FOREST DEPT LAUNCHES AWARENESS PROGRAMME FOR RAISING GREEN COVER
Considering the importance of forests in conserving the whole ecosystem, International Day of Forests is marked every year on March 21.
Gearing up for the day, the forest department and some social organisations have launched various awareness programmes to enhance the green cover in the State.
As per the statistics, the total forest cover in Uttarakhand is 24,295 square kilometres, which is about 47 per cent of the state’s total geographical area. Combined with trees and other plantations, nearly 60 per cent geographical area is said to be under green cover.
A marginal growth has been observed in the expansion in the last five years while the state has six national parks, six wild life sanctuaries and world heritage site of Nanda Devi national park and Valley of Flowers. Speaking to The Pioneer, the state’s principal chief conservator of forests Jairaj said, “To mark the International Day of Forests, we have launched various programmes to make people aware of the importance of forests. In schools, some contests shall be held to sensitise the children towards preserving our ecosystem, of which forests are an important part.”
To reduce the human-wildlife conflict, increasing depletion of trees and forest resources for human needs and encroachment by humans in forest land, zero tolerance must be adopted, said scientists from Gurukul Kangri Vishwavidyalaya.
Professor Dinesh Bhatt from the university said, “Indiscriminate felling of trees for timber and firewood has devastated vast stretches of forest land which has led to rising temperatures and imbalance in nature.
Celebrating the international day of forests, each one of us must ensure to contribute towards increasing the green cover by planting a tree.”
Steps must be taken to conserve forests like combating forest fires, imposing check on poachers and undertaking massive plantation drives. Forests serve as buffer for natural calamities like thunderstorms and floods and help mitigate the effects of global warming.
President of the Society of Conservation of Wildlife, Naveen Arora said, “To educate the people living around forest area, we have launched fortnightly awareness programmes in which we shall educate the children not to come under the influence of wildlife criminals. It is observed that many times, wildlife criminals bribe them to achieve their aim of felling rare species of trees.
Also they are being taught to use gas connections at home which have been made cheaper these days and not to use firewood. Yearly, we are targeting plantation of 30,000 plants at various locations of the district and surrounding areas of Rajaji National Park,” he averred
