The State Forest Department is unable to find land for compulsory reforestation, under the Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA) scheme, which has led to the government having over Rs 100 crore in its kitty that was meant to be used for the reforestation. Since the money has not been utilised, CAMPA has not allotted the State its share of funds under the scheme since 2014-15.
CAMPA, originated following a Supreme Court judgement of 2002 that made it mandatory upon the government to collect funds as compensation from projects that diverted forest land for non-forest use, and use these funds to reforest areas so as to recover the loss of forest land due to the projects.
According to data, there is need to undertake compensatory reforestation in the State of an area of around 2300-2400 hectares, that was deforested for various projects.
The funds first came in 2009-10 and the money remaining idle means that in a State with an area of 3702 square kilometers, the authorities are unable to find just 2400 hectares of land to reforest. So, what we now know is that we have lost 2300 to 2400 hectares of forest land to development projects, and also know that the compulsory reforestation of alternative land has not been undertaken. It is not too large an area, as 2400 hectares would work out to 24 square kilometres.
Whose loss then is it, that of the government finding no land in the State for the compulsory reforestation due to loss of forest land for development projects?
In the coming weekend, Goa will be hosting the second Bird Festival, bringing in delegates from within the country and outside, and taking them into the Cotigao wildlife sanctuary for bird sightings. While the State has a number of species of birds – 450 of the 1224 – recorded in India, there are fears that development has affected the bird population.
The Principal Conservator of Forests, speaking while announcing the bird festival, said birds found the ecosystem in Goa favourable, but he also expressed concern that increasing pollution, use of pesticides, chemicals, and climate change is affecting birds across the country and so also in Goa. A lush tree canopy is the best possible bird habitat, and losing that could severely affect their population, holding in balance future bird festivals.
The Economic Survey for 2016-17 states that the forest cover in the State is 1,225.12 square kilometres of recorded government forest which works out to over 33% of the State’s total geographical area. Of this, 62 per cent has been designated as Protected Areas of the wildlife sanctuaries, all situated along the biodiversity rich and ecologically sensitive Western Ghats.
The State also takes pride in the fact that the India State of Forest Report 2015, published biennially by Forest Survey of India, determined that the forest cover of Goa has increased by five square kilometres, out of which four square kilometers was of mangrove forests. The total forest and tree cover of Goa is about 68.85%, which includes forests on private lands, plantations such as cashew, etc, which is touted to be the highest of any State in the country.
The government needs to identify non-forest land to reforest as compensation for that which was lost to projects. No doubt percentage wise, the forest and tree cover is large, but the Goan ecosystem is rather fragile and a larger forest cover would not harm the environment in any manner. As an initiative, distributing and planting saplings is fine, but nurturing the saplings into trees so as to increase the forest area, is just as important.
