WE THE PEOPLE
With above 50% mortality rate of plants, Social Forestry has failed to enrich forests in Kashmir
Hence Experts suggest proper fencing, planting of rootsuckers and constant monitoring to improved survival rate of plants
By: Shirjeel Ahmad
Srinagar: As per the State Forest Conservation Act, 1997 forests were to be raised over degraded area equal to twice, where forest land was not available and the area diverted for non-forest purposes. The rules further provide that the agency using the forest area should deposit the compensation for compensatory afforestation with PCCF for loss of forestland, trees and other charges. But it has surfaced from the scrutiny of records that against 2,243.32 hectares of forest land diverted from April 2002 to August 2006 for non-forest purposes, only 719 hectares (32 per cent) of forest area was raised. Also, no records are reported to have been maintained at apex level to monitor the amount outstanding against various agencies on account of compensation for compensatory afforestation. In case of Batote, Doda, Jammu, Kishtwar, Kupwara, Marwah, Poonch, Ramnagar, Sopore, Udhampur divisions, an amount of Rs. 188.55 crore is outstanding against various agencies on account of compensation for a period ranging between 10 months and 20 years.
As per the directions of the Central Government, all money received from user agencies on account of compensatory afforestation, was required to be transferred to CAMPA Compensatory Afforestation Management Planning Authority, an adhoc body, Chairman of which is the Director General of Forest and Special Secretary, Ministry of Environment and Forest. However, the State Government had decided in February 2006 to utilize the amount within the State itself for afforestation through annual plans of operations. The funds received on this account were to be deposited with PCCF for implementation of schemes/projects framed for afforestation. No projects/annual plans were formulated during 1992 to June 2007 by the Department for afforestation against the availability of Rs. 79.34 crore, collected during the same period.
The scheme of rehabilitation of degraded forests envisages rehabilitating degraded forestland by plantation, construction of check dams, water harvesting structure and natural regeneration. The major items of works undertaken include fencing, plantations and other engineering works. Despite expending Rs. 18.11 crore during 2002-03 to March 2007, there was no reduction of degraded forests. Rather, the area of degraded forest increased by 43 per cent from 7 lakh from April 2002 to 10 lakh hectares to February 2007 and it constituted half of the total forest areas of the State. But it has come to our notice that the Department received, against the requirement of Rs. 2,500 crore for rehabilitation of degraded forests, only Rs. 3.36 crore annually, which was too meager to address the issue.
In order to promote natural regeneration and vegetative growth for restoration of forest cover, it is essential to check UN-restricted grazing in the forest areas. In the absence of any approved grazing policy, the natural regeneration has been only 10 per cent. A detailed check in nine divisions has revealed that against forest area of 7.84 lakh hectares, the degraded areas was only 3.08 lakh hectares that constitutes only 3 9 per cent.
It is worth mentioning that the survival rate of plants depends upon the climatic conditions of the areas, kind of plantation and its after care. But it has been detected that optimum survival rate of plants raised in nurseries/compartments was not fixed by the Department and the plantation journals have not been maintained properly. As a result, the survival rate of plants was neither monitored nor evaluated. In the absence of any fixed mortality rate of plants, the prudence of expenditure of Rs. 17.39 crore against allocation of Rs. 17.59 crore incurred during 2002-03 to 2006-07 by Social Forestry Divisions for plantation of 106.34 lakh plants could not be assessed by the checking party.
It has further been revealed that in five nurseries of Social Forestry Divisions, Anantnag, against 4.13 lakh plants raised in 2005-06, only 2.02 lakh (49 per cent) plants actually existed on physical verification. The 51 per cent mortality of plants has been attributed to dry weather spells, floods, and attack by insects and pests on plants, etc.
Hence Experts suggest proper fencing, planting of rootsuckers and constant monitoring to improved survival rate of plants. We must remember that forests play vital role in maintaining ecological balance and have direct effect on the health of water bodies.
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