Managing forests

M J Sharma
The State Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed’s   statement regarding manging the forests on participatory mode is landable  especially  when there is tremendous pressure on our forests resources i.e. land, vegetation, minerals, wildlife, water regime, soil loss and gene pool, etc due to burgeoning population of humans and cattle and  rapid increase  in  infrastructural activities like roads, building hydro-electrical projects, encroachments, illicit felling, over exploitation above all ineffective and inadequate management. The boom in the field of machinery has opened a Pandora’s box of encroachments due to easy and speedy excavation of soil and leveling of undulating areas over night. All these parameters will go on multiplying because of the exponential growth of population in the state.  Chief Minister’s version i.e. he wants people’s active and voluntary participation, protection and management of forest wealth so that they realize its significance and become its guardians  reminds me  of late eighties when the very first village forest committee of seven villages was constituted with kind co-operation of  the local  M.L.A of that time at Chinota (Akhnoor tehsil-1987) in the state and there after many such committees came into  existence  all over the state. Government also issued various SROs to streamline the participation of public and sharing of intermittent benefits.
Due the best effects of the Governments i.e. both state and central, as well as hard work of the staff and above all active co-cooperation of the public from planning to implementation of afforestation activities and their  maintenance etc, started paying dividends in shape of better success in plantations, conflicts resolutions, availability of fodder, firewood and creation of village fund through the sale of grass. Khar-kanna and timber/bamboos. The success of the program lured, encouraged the enthused the locals for rehabilitation of their degraded wastelands. This programme brought accolades and laurels to the state as well as to committees and staff in the shape of appreciations awards e.g. Chinota found a place in first and last cover page of annual report of M.O.E.F of the year 1992-1993 and was followed by the very first Priadarashani Varikisha Mitra Award for the state of the year 1993-94 by over smarting 1100 entries in the country. It was really a big boost to the participatory management of forest as a concept to conserve states depleting forest wealth and create avenues of employment through Eco-tourism and growing of highly-remunerative medicines plants. Hence, Chief Minister’s gesture and wisdom needs to be followed sincerely and squarely as this can work as panacea in dealing with much touted problem of rehabilitation of degraded and dying forests-a need of the hour. It will not be out of place to mention that the rapidly and incessantly decreasing of forest cover in the country and in the world is a matter of great concern i.e. why so many seminars/summits have been organized  and followed by of large no of treaties/ declaration/ laws and setting of goals and slogans-but for every body’s surprise all are in vain. No doubt there are population constraint, etc but there is still a scope i.e. involvement of people to save and grow forest vis-a-vis tackling the global warming and the humanity from annihilation (a Damocle’s sword looming on our heads).
The programme has been derailed presently due to the antipathy, skullduggery and lackadaisical approach of Govt. and its functionary needs to be  revamped. And truly there can be no  opportunity than this, when a man like Mr. Mufti,’s stature   has floated this noble concept. Not only that, he has also exhorted  the forest officers to change their mindset which is really required in case peoples are to be involved in managing the forest. To make the programme successfull  there is need of educating  and creating  awareness among the people and to gain their confidence by providing the benefits from earlier plantation on community lands and formulate clear cut policy for the sharing of benefits. Besides  there is urgent need of creating a congenial atmosphere for the people who have to be associated by way of providing a transparent policy of removal of trees from the private land as people are antagonized with prevailing system, since it is a  concept not a programme so need to be delt differently.
To conclude, it is rightly said that it is in the mind of  man that waves begin and then turn into a cyclone and hence it  is in the mind of men that concept of participation is to be inculcated to make this concept big a success.
(The author is former IFS Officer)

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