Document
WE suffer from a weak public memory. Possibly this is why few remember that as far back as 1990 the MoEF commissioned a report on ‘The Ecological Role of Forests, Forest Protection and Meeting the Development Aspirations of the People in and Around Forests’ under the chairmanship of Duleep Matthai. The report, extracts from whose executive summary and key recommendations are reproduced below, anticipate many of the issues being debated today in the context of the Scheduled Tribes (Recognition of Forest Rights) Bill 2005.
It bears mention that the report was never placed before Parliament; nor was it made public. It is thus not surprising that its approach, analysis and recommendations were insufficiently debated or commented upon. Equally, it is significant that two members of the commission, B.D. Sharma, Commissioner, Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes and Arvind Netam, M.P. and tribal leader, refused to ratify the report, charging it with underplaying the centrality of tribal and forest-dwelling people’s concerns. In this sense, the divide between those foregrounding the ecological role of forests (including wildlife) and tribal rights is not new.
Executive Summary: The contemporary paradigm of sustainable development continues to be founded in conventional economic theories rather than in ethical imperatives rooted in the respect for nature and all its creations; equally, in compassion for the weakest sections of human societies, an extension of which is the concern for non-human forms of life that cohabit the planet and that are so crucial to human existence. A reorientation of development concepts and modes should be rooted in such a vision. The gross extravagance of western and Japanese promoted unbridled consumerism, which is essentially over-exploitative of natural resources, is accelerating the already serious depletion of the natural resources of the ‘Third World’. This will inevitably lead to early bio-degradation of catastrophic proportions. Contemporary technological techniques and approaches do not offer solutions which are immediate or sustainable in the long run. In India in particular, the application of science and technology should be directed primarily to harnessing nature’s own regenerative processes.
* Economic theory and practice should now stress the need to increase the Gross Natural Product rather than the traditional economic Gross National Product…
* International aid has regrettably been concerned so far primarily with the exploitation of natural resources than with securing and stabilising eco-systems…
* In India population pressure is causing equally grave environmental problems. From 685 million in 1981, the population will cross a billion by the turn of the century. The strain is visible in all the life support systems. Land degradation has affected 175 million hectares of India’s total geographic area of 329 million hectares. Top soil lost annually has been estimated at 6 billion tons. The Thar desert is advancing. Pollution of rivers and lakes has reached alarming proportions. Ground water tables are receding. About 40 million hectares are affected by floods which alternate with droughts over large areas of the country and the shortage of drinking water has reached crisis proportions. Unless checked, the combination of these factors will affect agricultural productivity, enhance poverty and escalate social tensions. Forests, which could mitigate the effects of this ecological degradation, are today being lost at an officially estimated rate of 47,500 hectares annually, though this figure is suspected to be much greater. Far greater concerted action to control the rising population is critical…
* In India forest lands continue to be diverted to agriculture, river valley projects, industries, townships and roads. Encroachment on forest land and its repeated regularisation, often under political pressure, has been a serious cause of diversion of forest land. The forest cover is, therefore, under severe and growing strain. Grazing, fuelwood, commercial and household use of timber continues unabated to deplete forests. Natural regeneration on which forestry has hitherto, and will continue to depend, is absent in 53 per cent of the forests. The very survival of true forests is now in serious jeopardy.
* Contradictory and inconsistent forest policies in the past have confused the crucial role of the forests – of protecting the environment, specifically in the all important hydrogeographic systems of the country, with what is termed ‘production forestry’. Regrettably, such contradictions in policy continue in the National Forest Policy, 1988, and should be rectified.
* The total geographic area of the country is 32.7 million hectares of which 185.2 million hectares are mountains, hills and plateaus. Some two-thirds of these regions are crucial hydrogeographic systems the maximum areas of which should be under optimum natural forest cover, as distinct from merely tree plantations, to provide the foundation for national ecological security. Thus 123.4 million hectares should optimally be under natural forest cover. But even based upon the 1988 National Forest Policy criteria of putting one-third of country’s geographic area under forest cover, the area of such cover should be 110 million hectares as against the officially recorded forest area of 75.18 million hectares. Forests actually exist however on only 64.01 million hectares. Of this, dense forests which have a crown density of 40 per cent and over is only 37.84 million hectares, which is merely 11.51 per cent of the geographic area of the country.
