A reputable German ecologist visited the State in early 90’s in connection with the global warming studies. I was part of this expensive project on climate change that was funded by European Union. My job  on the project in Germany  was to find out the rate of change in the forest cover of  Srilanka., South America and Himalayas  between the pre- and post industrial era using satellite imagery as part of the total change in the forest cover of the earth. The rate of deforestation was finally to form an input in the climate change model, in order to find out the changes in the carbon dioxide sink of the world and its contribution to the increase in the temperature of the globe  which  we thought was  growing at  an alarming pace. The first meeting on the climate change that discussed global warming  was held in Innsbruck, Austria in 1983 , in which I participated and presented a paper on the findings on the changes in forest cover  which were published in its proceedings in Austria and  the entire work on the Himalayan forests was later published in India  as  a book titled ‘Remote Sensing of Himalyas ’and is widely referred in global warming circles.. That time, I never thought that global warming would become a household word and would catch such an attention of international community.

As I was discussing the aftermath of global warming with my professor, I thought he was overwhelmed with the beauty of the natural resources of the Kashmir Himalayas that had lapped up such luxurious temperate forests with abundant water resources and permanent glaciers in such a short geological age and had the capability of sustaining itself environmentally. Politically, he thought Kashmir Himalayas  were landlocked and may not be self sustaining.  No country in the world could sustain itself in the present political environment that is landlocked and did not have a sea route with an independent port. Having no access to the sea is generally a great blow to a nation, politically, militarily, and particularly with respect to international trade and therefore economic security.  There are many independent countries in the world that do not have a coastline. These include Bhutan, Laos, Mongolia, Nepal ,Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan ,  Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Niger Botswana, Malawi, Zambia,  Malawi,  Uganda   Bolivia, Paraguay among others. These countries are largely poor and dependent. . Using air spaces and land routes of neighboring countries for a meaningful connection to the rest of world makes it difficult to become an integral and interrelated part of the global economy and activity unless you in turn have something to offer to such countries in exchange.

Lack of  an independent link to the outside world is amply offset by the natural environment Kashmir Himalayas enjoy. Europe is no less beautiful when you talk of forests, water, snow and other forms of natural resources. But Europe is placed close to the pole and therefore bears the brunt of  extremes of  wet and cold  climate and in contrast,  Kashmir is placed close to the tropics and thus has the best of both the worlds. Someone asked me if I could compare the beauty of Swiss alps with Kashmir Himalayas and why does everybody likens Kashmir to Switzerland? I said both are beautiful in their luxurious forests and the bounties attached to it, but  Kashmir has the tropical sun (the mother) shinning on its snows even  in winter and the Switzerland has the bitter penetrating cold and  dull weather of the north pole. At  the same time. Swiss beauty is dressed like a bride and  Kashmir bedecked in the torn and dirty clothes of a beggar. Kashmir Himalayas derive the salubriousness of its climate from its  mix of altitudinal and latitudinal placement on the surface of the globe , giving it a definitive edge as the most suitable and healthy habitable place in the entire world. If the condition of the mother earth continues to be perceived as a deteriorating asset that will leave many nations drowned in the rising waters and many countries inhabitable for its rising temperatures and water scarcity, would  Kashmir Himalayas be the most preferred  destination for living a good and quality life in the entire world. If that is so, does it make economic sense to preserve the present environment of Kashmir Himalayas with its bounty of natural resources? Does it not make it self sufficient and self sustaining? Does it need an independent port or a sea route to sustain itself? Does it need a highway to import all the plastics and polythenes of the world?  It does not. Others may have all the wealth of the world under the scorching heat of the sun but I have the Mother (Mauj Kashir) that saves me from the rising temperature, provides me clean water and air and produces for me anything that the earth is capable of.  Kashmir does not  have a port that would connect it to the world.  But, at a time, when the nations of the world are fighting over water sharing, paying for carbon credits, looking for cooler and unpolluted  places in an increasingly warming world,  you can not have  a more self sustaining piece of earth than the Kashmir Himalayas.

As a  young boy I have heard elders saying that ‘Khawaja-e-Khazir’ meets everybody once in a lifetime and fulfills his wish if he is able to recognize him. Shake your hand with him and if you find no bones in  his thumb, there he is. Don’t leave him unless your wish is fulfilled. I think Khawaja-e-Khazir also meets  aspiring nations  once in a life time.  He definitely met the Kashmiris in the Supreme court of India in the case T.N. Goda Varman Thiru Mulkpad –Vs- Union of India – heard by double bench in late ninetees.

As I was pursuing the case on behalf of J&K, one day  as the case was being heard by the Bench,I had a strange sensation hearing to the derogatory arguments of Harish Salve on   Management of Kashmir forests  and  our advocate  Kapil Sibil listening to him with his  usual customary smile. Some force carried me  in front of the Bench and I loudly sought permission of the Honble Chief Justice of India  who graciously allowed me to express my views after a brief introduction. This space does not allow me to elaborate on what  I said before the bench for full 35 minutes but suffice to say that the Bench was so impressed that they ordered that Harish Salve  and me, together draft a final resolution of the problems facing J K forests for the court to consider and pass orders.  We spent two evenings together at Harish Salve’s  residence and drafted the recommendation which were accepted by the Supreme Court and passed orders. Not many people except a few including the former Advocate General, Mr Altaf Naik and the then Law Secretary of the State, Mr. Sharma,  know that  it was on my insistence that court ordered complete ban on green felling for Kashmir State only and all other states were exempted from this clause of the order. All other States including Govt. of India had very strong  technical reasons against a total ban on green felling . The Supreme court  had no scientific or silvicultural  basis for enforcing a complete ban on green fellings and any such move would be read as unscientific and against the silviculture  and management of natural forests. In the case of Jammu and Kashmir, I had myself opted for a complete ban on felling , the  Bench gladly accepted it and passed orders.  Having worked for forty years on decision making positions, I knew how we were managing our forest unscientifically to the tunes and whims of the vested interests  in positions of power and compulsions of the poverty and greed ridden social order. I always held the view that if the felling of forests was continued unabated under the pretext of scientific requirements of the natural forests , the State will end up as a desert. So the ban worked.

The ban on green fellings continued till I retired in 2005 and the entire forest fraternity defeated all forces that wanted the green fellings to be restored  on one or the other pretext . Now that the State Government is working on a new forest policy draft, it would be in place to remind the people in position of power not to fall a prey to the vested lobby and allow any green fellings in the State forests even under a conservative felling system of Selection fellings. We should not miss the opportunity that has been provided by the Supreme Court of India...

(Dr. M.A. Kawosa (IFS) is Ex. Chief Conservator of Forests)

Lastupdate on : Tue, 29 Jun 2010 21:30:00 Mecca time
Lastupdate on : Tue, 29 Jun 2010 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Wed, 30 Jun 2010 00:00:00 IST