functions.
Restoration, being a scientific activity, requires research support for its success. Whether one goes for active restoration that includes planting or passive restoration with a greater focus on preventing environmental stresses or adopting an intermediate approach of assisted natural regeneration, it requires critical examination before a restoration intervention can be put into practice. it occurs.
status in india
About 5.03% of Indian Forest Conservation Areas (PAs) are under management, requiring specific restoration strategies. The remaining areas see a range of disturbances, including grazing, encroachment, fire, and climate change impacts that require region-specific considerations. In addition, most of the research done so far on restoration is not fully compatible with the diverse ecological habitats of India, so local factors need to be considered. Therefore, the relevance of local research, duly considering ecological aspects, local disturbances and forest-dependent communities, is critical to formulate guidelines for locally appropriate interventions and meet India’s global commitment.
Although India’s growing economic growth is helping to eliminate poverty, there is a continuing decline and increasing depletion of natural resources. India first highlighted the complex link between poverty and environmental degradation at the United Nations’ first global conference on the human environment in Stockholm. Of its 21.9% population living below the poverty line, about 27.5 million people, including local tribals, depend on the forest for subsistence.
fundamental to strategy
In addition, encroachment of about 1.48 MHA of forest and grazing in about 75% of the forest area is also linked to the livelihood of the local communities. This dependence on deforestation, coupled with various socio-political and economic factors, complicates the issue manifold. Solving this complex puzzle requires the participation of local communities for incentives and rewards.
Notable initiatives have been taken to involve local people in the conservation and development of forests by constituting Joint Forest Management Committees (JFMCs). More than 1,18,213 JFMCs manage more than 25 MHA of forest area covering about 20 million people.
However, enhancing their participation requires a review of their functionality and performance to make them more dynamic and effective.
Therefore, dialogue with a wide range of stakeholders, including these committees, to resolve conflicts and meet restoration objectives to reach a suitable trade-off is a necessary and a challenging feat.
Adequate funding is one of the major concerns for the success of any intervention, including restoration. A proactive approach to restoration that includes tree planting and the participation of communities seeks incentives and rewards and makes the whole affair quite cost-intensive. The contribution of corporates in the recovery efforts so far has been limited to 2% of the total achievement. Therefore, alternative modes of financing such as involving corporates and linking restoration activities with the ongoing land-based programs of various departments can help make it easier to operate.
In addition to these specific challenges, the general barriers to restoration globally identified also require critical review before the necessary methodologies and sector-specific strategies can be put in place. The involvement of multiple stakeholders in forest restoration certainly leads to conflicts of interest among various stakeholders; With low priority and insufficient funding, it becomes even more challenging.
Active participation of stakeholders including NGOs, enabling policy interventions and finance along with stakeholder awareness and capacity building can go a long way in achieving the remaining 16 MHA restoration objectives for India. The need of the hour is an inclusive approach that addresses these concerns with the necessary means.
Mohan Chandra Pargayan is a senior IFS officer based in Hyderabad, Telangana. Views expressed are personal
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