Treeless green

If the statement of minister of forest & climate change C.M.Chang that forest cover of Nagaland has been depleting at an alarming rate of 200 sq km per year is a fact, then it calls for urgent remedial actions otherwise the state will be facing a future catastrophe. The statistic is contained in a report from the Indian State of Forest Report(ISFR) 2017 that forest cover in Nagaland State decreased by 450 sq km since 2015. The report also discloses that the maximum decline of forest cover in the state pertained to ‘Open Forest’(OF) by 342 sq Km since 2015. FSI categorizes Open Forests as all lands with tree cover (Including mangrove cover) of canopy density between 10% and 40%. In terms of districts, Tuensang registered the maximum decrease of forest cover since the last assessment (99 square kilometers) followed by Mon (59 sq kms), Phek (57 sq kms), Kiphire (53 sq kms), and Kohima (39 sq kms). Dimapur registered zero change in forest cover. The reasons for the decline in Nagaland’s forest cover were however summed up in just one sentence by the report. The ISFR 2017 attributed shifting cultivation and developmental activities as the main cause. It however missed the most crucial- rampant illegal felling and encroachments. Except Assam and Manipur, other Northeastern states are fast losing its forest cover. However, due to afforestation activities, Assam gained 567 sq km of forests while Manipur’s forest size increased by 263 sq km. Having over three-fourths of its land under forests, Nagaland lost 450 sq km of forest in 2017, 78 sq km in 2015 and 274 sq km in the previous 2013 report. In order to offset the fast diminishing forest cover the state forest department has unveiled the Nagaland Forest Management Project, which will target 185 villages in 11 districts spread over 22 ranges. The villages will be selected in four batches. The first batch consisting of representative from 33 villages were present along with forest officials. The project will cover a time span of 10 years and from 2017 to 2027 and will create both direct and indirect employment, he added. The diminishing forest cover may not actually reveal the more serious issue of unregulated and mindless logging during the past decades till the late 90s when valuable forest trees were lost. In addition, Nagaland too has lost thousands of acres of forest lands to encroachers. This is most evident in the case with the once famed Rangapahar Reserved Forest ( later Rangapahar Wildlife Sanctuary) which had some 21,000 Acres and reduced to a mere 400 Acres due to systematic encroachments. Since 1990, Nagaland Post had focussed much on protection of rangapahar reserved forest including Ntangki /Intangki National Park and how the forest department failed to effectively stop plunder of forests and encroachment within these two famous green paradises. If anything, the lack of political will by the government only compounded the problem and facilitated continuous plunder and encroachments. The government has the constitutional authority, means and resources to effect relevant laws so as to perform its duties. The legislators need to take a serious look at the forest policy vis-à-vis Article 371A if indeed the objective is to preserve and sustain the rich natural flora and fauna and bequeath them to posterity.