World Forest Day 2023: How India can manage its forest for a better tomorrow

The 2023 International Forests Day theme is forests and health. While it emphasizes forest-led services for health and well-being, it re-emphasizes the role of forests in mitigating climate risks, purifying our air, and sequestering carbon, among others.

Our forests define India’s way of living, but unfortunately- the loss of forests in recent years has ravaged lives, livelihoods, and economies. Climate change, coupled with anthropocentric landscape planning, has exacerbated the impacts. 2023 has already been a testament to the fact that a climate crisis is upon us with the scorching irregular February and March heat waves, incessant rainfall, and hailstorms that have disrupted agricultural productivity by co-opting central and northern parts of India.

Climate change is also exacerbating the problem, as rising temperatures and changing weather patterns increase the frequency and intensity of forest fires. Forest fires can have catastrophic consequences for the health and resilience of our forests. These blazes can wipe out entire ecosystems, destroy wildlife habitats, and threaten the livelihoods of forest-dwelling communities that depend on forests for their livelihoods.

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According to the Forest Survey of India (FSI), more than 381 forest fires were reported in March. Most of them raged across Similipal wildlife sanctuary, Ladkui Jungles, and Majhgawan region, Sariska Tiger reserves.

What is driving the forest fires devastating Indian forests?

Traditionally, forest fires have been used to manage forests, but what is alarming is the spurt in the intensity of these fires due to increased dry spells, inadequate precipitation, and high temperatures, among others. Forest Fires are intensifying both in scale and magnitude and are becoming noxious and more devastating. And in the coming years, the situation will be grimmer as climate change breaches all thresholds.

How can India manage its forests better?

First, India should recognize forest fire as a disaster type under the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) Act, 2005. Doing so will lead to improved funding for the National Disaster Management Plans and will act as a catalyst in creating specialized teams of trained forest firefighters under the National and State Disaster Response Forces.

The move will also enhance forest fire alert systems by improving early warning efficacy through near real-time monitoring using satellite information. However, ground validation is often required due to the system's inability to distinguish between forest fires, waste burning, and crop burning, causing response delays and misinformation. This recognition aims to enhance the adaptive capacity of communities and government agencies.

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Second, India has a rich heritage of ayurvedic medicine, which has traditionally played an instrumental role in promoting the health and well-being of its populace. However, this time-honored practice is now facing an unprecedented threat from climate change. To address this issue, there is an urgent need to revitalize and re-conserve forests, which can not only generate employment opportunities for tribal and forest-dwelling communities but also mitigate climate risks and promote ecological sustainability.

India has taken commendable steps towards cataloging ayurvedic plants and their ethnomedicinal use. Nevertheless, developing an Integrated Forest Surveillance System (IFSS) jointly by the nodal ministries- the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and the Ministry of Ayush should become to identify and map critical forest vulnerabilities that can stand to the litmus test of climate change and abused landscape degradation. This would enable the integration of medicinal plants into forest restoration sites, particularly in regions with heightened climate vulnerability, thereby ensuring the continued availability of ayurvedic medicine for posterity.

Thirdly, India is a fast-growing urbanized country, and its urban population is set to grow to 600 million by 2030. As India's urban population continues to grow, the effects of climate change are becoming increasingly apparent in its urban centers. To combat these impacts, a climate-biodiversity-nexus urban forest development strategy should become a national imperative to promote a sustainable and resilient future for India's cities. To promote climate-biodiversity-nexus urban forest development, it is important to promote nature-based solutions that can promote faster and better urban forests with flora that can mitigate climate risks and clean the air. Cities like Singapore, Melbourne, and New York have successfully implemented such strategies, with programs such as Singapore's City in a Garden initiative and New York's Million Trees NYC project.

These initiatives have resulted in the creation of more green spaces-urban forest hamlets, leading to the planting of millions of trees with air and water quality. Additionally, cities can encourage community engagement and involve citizens in tree-planting activities and other green initiatives to foster a sense of ownership and stewardship towards urban forests.

In conclusion, it is clear that managing forests in India is not just about tradition and culture, but also about securing a future that is climate ready. India can pave a sustainable developmental pathway that climate-protects the lives and livelihoods of millions while preserving our precious natural heritage by managing forests better to ensure health and well-being.

(The author is the Sector-Head of Climate Change and Sustainability at IPE Global, an international development organization, and an expert reviewer of the IPCC-AR(6). The views expressed are his own. He is on Twitter @Abinash0294)

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