Team Herald
PANJIM: Almost four months after the Central government released the entire grant of Rs 238 crore under the Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA) to Goa treasury, the State government has decided to identify land banks for compensatory afforestation.
A nine-member committee headed by Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (PCCF) has been constituted to identify the areas as land banks on priority in addition to the existing blank area and plantation bank.
Goa, which has the largest forest cover, is finding difficulty in identifying non-forest land for compensatory afforestation. Moreover, the State forest also does not fall under degraded land and hence, the State failed to receive its CAMPA share since 2014-15.
The committee has to identify degraded forest land with crown density up to 40 per cent under the administrative control of the forest department. Also, other waste lands, non-forest lands in the immediate vicinity of forest lands as well as in government areas.
It has to also assess the areas falling in Wildlife corridors to improve connectivity between habitats and areas falling in and around the protected Areas (PAs), Eco-Sensitive zone of PAs, and Forest areas under direct administrative and management control of the Forest Department to ensure consolidation of such areas.
Also, habitats of rare, threatened and endangered species of flora & fauna located in the areas not under direct administrative and management control of the Forest Department to ensure long term conservation of such habitats.
Further, areas failing in catchment areas of important rivers; water supply schemes; irrigation projects; hydro-electric projects etc, also needs to be identified.
The members of the committee include Chief Wildlife Warden, Collector North and South, Deputy Conservator of Forest- North and South division, Director DSLR, Chief Town Planner and Conservator of Forest (conservation).
CAMPA, a body appointed by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC), was mandated by the Supreme Court judgment in 2002, to collect compensation money from projects that divert forestland for non-forest use. Since 2002, the State has been depositing money of Net Present Value (NPV) and compensation for afforestation with the central government, which are later released to the State through CAMPA.
Identification and improvement of degraded forest land, identification of non-forest land for compensatory afforestation as compensation towards diversion of forest land for non forest purposes like dams, mining and other industrial projects, is being dealt under CAMPA.
