Team Herald
PANJIM: The Department of Environment and Climate Change has notified the Plantation Scheme by Goa State Biodiversity Board (GSBB).
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“Based on the above and enormous response received during the compensatory afforestation of Mopa Airport project entrusted to the GSBB, the need was felt to have such a scheme wherein the further continuity of such plantation schemes or any other plantations taken up could be ensured through people’s participation, partnership and co-ownership,” read the notification.
“Taking this as an opportunity to not only enhance the green cover of the State but also to achieve the larger goal of conservation of indigenous forest species, the GSBB has accepted this responsibility,” the notification adds.
This plantation scheme is mainly to ensure the intensification of existing green cover with indigenous trees useful from the point of view of ecological and economic perspective and aimed at supporting livelihood of the beneficiary or at least one of the two aims but by ensuring that there shall be no adverse effect on the ecosystem wherein plantation is planned.
A per the scheme, the strategies are to enhance the forest quality; restore and increase the coastal defence mechanism; prepare a strategy to prevent and control forest fires; afforestation and plantation outside the forest; support private forest owners in the sustainable management of their forests and derive economic benefit; water and soil conservation; capacity building of field staff; and to promote ecotourism.
The GSBB also aims to achieve the targets set by the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) goals for post 2020, which includes action plans for emission reduction, renewable energy and forestry.
One such target is putting forward and further propagating a healthy and sustainable way of living based on traditions and values of conservation and moderation.
Another is adopting a climate-friendly and cleaner path than the one followed hitherto by others at a corresponding level of economic development. There’s also the target to reduce the emissions intensity of its GDP by 33 to 35 per cent by 2030 from 2005 level and to create an additional carbon sink of 2.5 to 3 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent through additional forest and tree cover by 2030.
