Assistant Professor

Geography Department

M.L.K.P.G.College

 Balrampur, Uttar Pradesh, India 

All the direct and indirect activities of human life are affected by the environment. Along with humans, all the living creatures living on this earth are also affected by the environment. We breathe to survive. To quench thirst we drink water. Eat food to satisfy hunger. All these air, water and food are parts of the environment.

The purer the environment is, the more beneficial it will be for human life. Nature is based on the interrelationship of all elements. Among all living beings, man is the only thinking creature. This worry invites both development and destruction. When man tampers with the environment and interferes with the system created by nature, then many events start happening in nature in expected or unexpected form. Nature itself is man's environment and storehouse of resources. Today's human beings, despite growing in the lap of nature, are engaged in excessive exploitation of environmental resources due to their own ignorance and greed.

Many ecologists have explained that our resources are limited and in consumerism, industrial production is dependent on the reserves of energy in natural resources. Today all the countries of the world have a consensus that proper use and conservation of resources is necessary. Resource conservation is a major need of the present world.

Due to forest destruction-

Following are the reasons for forest destruction-

1. Development of increasing industrialization and commercialization trend.

2. Lack of forest conservation consciousness among the common people and lack of public awareness towards forest promotion.

3. Uncontrolled mineral mining and land erosion.

4. Submergence of forests in the water catchment area of dams.

5. Conversion of forest and pasture areas into agricultural land and uncontrolled animal herding.

6. Deforestation for fuel and other uses.

7. Destruction of forests for residential land due to population growth and urbanization.

8. Uncontrolled exploitation of ground water.

9. Infestation of insects, termites and diseases.

10. Forest degradation due to forest fire, storm and landslides etc.

11. Degradation of forests in the construction of roads and railways.

12. Faulty forest policies.

Forest resource conservation-

Natural plants, on the one hand, have many uses for humans and on the other hand, are helpful in maintaining the balance of the environment. Many tribal castes live in the forests. The demand for forest products is continuously increasing. Today, due to the excessive nature of growth and profit, the world's forest wealth is continuously decreasing.

The losses caused by destruction of forests are as follows-

1. The ability to hold moisture in the atmosphere decreases.

2. Soil erosion increases.

3. Ecological imbalance occurs.

4. The amount of rainfall decreases.

5. Wild animal species are destroyed.

16. The fertility of the land starts decreasing.

7. Environmental pollution increases.

8. Useful substances and plants available from forests are not available.

9. The temperature increases.

10. Pure air is not available.

Forest conservation is the primary need of the world today because today everyone is suffering from loss of fertile soil, forest erosion, severe landslides, severe drought, reduction in rainfall, environmental pollution which is the result of destruction of forests.

Therefore, conservation of forests is very important. Following are the measures related to forest conservation-

1. Deforestation should be done in a controlled and proper manner, mainly three methods are used for proper management -

i. Deforestation – Done in areas where the same type of wood is spread over a wide area. Trees of the same age are cut in a particular section commercially. After that they are left to germinate again.

ii.  Selective felling- In descriptive felling, the cutable trees are selected and cut sequentially, that is, there are always trees in those forests and a sequentially selected group of trees is used.

iii. Protected felling- In protected felling, low quality trees are cut first so that trees providing good wood can grow.

2. Fire protection paths and fire barrier paths should be made in between the forests. These are vegetation free corridors on the periphery of the forest and in the middle of the forest respectively. It is necessary to keep such corridors free from dry grass and leaves. In such a situation, if a fire breaks out in any part of the forest, it is easy to keep it limited.

3. Conservation of forests for the expansion of agricultural area and residential development so that forests can be conserved by stopping the eradication of forest land and shifting cultivation.

4. To protect forests from floods, cyclones, strong winds, storms and droughts etc.

5. To fulfill the basic needs of the rural society, a scheme for forest development should be started in the vacant community land around the settlements and the waste land unused for agricultural use.

6. Destruction of pasture areas should be avoided, which will reduce the destruction of forests by animals for conservation and development of pastures.

7. There is huge damage to forests every year due to termites, caterpillars, beetles, ladybugs and other types of insects. These pests should be destroyed by modern control methods. At the same time, it is important to keep in mind that while destroying insects, other plants are not affected.

8. Use electric cremation receptacle instead of wooden cremation.

9. Factories that emit air pollution causing gases into the atmosphere, especially sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides, should not be established near the forest border.

10. At the country level, valuable forest trees are used as fuel. Alternative sources of fuel should be made available to protect forests.

11. The country should be divided into small units and trees should be planted in large numbers. The development of fast growing multi-purpose trees will enhance the quality of the environment.

Forest means such areas which grow naturally and are not covered with grass, bushes and trees. The main thing is that biological diversity should be found in them. Any step which provides protection to such forests, prevents unnecessary interference by agriculture, animal grazing or humans and increases their biological diversity and natural productivity, will be beneficial from the point of view of forest conservation.

Conclusion

For forest conservation, there is a need to adopt a simple policy which presents such a combination of the above mentioned methods according to the local conditions, which will be able to stop the contraction, fragmentation of forest covered areas, loss of biological diversity in forests and reduction in their natural productivity. And at the same time, the feeling of planting forests should be awakened in the public mind.

Reference

1. Agarwal, A., Sunita Nayain and Srabani Sen: "The Citizen's Fifth Report", 'State of India's Environment; Centre for Science and Environment, Part I, National Overview, P. 283-285.

2. Khosla, Ashok (1976). "Population and the Environment", Population and Indian Development', 1947-2000, Ed. Ashish Bosh, Vikas Publication, P. 53

3. Singh, J. (1989), "Environmental Management and Eco - Development", in Hindi, Gyanodaya Prakashan, Gorakhpur.

4. Singh, Prof. Jagdish (2005): Environment and Development, Gyanodaya Prakashan, Gorakhpur, page 234-35.

5. Sharma, Deepti and Kumar, Mahendra: Environmental Education and Public Awareness, Arjun Publishing House, Ansari Road Daryaganj, New Delhi, 2009, pages 126-133.

6. “There should be a collective effort for environmental protection” Yadav Chandrabhan, Kurukshetra, Publication Department, Soochana Bhawan, CGO Complex, Lodhi Road, New Delhi, June 20121

7. Sunderlal Bahuguna, Development and Environment, Page 79, Environment and Forest Conservation Problems and Solutions, (Edited) Takshashila Publications, New Delhi, 1991

8. “Environmental Geography” Singh Savindra and Singh Shweta, Prayag Pustak Bhawan, Allahabad, 2007

9. “There should be a collective effort for environmental protection” Yadav Chandrabhan, Kurukshetra, Publication Department, Soochna Bhawan, CGO Complex, Lodhi Road, New Delhi, June 2012.

10. Environment and Society, Kashyap Dr. Alok Kumar Dr. Surendra Pal, Arjun Publishing House.