Released by the Dehradun-based Forest Survey of India (FSI), there was only one way this biennial report could arrive at that conclusion; they contended: By counting monoculture plantations as forests. “This inclusion is a serious threat, and it leads to the erosion of native forests rich in biodiversity and threatens water sustenance,” as Dr TV Ramachandra from the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Centre for Ecological Sciences puts it.
On the World Forest Day 2023, the report’s finding that over 33% of land in 17 States and Union Territories was covered in forests should have been reason enough to cheer. Instead, the inclusion of plantations has been dubbed as a manipulation. “Under the garb of tree cover, they are trying to fool everyone,” says Dr Ramachandra.
Spike In Forest Fires
Whatever the actual extent of the forest area, the existing green expanses are climbing up the vulnerability scale. The latest challenge is a dramatic spike in forest fires across the country due to rising summer temperatures.
Based on satellite-based remote sensing technology and GIS tools, FSI says the country had 337 large active forest fires, both natural and manmade. Nearly 150 of them were in Odisha, 44 in Mizoram, 38 in Arunachal Pradesh and 18 in Jharkhand.
Forest fires could be sparked by lightning, aided by dryness. Odisha had that coming since the State has not recorded any rain since October. But the Odisha government has a different take on the rising numbers. Stubble-burning by farmers was captured as forest fires by satellites.
The fire is spreading. In the last week of February, about 100 hectares of a forest was gutted near the Kulagi range of Kali Tiger Reserve in Karnataka’s Uttara Kannada district. It was found to be manmade, sparked by dwellers who set fire to dry grass for better cattle graze.
Over 2,000 forest fires have been recorded across Karnataka in the recent past. Foresters had a tough time controlling the blaze in several parts of the Charmadi Ghat in the Western Ghats, where a fire raged for over five days in mid-March. Many fire spots were inaccessible by foot. Locals complained that the government had not sought the help of the Army or the Indian Air Force (IAF) to douse the fire by helicopters.
Inefficient Staff. Insufficient Budget.
If the fire is not controlled within six to eight hours, as Singh notes with decades of experience, it spreads deep into the interiors and becomes uncontrollable for weeks. “Often, the ground fire takes the shape of crown fire, inflicting much damage to biodiversity, including wildlife, especially amphibians and reptiles. Large ungulates generally run away to other areas leading to increase in the conflicts in those regions,” he explains.
So, preparedness is exceptionally critical. Says Singh, “Forest Departments’ preparedness depends upon the success of fire tracing work. This implies fire watchers moving to the spot quickly, beating the fire, and giving a counter-fire depending upon the direction of the wind.”
Statistical Jugglery
Huge gaps in infrastructure, personnel and systemic upgrade show that the threat of forest fires is not subsiding anytime soon. So, is it statistical jugglery to show an artificial growth in forest cover and thus prove India’s climate action on the forestry front?
Forest loss invariably leads to a loss in sequestering carbon. Plantations cannot compensate for it. “Native forests sequester carbon much more than plantations. They should stop this bogus way of accounting. They should know that the forest ecosystems are far superior. Plantations make only the planter rich,” he points out.
Landslides And Mudslides
Categorising plantations as forests has another disastrous impact. In regions where native forests have made way for plantations, landslides and mudslides have seen a dangerous spike in both frequency and ferocity. In recent years, the landslides in Wayanad in Kerala and Kodagu in Karnataka devastated lives and livelihoods.
This is significant for a reason. Ananth explains, “Both the Centre and the State should now urgently prepare an action plan to develop and conserve this 3.3 lakh hectares since it is currently with the revenue department. It is urgent because we have been losing vast patches of thick, evergreen forests under the departments’ jurisdiction in the Western Ghats.”
Growing Encroachments
The forest department claims the forests that come under the control of the State revenue department that are called “revenue forests” are not its responsibility. “But the revenue department’s main role is not forest conservation. Many studies have been conducted, but what is the use? At the ground level, encroachments are going on, and the government continues to grant land for different projects liberally,” he laments.
Rasheed Kappan is a senior journalist based in Bengaluru with nearly three decades of experience. In the past, he has worked in the Deccan Herald, The Hindu and The Times of India, covering issues related to urban mobility, sustainibility, environment and the interface between policy, planning and activation on the ground. A graphic cartoonist, he is the founder of Kappansky and explores the linkages of art, media and innovation through multiple creative platforms.