Overview

The book delves into the intricate relationship between India’s forest governance, laws, and policies over time, examining their effects on the quality and coverage of the country’s forests. Historically, especially during the British era and the initial phase following independence, forests were valued for timber, leading to increased deforestation to fulfill the rising demands of shipbuilding, railways, residential construction, and industry. The economic benefits derived from converting forest land for developmental purposes were a key factor in this trend. However, recent statistics indicate that except Maharashtra, most of the forest rich states including MP and Chhattisgarh have lagged in economic development. The history of overexploitation and diversion for non-forestry use has also led to less forest area per capita. India has lost tree biomass much more than its productivity potential, and the average biological productivity of Indian forest is much below the global average. It is extremely important to restore the health of natural forests which are, by far, the best and a highly cost-effective carbon sequestering machine provided by nature. The book also provides research data, both at national and global scales to convincingly put forward the contention that natural forests are sine qua non and under no circumstances can farm and roadside plantations, tea and coffee plantations, and orchards be a substitute for natural forest for three important reasons: (1) the influence of natural forest on rainfall, (2) the complexity in maintaining energy flow, and (3) the impact of natural forest or deforested sites on soil.  

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9789819738618

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Asheem Kumar Srivastav, Veteran Forester and former Indian Forest Service Officer, held the prestigious position of Principal Chief Conservator of Forests. He is Alumnus of the Indira Gandhi National Forest Academy and Delhi University, where he earned master’s degrees in natural resource management and zoology respectively. His education also includes training at the University of Edinburgh, the University of Wolverhampton, and the University of British Columbia in the fields of natural resource management and forestry. Over a career spanning 36 years, he has held various roles in policymaking, advisory, programmatic, and implementation capacities within the Indian government and international organizations such as the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources, Traffic International, and the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change. He has written approximately twenty-four research papers and four notable books, with ‘Energy Dynamics and Climate Change’ and ‘The Science and Impact of Climate Change’ being the most distinguished among them.  

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