Importance of Forest Restoration
The exploitation of forest resources due to uncontrolled and unsustainable practices has degraded forest landscapes.
As one of the proven methods to support and sustain biodiversity, tree planting is an undisputed, most appealing and popular approach, and with spectacular potential, to address climate-related crises and other environmental challenges.
This includes biological carbon sequestration as a mechanism to store and remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere
This is one reason to consider a mass-scale drive of tree planting as a silver bullet to tackle the challenges of climate change globally, by governmental and non-governmental organisations including individuals.
Keeping this indispensable role of trees in maintaining the ecological balance, the then Indian Agriculture Minister, K.M. Munshi, launched the Van Mahotsava (‘festival of trees’) programme in July 1950
Since then, India has been religiously celebrating this programme of tree planting, annually, in the first week of July.
To some extent, these efforts have been successful not only in motivating people but also in bringing tangible results that include improving the forest area.
Issue with tree planting schemes
In recent years there has been a spurt in tree planting in the name of special drives by various agencies, including governments, which is a welcome sign for environmental conservation
But they have been criticised for
limited community participation,
a lack of adequate post-planting measures and
for promoting monoculture, thereby proving less effective for carbon sequestration and biodiversity development
The neglect of ecology and locality with little involvement of people in various tree planting programmes has been a major concern of environmentalists and scientists in recent years.
In a study led by Joseph Veldman it was found that except for deforested areas, tree planting in certain locations such as grasslands and animal habitat destroys plant and animal habitats and can damage ecosystems, increase wildfire intensity and exacerbate global warming.
India’s remarkable policy changes, in recent times, to tackle the challenges of forestry and restoration approaches are also being affected by these inherent problems.
In the background of the criticism of mass planting drives, we need to introspect these strategies, giving much required space to adequate finances, active community participation and technical considerations.
These have not been given priority.
Along with public awareness campaigns, social media, and incentivised community participation, such reoriented innervations and strategies can help to bring changes in the ecological systems of our forests, and with increasing numbers, also help to create resilient forests that have diverse capacities and capabilities.
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