Greens debate transferring of reserve forest to FDCM

The Times of India , Tuesday, July 15, 2014
Correspondent : Vijay Pinjarkar

NAGPUR: A hot debate is underway among wildlife conservationists, proponents of Forest Rights Act (FRA) 2006 and the authorities over diverting sensitive and tiger-bearing reserve forest area to Forest Development Corporation of Maharashtra (FDCM) for logging operations. Now, principal secretary (forests) Praveen Pardeshi has said he would review the decision to hand over Lendezari (Bhandara) to FDCM.

TOI had on July 12 reported handing over of 389 sq km area, including over 200 sq km in tiger-bearing Lendezari in Bhandara division, which falls between Pench-Nagzira corridor.

Questioning the move, Purnima Upadhyay of NGO Khoj, which works to promote FRA, asked if FDCM should be allowed to cut such huge amount of standing forests, most of it with rich biodiversity, in worrying times of climate change.

Upadhyay urged Pardeshi to compensate FDCM from CAMPA for losses and stop permission to cut forests. "If not possible, hand them over degraded forest or wastelands," she said.

"Do we really need FDCM now when one is struggling to fight carbon emissions. One needs to plant and protect trees to mitigate the challenges. How can cutting trees and mono cultivation be any ways permitted?" asked Upadhyay.

However, Pardeshi clarified that only management has changed from territorial to FDCM. "Felling of trees or otherwise is governed by the same management working plan. Whether FDCM or forest department, each has to conform to annual permission for felling," he said.

Pardeshi justified the move by pointing out that 100 sqkm corridor land in Koka, 300 sqkm corridor in Nagzira-Navegaon-Bor, 125 sqkm in Tadoba buffer, and 80 sqkm of buffer in Pench have been taken away from FDCM for wildlife management. In return, 80 sqkm in Bhandara has been given to FDCM.

Satpuda Foundation chief Kishor Rithe firmly argued that the issue is based on science, and the government should treat FDCM as a 'company' and not allocate reserve forests.

Prafulla Bhamburkar of Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) says even if FDCM works with approved plan, it means cutting of existing forests to take up teak and bamboo plantations, which will be felled soon again.

To this, Pardeshi replied that unless we are able to substitute timber use with no timber, trees will continue to be cut. "Maximum areas under forest or for that matter wildlife are surviving healthily only in countries which intensively log forests." he said.

Pardeshi argued that felling of mature trees as per plan is as much part of conserving forest. If this demand is not provided for, illicit felling will be rampant. Local communities will value forest as zero and convert it into cultivable land, he said.

 
SOURCE : http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/City/Nagpur/Greens-debate-transferring-of-reserve-forest-to-FDCM/articleshow/38390831.cms
 


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