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Resources » Travel & Tourism » Hill Stations
Deforestation
This article discusses about the importance of forestation to make the hill stations that are destroyed in the places like Tamilnadu.
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OVER EXPLOITATION OF FORESTS:
Since time immemorial, man has depended heavily on forests for food, medicine, shelter, fuel and wood. Covering the earth like a green blanket, these forests not only produce innumerable material goods, but also provide several environmental services which are essential for life. But it is a matter of concern that almost everywhere the cover of the natural forests has declined over the years.
DEFORESTATION IN INDIA:
As per FAO estimates, the deforestation rate per unit population in India is the lowest amongst the major tropical countries. However, we are still far behind the target of achieving 33% forest area. As per our National Forest Policy, as we are still having only 19.27% of our land area (63.38m.ha) covered with forests. (Based on satellite data, MoEF, 1998).
MAJOR CAUSES OF DEFORESTATION:
i) Shifting cultivation: There are an estimated 300 million people living as shifting cultivators who clear more than 5 lakh hectares of forests for cultivation annually.
ii)Fuel requirements: Increase in demands for firewood by the growing population in India alone has shot up to 300-500 million tons in 2001 as compared to just 65 million tons during independence. It has increased the pressure on forests.
iii) Raw materials for industrial use: Cutting down trees for making boxes,furniture, railway-sleepers, plywood, match boxes, pulp for paper industry etc,has exerted tremendous pressure on forests.
Iv) Development projects: Massive destruction of forests occurs for various development projects like hydroelectric projects, big dams, road construction and mining.
MAJOR CONSEQUENCES OF DEFORESTATION:
Deforestation has far-reaching consequences, which may be outlined as follows.
i) It threatens the existence of many wild life species.
ii) Bio-diversity is lost and along with that the genetic diversity is eroded.
iii)Climatic cycle gets affected, thereby influencing rainfall.
iv) Problems of soil erosion and loss of soil fertility increase.
V) In hilly areas, it often leads to landslides.
REMEDIAL MEASURES:
• It is aptly said," If you want to act green, first think green." So all the children in India, in both schools and colleges, should be given awareness about their environment". Their services should be used to spread the message of afforestation. The Ministry of Forests can think of giving scholarships to students who successfully grow quite a number of trees in their campuses. Media can play an important role to educate the masses on environmental issues through articles, environmental rallies, plantation campaigns, street plays and eco-disaster stories. T.V. serials like Virasat, Race to save the planet, Heads and Tails, Terra view, Captain planet and the like have been effective in propagating environmental awareness amongst the viewers of all age groups.
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