"Everybody
talks about the weather, but nobody does anything about it."
-- Mark Twain
Multipronged pressures on forest come from gross population, cattle grazing, fuel & fodder collection, industry and forest fires, etc. The remaining good forest cover is, therefore, estimated to be just 11% against the desirable 33% of the total land area as per the National Forest Policy. Upto the late seventies, forestland was a prime target for diversion for resettlement, agriculture and industrialization, and this trend was contained only by the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980.
A two pronged strategy to increase forest cover essentially comprises of
- Improve canopy cover in the forest land; and
- Undertake afforestation in non-forest and degraded lands preferably contiguous to forest blocks.
Realizing the role of forests in controlling soil erosion, moderation of floods, recharging of ground aquifers, as habitat for wildlife, conservation of bio-diversity and gene pool, etc., programs were launched as early as the Second Five Year Plan for extensive Watershed Management followed later by establishment of a Protected Areas Network, under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, comprising of Biosphere Reserves, National Parks and Sanctuaries -both terrestrial and aquatic. This Network today comprises of 10 Biosphere Reserves, 89 National Parks, 504 Sanctuaries, along with such dedicated conservation programs as Project Tiger, Crocodile Rehabilitation and project Elephant. The Central Zoo Authority caters to the ex-situ conservation of wildlife through 275 zoos, deer parks, safari parks and aquarium, etc.
India is also a signatory to several International Conventions like CITES International Whaling Convention (IWC); Convention on Migratory Species (CMS), World Heritage Convention (WHC), etc. India has recently taken the lead in the formation of the Global Tiger Forum.
Write to :
PRATIDAN,
A-801, La-place, Shahnazaf Road,
Lucknow-226001 (INDIA)
Phone: 00-91-522-217875
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