EM v Deforestation

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Environmental Management

Module V


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ENVIRONMENTINFORMATION SYSTEM


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INTRODUCTION Information technology is a powerful tool for meeting

environmental objectives and promoting sustainabledevelopment.

Information systems can also be used by nonprofitorganizations and the government to inform the public about broad environmental issues and environmental conditions intheir neighborhoods.

Realising the importance of Environmental Information, theGovernment of India, in December, 1982, established anEnvironmental Information System (ENVIS). TheEnvironmental Information System acronymed as ENVIS wasimplemented by the Ministry (MoEF) by end of 6th Five Year Plan as a Plan Scheme for environmental informationcollection, storage, retrieval and dissemination to policy

planners, decision makers, scientists and environmentalists,

researchers, academicians.


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Contd-ENVIS is a decentralized computerizednetwork database system consisting of the focal point located in the Ministry anda chain of network partners, known asENVIS Centres located in the potentialorganizations/institutions throughout thecountry.


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ENVIS NETWORKENVIS is a decentralized computerized network database systemconsisting of the focal point located in the Ministry and a chain of network partners, known as ENVIS Centres located in the potential organizations/institutions throughout the country.Since environment is a broad-ranging, multi-disciplinary subject, a

comprehensive information system on environment would necessarlly involve effective participation of concerned institutions/ organisations in the country. ENVIS has, therefore, developed itself with a network of such participating institutions/organisations for the

programme to be meaningful. A large number of nodes, known asENVIS Centres, have been established in the network to cover thebroad subject areas of environment with a Focal Point in the Ministry of Environment & Forests.


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ENVIS India has already established EightyOne partner nodes, which include 30

government departments, 36 Institutionsand 15 NGOs. These nodes are supposedto create websites on specific environmentrelated subject areas.


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OBJECTIVES OF ENVISThe broad objectives of ENVIS are:

1. Long-term objectives :- To build up a repository and dissemination centre in

Environmental Science and Engineering; To gear up the modern technologies of acquisition,

processing, storage, retrieval and dissemination of information of environmental nature; and

To support and promote research, development andinnovation in environmental information technology.


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2. Short-term objectives : To provide national environmental information service relevant to

present needs and capable of development to meet the futureneeds of the users, originators, processors and disseminators of information;

To build up storage, retrieval and dissemination capabilities with

the ultimate objectives of disseminating information speedily tothe users; To promote, national and international cooperation and liaison

for exchange of environment related information; To promote, support and assist education and personnel training

programmes designed to enhance environmental informationprocessing and utilisation capabilities;

To promote exchange of information amongst developingcountries.


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SALIENT FEATURES

To motivate the ENVIS network partners to fulfill their charters, the BestENVIS Centre Award has been instituted and is awarded bi-annually.

In order to evaluate the functioning of the network partners, a NationalWorkshop of all the ENVIS Centres is organized (Dehradun in 2004-05).

The Regional Workshops are arranged to evaluate the performance of eachCentre on regional basis by an Expert Committee to decide its continuity.

Initiatives are taken to expedite the online dissemination process of all theENVIS Centres by providing domain name and web space as well asemail ID to each partner to bring them under one umbrella.

The publications are issued regularly of the Ministry by ENVIS. ENVIShas built up a reasonably good information base in the form of publications,reports, reprints, bibliographies, abstracts, data bases etc., as well asnumerical data i.e. statistics relating to environment


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FOREST DEGRADATION ANDMANAGEMENT


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Forest and Forestry The word Forest is derived from Latin foris

meaning outside, the reference being to village boundary of fence, and must have included alluncultivated and uninhabited land.

Today a forest is any land managed for the diverse purposes of forestry whether covered with trees,shrubs, climbers, etc.

Forestry can be defined as the theory and practiceof scientific management of forests, including their creation when necessary, for the continuous

provision of produce and services.


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Role of ForestsForest play a very important role in the life and economyof the country.

Forest vegetation and its accompanying soil organism

make up as much as 90 per cent of the total biomass onland.Deforestation has led to instability and disturbance of many ecological sub-systems.Forest cover in the catchment areas of the rivers, controlsoil erosion and recurrence of floods. Once forest cover isdamaged, severe soil erosion takes place disturbing theentire eco-system, chocking the dams and reservoirs withsilt load and thereby promote recurrence of floods.


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Forest Products: Demand and SupplyBasic services and economic returns from forests are a) Provide fuel and fodder for the rural masses

particularly the poor landless and marginal peasants/tribals and their domestic animals free of cost or at a very low cost.

b) Provide timber of average quality for ruraldwellings. For rural artisans for making tools,

implements, boats, etc., to support rural vocationsand economy.c) Provide high quality timber and some fuel for the

urban population.


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d) Maintain a steady supply of raw materialsneeded for paper making. Plywood and other forest based industries.

e) Continue to function effectively asconservator of soil, climate and environment.

f) Promote wild life and bird life to maintainecological balance.


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Tribals and the Forest In India, the life and economy of the tribal people are

intimately connected with forests. A major portion of the tribal population actually live inside the forests andmake a living out of the products of the forests.

Some of the tribals, particularly those living in North-Eastern States, Madhya Pradesh and Orissa make

their living by practicing shifting cultivation within theforest area.