* The rapid undermining of the country’s ecological balance must be checked without delay if long term socio-economic progress is to be ensured. This is possible only if the hydrological regimes in the main geographic realms of the country are restored to near optimum levels, which in turn depends on the rapid restoration of natural forest cover over all the important hydrogeographic systems of the country through promoting accelerated ecological succession and the restoration of ecological climax forests over these areas to the maximum extent possible. Eventually the entire two-thirds or more of the critical hydrogeographic areas should be placed under natural forests and designated ‘National Forests’, the management of which should be under the direction of the Central government but conducted by the state governments. Extraction should be rapidly phased out from these forests. The National Forests, besides including all existing forests in the sensitive and fragile hydrogeographic regions, should include all areas of rich bio-diversity to which hitherto unidentified areas of this nature should be added, totalling 35 to 40 million hectares. Alternative sources of fuelwood, fodder and timber and other forms of sustenance derived from forests will have to be provided to persons who are dependent upon produce from the proposed National Forests areas and who would be affected by the phasing out of extraction from such forests.
* The Ministry of Environment and Forests was set up as a scientific, and not an economic, ministry to act as the government and the public conscience keeper, watchdog and custodian of the country’s environment. Forests were transferred to it from the Ministry of Agriculture in recognition of the crucial ecological role they perform. It was intended that forests would not be exploited for short-term economic and domestic needs. To have saddled the MoEF with the economic responsibilities for fuelwood, fodder and timber production, such as the Pitroda Technology Mission has ill-advisedly succeeded in doing under a National Mission for Wastelands Development, will undoubtedly undermine and detract it from its primary role. Being agricultural crops, production of fuel, fodder and timber should be the responsibility of the Ministry of Agriculture. Private farmers can raise such crops and many minor forest products more efficiently than government on private marginal agricultural lands. The ministry’s mission above all should be ecological restoration and ensuring that the country’s economic development is based strictly upon fundamental ecological and therefore, environmental principles.
* Forest villages should be settled on par with revenue villages, but wherever these are situated inside forests they should be relocated on the plains so that the villagers gain more ready access to civic amenities. The utmost consideration should be shown to those affected in this process.
* The Indian Forest Service must hereafter be confined to the protection and natural regeneration of the forest cover of the hydrogeographic regions and areas of rich bio-diversity and not be involved with production activities such as so-called ‘social forestry’, ‘farm forestry’ and the like. Reorientation, training and re-equipping is essential to enable it to fulfil this vital role. Apart from essential academic competence, aptitude and a natural disposition to work in a forest environment should be important criteria for recruitment to this service.
* The requirements of timber, fuelwood and fodder should be met from massive tree and fodder plantation programmes on degraded plains/lowland areas; also lowland forest areas which should be exchanged for private holdings in the hydrogeographic systems, marginal private agricultural lands, and other plains lands coming under the categories of ‘wastelands’, degraded common and public lands. Additionally, canal banks and road and railway verges etc. should be put under the production of such crops. An area of 35 to 40 million hectares may be necessary to meet the needs of fuelwood and fodder. Another 10 million hectares of land will be required for industrial and household timber. A national land-use classification of India’s geographic area should be undertaken taking these essential purposes into account…
* The total tribal population in 1981 was 52 million and will rise to 121 million by the year 2011. It is estimated that 1.6 million identified as ‘primitive’ tribal groups are likely to be dependent on forests. Their ‘tribal’ existence should be protected. However, the younger generations of such groups, along with other tribal groups and the rural poor who are increasingly joining the mainstream of the market economy but live in the around forests, should be given every encouragement to move to more urban surroundings to give them access to the ‘development’ opportunities to which they aspire. They should also be provided all facilities including residential accommodation in or near the urban centres of their choice and free or subsidized fuelwood and fodder… in their proposed new role.
* Until fuelwood and fodder are available, gas and kerosene stoves, smokeless chulhas, solar cookers, as well as fossil fuels such as kerosene, LPG etc. should be supplied, initially free and later at highly subsidized prices. Such domestic fuel requirements should take precedence over the needs of industry as should all domestic fuel requirements today. Natural gas is now being flared at the rate of 10.55 million cu m per day – a scandalous waste. Tribals and the rural poor should also be given preference in the allocation of lands that becomes available from a far more stringent enforcement of land reform laws.
* It must be recognised that the tribals and the weaker sections of society will be the first and principal beneficiaries of true ecological restoration programmes and should be given first preference in the considerable employment opportunities that this will generate. Equity and distributive justice for the greatest numbers can be ensured only through natural ecological restoration. Village panchayats should be associated with growing and distributing fuelwood and fodder and managing common property resources.
