Prof (Dr) R.D. Gupta
Deforestation, which means reckless and careless cutting or felling down of forest trees on a large scale, has now become one of the most serious environmental problems. It is responsible for degrading environment as forests play a vital role in the maintenance of the environment and a slight damage to the forest biomass may degrade an entire escosystem. Infact, plants are the basis of life on this planet Earth. All living organisms, including human beings cannot survive without them. Apart from this, it is an established fact that agriculture is subservient to the forest i.e; if there are massive or thick forest their use can have sustainable agriculture.
We can ensure environment services of trees and forests like protection of wildlife, agricultural lands and landscapes and the food for the future population. The forests besides serving as source of oxygen, supply of food, fuel wood and timber and other products also absorb pollutants including CO2. Forests thus, serve as natural biological filters.
Forests are an abode of wildlife and deforestation all over the country including Jammu and Kashmir has affected wild animals. The list of threatened species of animals and birds is increasing day by day. Practically, all watersheds in J&K state are deforested heavily. The Siwaliks Kandi which was once full of forest trees, has now become a vast desert. This tract had also a lot of wild animals like tigers, wolves, wild cows, owls, peacocks, quails etc; which have now totally vanished. The Siwalik Kandi is also in the grip of water famine. There is acute shortage of fodder or fuel wood, milk and milk products, fruits and vegetables. The flash floods in the streams and dry khads are playing havoc. The villagers are in distress as a result of destruction of forests. Forest experts and officials are of the view that the heavy floods of 1978 which inundated about 65,000 villages in addition to drawing about 2000 people and 40,000 cattle (Sharma, 1980), was the result of increasing deforestation in the hills of north India.
Over use, abuse and misuse of the forests particularly of alpine pastures which stand overgrazed by the livestock have become degraded badly. Similarly, the traditional important Dachigam’s pasture lands are under high grazing and consequently suffer from soil erosion. Furthermore, studies carried out by Fred Curt on Hangul for several years in the Dachigam also voiced the same concern that the presence of nomads with their herd of livestock has disastrous effect on this traditionally important grazing habitat of hangual.
The numbers of livestock that graze in these pastures are beyond their bearing capacity. Forests are not regenerating as a result of the overgrazing and it is a matter of great concern for the people and the government. It is remarkable to note that a forest without regeneration is like a nation without children. Deforestation is responsible for desertification and drought to only accelerate the pace. In the Himalayan region i.e; both in the North West Himalayas and north east Hills, tourism is a forest based industry. Our health resorts in the mountains have degraded as the deforestation proceeds to finish the remnants of the forests.
The Chir pine ecosystem is dead. The Chir forests, infact, have lost their broad leaves under storey due to biotic pressure. Forest fires in the chir zone have played havoc. The chir pine forests have also been tapped heavily for resin and the trees are drying up. There is also an encroachment of Chir zone in Poonch, Rajouri, Ramban and Udhampur districts of the state.
Deodars and blue pine forests of the state have also been very much degraded. It is because; they are not regenerating due to continuous grazing. Moreover, they have been over exploited for timber irrespective of selvicultural availability. Not only this, deodars and blue pine forests have been encroached upon heavily-both in Jammu region and Kashmir valley.
The fir ecosystem is most severely damaged as a result of overgrazing and heavily exploitation and is eroding badly. It is the first zone that contributes over 90% water in our streams. The hydrology of the state has been affected greatly for this reason. Springs and streams have been dried, and are drying rapidly. The Kashmir valley, “the paradise on this earth”, is now afflicted with heavy floods, change of weather and climate. All forests are heavily encroached. Deforestation has degraded tourist resort. In J&K tourism is a forest based industry but it is badly affected with fast deteriorating natural environment. The Patni top-Sanasar hill features are becoming tree less and tourist traffic had declined.
Forests have greatly suffered from considerable damage during the last 5-6 decades. According to some reports, nearly 20 to 30% of the forest cover has been declined due to illegal cutting of the forest trees. For instance, during November 2006, Forest Protection Force seized large quantity of fresh wood from a sawmill at Delina in Baramula District. Similar was the situation of Kupwar district. Likewise, the timber from the forests of Kandi belt of Jammu is being smuggled. About 5-6 decades back, the forests of Bahurakh as well as those of Jindra, Manwal, Majalta and Bajalta, were very thick and inhabited with wild animals, which now have totally deforested. Even the forest of Rajouri and Poonch districts as well as those of Udhampur, Reasi, Ramban and Districts are being destroyed largely. With the disappearance of these forests, the villages that make 80% of our total populations have degraded. There is an acute shortage of primary needs of village community for fuel, fodder, timber, food, water and other forest products. Agricultural economy is subservient to forests. Decline in agricultural productivity is the natural conquences of deforestation.
Soil erosion is at once because and effect of the depletion of forests. Deforestation causes soil erosion and floods, and these in turn cause further damage to forest resources. The Himalayan region including Jammu and Kashmir is most eroded and floods of the northern India is the result of deforestation of the Himalayas. Top rich fertile soil that supports vegetation has since been washed away and what is left behind is the infertile mass with coarse texture. This requires heavy manuring to obtain good produce in agriculture including that of fruits, vegetables and forest products.
Strategies for control of deforestation
* Step up agroforestry practice: As agroforestry refers to the practice of combining agriculture and forest activities so it provides food, fodder, fuel, fibre and fertilizers which are primary needs of the farmers. Thus, setting up of agroforestry practice in the villages will make villagers self sufficient in their primary needs of fuel, fodder, food as well as timber so that they do not resort to forest damage. Social forestry was meant for this self sufficiency of the rural population.
* Use of conventional energy: Use of conventional energy for cooking should be discoursed in the towns and large villages, and these segments of population should be supplied with substitution of kerosene oil or other source.
* Mass planting drive: Mass planting drive should be launched on the lines of foreign countries as we have lot of vacant waste lands for reforestation.
* Encroachment of forest land: Over 14,000 hectares of forest land has been encroached upon by the people in the J&K state (Anonymous 2010). As per the record of forest department 9,496 hectares of forest land in the Jammu region and 4877 hectares in Kashmir valley had been encroached with total forest area of 20,230 km2. This area was largely distributed in the Kashmir valley and the Jammu region. Leh and Kargil are mostly devoid of forest vegetation of the total forest area in the state, 8128 km2 is in the Kashmir valley, and 12066 km2 in Jammu, and 36 km2 in Ladakh region. Suitable measures are being taken from time to time by the Forest Department for restoration of encroached and degraded forest land.
Recently 1300 timber sleepers of deodar and kail trees have been seized in Mahore area of Reasi district as per the latest report (Annonymous, 2015). The defaulters must be punished.
By adopting aforesaid measures, the area under forests can be increased. Although according to forest policy of India 33% of the total area of every region in plains and 60% in the Himalayan region must be under forest but unfortunately the forest area in India is not more than 22%. Similarly forest area of Jammu and Kashmir is not more than 20% of the total area of the state. However, according to Satellite it is not more than 10% of total area of Jammu and Kashmir.
(The author is former Associate Dean-cum Chief Scientist KVK, SKUAST-J)
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