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D eforestation

Deforestation is the conversion of forestedareas to non-forest land for use such as arableland, pasture, urban use, logged area, or wasteland. Generally, the removal or destructionof significant areas of forest cover has resultedin a degraded environment with reducedbiodiversity. In many countries, massivedeforestation is ongoing and is shaping climateand geography.


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D EGRA D ATIOND EGRA D ATION

Biological,Biological, chemicalchemical or or physical physical processes processes whichwhich resultresult inin thethelossloss of of thethe productive productive potential potential of of naturalnatural resourcesresources inin areasareascoveredcovered by by forestsforests and/or and/or usedused by by agricultureagriculture. . DegradationDegradationmaymay be be permanent, permanent, althoughalthough somesome forestforest areasareas maymay recover recover naturallynaturally or or withwith humanhuman assistanceassistance

Deforestation,Deforestation, particularly particularly inin thethe tropicaltropical rainrain forests,forests, hashas become become aa major major environmentalenvironmental concern,concern, asas itit cancan destabilizedestabilizethethe earth'searth's temperature,temperature, humidity,humidity, andand carboncarbon dioxidedioxide levelslevels..

EffortsEfforts toto controlcontrol deforestation,deforestation, includingincluding thosethose atat thethe 19921992UnitedUnited Nations Nations ConferenceConference onon EnvironmentEnvironment andand Development,Development,remainremain ineffectiveineffective. .


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Causes of deforestation

There are many causes, ranging from slow forest degradation tosudden and catastrophic Clear cutting, Slash-and-burn Urban development Acid rain Wildfires Forest Fires Grazing Forest encroachments Timber smuggling Ganja cultivation Poaching of wild animals Environmental degradation.


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Impact On Environment

Generally, the removal or destruction of significantareas of forest cover has resulted in a degradedenvironment with :Reduced biodiversity.Changed climate and geography.Deforestation affects the amount of water in the soiland groundwater and the moisture in the atmosphere.Deforestation can destroy genetic variationsirretrievablyDeforestation lessens the landscape's capacity tointercept, retain and transport precipitation.Deforestation also contributes to decreased vapor transpiration, which lessens atmospheric moisturewhich in some cases affects precipitation levels downwind from the deforested area .


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Environmental degradation is one of theten threats officially cautioned by the HighLevel Threat Panel of the United Nations.

WRI (the World Resources Institute),UNEP (the United Nations EnvironmentProgramme), UNDP (the United NationsDevelopment Programme) and the WorldBank have made public an importantreport on health and the environmentworldwide on May 1, 1998.


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Plans and Policies by government

for Regeneration NATIONAL FOREST POLICY 1988 has the primary objective to ensure environmental stabilityand ecological balance. It emphasizes the need to

meet the domestic demands of the tribal and rural people for forest produce and also to involve them inthe protection and management of forests. Industrialrequirements for raw material will not be met fromthe natural forests but from the farm forestry sector through tie up between farmers and industry.


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BASIC OBJECTIVESThe basic objectives that govern the National Forest Policy arethe following

Maintenance of environmental stability through preservationand, where necessary, restoration of the ecological balance thathas been adversely disturbed by serious depletion of theforests of the country.

Conserving the natural heritage of the country by preservingthe remaining natural forests with the vast variety of flora andfauna.

Checking soil erosion in the catchment areas of rivers, lakes,reservoirs in the interest of soil and water conservation, for mitigating floods and droughts and for the retardation of siltation of reservoirs.


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Contd- Increasing substantially the forest/tree cover in thecountry through massive a forestation and social

forestry programmes, especially on all degraded andunproductive lands.

Increasing the productivity of forests to meet essentialnational needs. Encouraging efficient utilisation of forest produceand maximising substitution of wood.

Creating a massive people's movement with theinvolvement of women, for achieving these objectivesand to minimise pressure on existing forests.


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Forest Management Forest Management is defined as the practical

application of the scientific, technical and economicprinciples to forestry. (British Common wealth ForestTerminology)

According to the Society of American Foresters,Forest Management is the application of businessmethods and technical forestry principles to theoperation of a forest property.

The fundamental purpose of forestry is to secure thegreatest continued value from the land allotted toforestry.

Primary object of good management is the provisionof the maximum benefit to the greatest number of people for all times.


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Forest management involves following tasks:1. Control of composition and structure of the

growing stock.2. Harvesting and marketing the forest produce.

3. Administration of forest property and personnel.Forest management, like any other management,

cannot occur in isolation. It occurs in a given setof conditions which go to make its environment.India s forest are almost entirely state-owned.


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Social Forestry The National Commission on Agriculture report stressed

the importance of socio-economic role of forests in ruralcommunity, and in the management of forest resourcesof the country.

It defined the social forestry to include the farm forestry,extension forestry, reforestation in degraded forests andrecreation forestry.


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The objectives of social forestry took into account thebasic and economic needs of the community aimedat bettering the living conditions of rural people, andincluded

1. Fuel wood supply to the rural areas and replacementof cow dung,

2. Small timber supply,3. Fodder supply,4. Protection of agriculture fields from wind erosion,5. And recreational needs.

Farm Forestry aimed at growing tree as on bunds andboundaries of farmers fields and the programmetaken up by farmers themselves.


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Community Forestry has three dimensions, viz:i. Restoration or reallocation or recognition of

existing forest lands for the total development

of both the land and the people.ii. Joint management of the forest and its

production processes, andiii. Development of the socio-economic structure

required for the realization of above two.

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EM v Deforestation