Don’t plant for numbers, create an ecosystem: Experts

  • | Sunday | 31st March, 2019

“The focus of compensatory afforestation should be to carry out habitat creation, not merely plantation drives for numbers. Most of the time, they argue, plantation takes place in an area far from where the trees have been felled. “The reason why Delhi-NCR has recently witnessed several protests to safeguard tree cover is lack of transparency while carrying out compensatory afforestation. And besides, ensuring the survival of saplings planted during afforestation drives remains a major challenge.Further, many believe compensatory afforestation — plantation at one location to compensate for loss of green cover in another — has too many flaws. “While I feel that the policy of compensatory afforestation is well-defined, there is a need to device a mechanism to give more land to the forest departments.

Whether it is for a metro project, or to construct flyovers and underpasses, thousands of trees here have been deemed surplus. But while these trees were being sacrificed at the altar of development, citizen-led protests to save existing green cover have been gaining momentum.While authorities claim that compensatory afforestation will help offset damage to environment, residents and environmentalists have called such claims hollow. Most of the time, they argue, plantation takes place in an area far from where the trees have been felled. And besides, ensuring the survival of saplings planted during afforestation drives remains a major challenge.Further, many believe compensatory afforestation — plantation at one location to compensate for loss of green cover in another — has too many flaws. “The concept of compensatory afforestation is we forests at one place and then reconstruct it somewhere else but it takes millions of years to create ecosystems,” says C R Babu, professor emeritus at Centre for Environment Management of Degraded Ecosystems, Delhi University . “We can restore a degraded ecosystem, but creating it is extremely difficult and takes time,” he adds.Ecologist Vijay Dhasmana says emphasis should be on cultivating habitats. “The focus of compensatory afforestation should be to carry out habitat creation, not merely plantation drives for numbers. It is not understood that green spaces are home to several birds, animals and insects — they are seen merely as a bunch of trees,” he says.“Also, while we have specific guidelines for road engineering and construction of flyovers/underpasses, there are no specifications or guidelines to carry out plantation drives,” he adds.Some feel that while policy has been well-drafted and is self-sufficient, implementation is lacking. “One of the major issues is that permission under the Forest Conservation Act for diversion of land for non-forest purposes can be given only for 15 years. But the forest department never reclaims the land (after 15 years). If the department continues to give permission for diversion of land for non-forest purposes, it will soon be left with no land to carry out compensatory afforestation,” says R P Balwan, former conservator of forests, Gurgaon circle.In such a scenario, he continues, plantation drives will be carried out only in areas under the forest department’s jurisdiction. “These areas might be hundreds of kms away from the cities where green cover is destroyed for infrastructural development,” he adds.It takes little to wipe out a forest, then, but not much thought is given to re-greening. “First, there should be a proper study on how many trees can be saved while carrying out any infrastructural development. Second, attempts should be made to transplant some tree species that are less than 10-15 years old. Third, and most important, is to focus on creating a habitat and an ecosystem — it should not just be plantation of some saplings,” says Babu.Yet others say compensatory afforestation should take place as close as possible to the site where a canopy has been removed. “The department should study the topography and decide on the density of trees and kind of species that should be planted. For example, Dhau would survive very well on the rocky Aravalis along the Gurgaon-Faridabad Road, while species of Jaal, Khajoor, Babul will survive well in the submerged areas around Najafgarh,” Dhasmana explains.Additionally, there’s no reason why green belts and road dividers, or any stretch around roads where trees have been cut, cannot become forest land. “While I feel that the policy of compensatory afforestation is well-defined, there is a need to device a mechanism to give more land to the forest departments. It is possible only if urban forests are created,” shares a senior scientist from the Forest Research Institute, Dehradun.What can likely make a difference is residents taking part in plantation drives. “The reason why Delhi-NCR has recently witnessed several protests to safeguard tree cover is lack of transparency while carrying out compensatory afforestation. What we see is massive tree-cutting drives to build concrete flyovers and underpasses — we hardly see any successful plantation drives,” rues Anindita, a Sector 109 resident who spearheaded a ‘Chipko’ movement last year to protest against tree-felling at Atul Kataria Chowk . She advocates afforestation activity near residential colonies and corporate offices which own big spaces in Delhi-NCR.

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