International Year of Forests - 2011
The United Nations General Assembly declared 2011 as the International Year of Forests to raise awareness on sustainable management, conservation and sustainable development of all types of forests. The International Year of Forests 2011- logo is designed to convey the theme of “Forests for People”.
Forests are one of the precious natural resources on the earth. They provide us with various natural services and play an important role in economy of the nation. Forests provide shelter to people and habitat to biodiversity; they are a source of food, medicine and clean water; and play a vital role in maintaining a stable global climate and environment. Forests are vital to the survival and well being of people.
Forests are an integral part of global sustainable development. Forest-related economic activities affect livelihoods of 1.6 billion people worldwide; they provide socio-cultural benefits and are the foundation for indigenous knowledge; and as ecosystems, forests play a critical role in mitigating the effects of climate change and protecting biodiversity. Forests play a critical role in absorbing the greenhouse gases that have been attributed to climate change.
The forest resources of the world are under threat due to overexploitation, deforestation, urbanisation, shifting cultivation practices, natural disasters etc. Considering the importance of forests, there is need to Protect and Conserve the Forest ecosystem. The International Year of the Forests provides an excellent platform to increase awareness of the connections between healthy forests, ecosystems, people and economies.
Various activities will be organized all over the world to celebrate this International Year and foster knowledge exchange on practical strategies to promote sustainable forest management. Governments, regional and international organizations and civil society organizations are expected to create national committees and designate focal points in their respective countries to facilitate organization of activities in support of the International Year of Forests. The United Nations Forum on Forests Secretariat has been tasked with serving as the focal point for the implementation of the International Year of Forests.
India is one of the countries with rich forest resource in the world. In India Forest is the second largest land use next to agriculture. The forests play vital role in harboring more than 45,000 floral and 81,000 faunal species of which 5150 floral and 1837 faunal species are endemic.
As per the India State of Forest Report, 2009, the total forest cover of the country is 690,899 km²constituting 21.02 % of the geographic area of the country. Madhya Pradesh has got the largest forest cover in the country followed by Arunachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra and Orissa. Mangrove cover in India accounts for 3 % of the world’s mangrove vegetation and is spread over an area of 4,639 km2 in the coastal States/UTs of the country. This accounts for 0.14% of the country's total geographic area.
Various measures are being taken up to conserve this forest resource. India’s National Action Plan for Climate Change (NAPCC) includes National Mission for a Green India. This mission underlines the indispensable role of forests in the preservation of ecological balance, maintenance of biodiversity and as effective carbon sinks. It builds on the Prime Minister’s Green India campaign for afforestation of 6 million hectares and the national target of increasing land area under forest cover to 33%. It is to be implemented on degraded forest land through Joint Forest Management Committees set up under State Departments of Forests.
India will also launch its own dedicated forestry satellite in 2013 to enable real-time monitoring of both deforestation and afforestation in the country.
All these efforts along with the effective public participation will definitely help to achieve the Sustainable management and conservation of forests in India.
Let us take individual / community level efforts to celebrate the International Year of Forests!