* Jhum cultivation must be phased out (except for very limited ‘benchmark’ representative examples) because it is no longer sustainable, and jhumias should be settled on plains areas and rehabilitated in a carefully planned and sensitive manner.
* India’s livestock population which is 40 crore, and the manner in which it is presently sustained, is greatly in excess of the country’s carrying capacity and is doing the gravest damage to the country’s forests. It must be reduced to a number between 5 to 10 crore which is adequate to meet the milk and draft power requirements. This should be achieved by introducing improved breeds. Stall feeding must replace all free range grazing within the next five years.
* The criticism of the Forests (Conservation) Act, 1980, is largely unjustified though minor amendments are necessary. The act has helped reduce forest land diversion from 1,50,000 hectares to, it is officially claimed, 16,000 hectares per annum.
* The important role of minor forest products more appropriately called non-timber forest products should be recognized and steps taken to help tribals raise as much as possible on agricultural plains lands provided to them…
* Long-term studies should be instituted of the recession of glaciers as an indicator of climatic change as well as the extent and the effect of acid rain.
* Adequate funds must be provided to achieve these objectives. A minimum of five per cent of the national budget must be devoted to the protection of the environment and forests.
* As a preliminary to action on the ground a massive ongoing environmental awareness programme must be launched to arouse public concern at the impending environmental crisis and to accept the personal, community and national sacrifices now necessary to achieve ecological security. The message of ecological restoration must reach the remotest corners of the country.
Recommendations: While the fundamental approach to the problem will be the same, its application will depend on the environment situation and circumstances prevailing at local levels. The measures to be taken must essentially depend on the fragility or sensitivity of the forest ecosystem to a particular form of land use vis-à-vis the type of socio-economic dependence of the concerned communities. To this end, a fresh and functional classification of land use, with a view to formulating a suitable strategy for ecological security, based upon the establishment of forest cover over ecologically fragile or critical areas, will be essential. When this is done, the major domestic biomass needs of the local people should be met from non-forest public lands, mainly private land holdings, through incentives to farmers from institutional market oriented support systems…
* Concerted measures and substantial resources are needed to resolve the major problems that will arise from reducing human pressure on ecologically sensitive and fragile areas. The public as well as the existing institutional structures will need a much deeper understanding, than is the case now, of the consequences of accelerating ecological degradation if they are to be willing to make the major sacrifices that would be necessary. For people now directly and indirectly dependent on forests, alternative means of meeting their sustenance needs will have to be provided. Where necessary, alternative land must be provided through the more effective enforcement of existing land tenure legislation. This radical approach will call for the greatest ingenuity of the public and private publicity and extension communication systems, all of which will need to be engaged for this purpose.
* A land settlement process should be developed that will ensure that the settlement proceedings are carried out justly and without delay and, equally important, that it is done in an equitable manner and does not allow unjust gains to the more influential sections of the population.
* The process of resettlement of forest villages in particular, and the award of proprietary rights to eligible forest villagers in areas where they are rehabilitated, will have to be given the first priority and be conducted in a sensitive and understanding manner to ensure their cooperation…
* Major development projects should be thoroughly scrutinized before granting clearance under the Forest Conservation Act, 1980, or the Environment Protection Act, 1986, and those with serious ecological consequences should not be approved... Whenever any project is deemed essential in a tribal area, adequate measures must be taken to rehabilitate the displaced persons and this should be made a part of the project conditions for approval. Instead of providing for individual rights, concessions and privileges to such persons, provision should be made for community-based assets for the sustained enjoyment of privileges, preferably in the form of goods and services rather than in cash.
* Stringent controls of the licensing of new saw mills is, hereafter, essential. In any case, these should not be permitted anywhere near forests.
* Public distribution systems for the displaced and relocated communities should be responsive to their needs. Such systems should not only ensure timely availability of their requirements of food but their other daily necessities, including their domestic energy needs…
* The degraded areas of hydrogeographic systems, both forest and non-forest, should be rehabilitated through the accelerated regeneration of the natural forests with which they were once clothed…
* To the extent possible, preference in employment in all afforestation programmes, for reforesting the hydrogeographic systems, should be given to relocated and rehabilitated persons. They should also be trained and provided technical support in cultivating NTFP outside the forests and assisted in processing and marketing such produce…
* Developmental works which had commenced prior to the enactment of the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980, without denotifying forest lands, should be reviewed jointly by the Government of India and the state governments in the light of the need to avoid further ecological degradation and decisions on such cases should be taken expeditiously.
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Executive Summary, pp. 4-9; Recommendations, pp. 100-103 of the Report.
