Losing Green Gold: How Kashmir’s forests are facing axe

Waseem Ahmad and Riyaz Khan of north Kashmir’s Gogaldara area are collecting garbage and scattered waste in this picturesque meadow, dotted with majestic pine and deodar trees. Just a few meters away, the two friends witness mayhem of trees by the timber smuggling mafia.

Both Ahmad and Khan have been engaging with locals and raising awareness about deforestation and serious consequences of the mafia. They say that the wanton loot of green wealth continues to remain “unabated” in this part of Jammu and Kashmir.

   

“All we have seen in the name of the development and the tourism revival; the timber smuggling mafia gets momentum in this part. Our identity is because of our forests and the tribes living in these areas,” Ahmad told Kashmir Ink.

Ahmad has pursued a professional course in Hotel Management in Srinagar. “By staying away from my native village, all I have learned is to keep my area safe and secure from the mafia running deep here. We can’t afford to lose our green gold. It can cost on our identity and on our survival as well,” he says.

‘Disheartening Scenes’

Khan says that the human intervention has not only affected the forest cover of his area but it has largely affected the overall ecological balance of the areas.

“We are witnessing so much change in the climatic pattern and also the local weather conditions. This is all because of the continuous human intervention and tampering of natural resources,” Khan says. “From last couple of years, we have seen trees being cut mercilessly and also during the lockdown time, the human intervention doubled in areas like ours.”

They say that there are many factors responsible for rampant felling of the trees in some as the people living along forest areas face livelihood issues. “People here face socio-economic issues and besides that they are also lacking the education, health, and other important facilities and with no such facilities round the corner, the people resort to the deforestation and smuggling of the green gold,” they say.

Hakeem Shabir of north Kashmir’s frontier Kupwara district says that he along with his friends had gone for a trek in Bud Nambal area of Kupwara forests. What they saw was “disheartening.”

“We saw devastation and mass scale deforestation going on at Bud Nambal, Kupwara, this made me and my friends sad. Leaving the place with a heavy heart, we went to the Deputy Commissioner’s office with a plea and appealed to him to launch a campaign in the area, however, nothing was done so far.”

According to figures, the Jammu and Kashmir government has recovered over 37,000 cubic feet of timber from timber smugglers in different parts of the Kashmir region. The officials admit that there have been many occasions where the forest smuggling mafia got “free hand” to carry out mass-scale deforestation. However; they claimed that plantation drives launched by the Department of Forest, Environment and Ecology and erecting of fencing and boundary walling has helped in rampant felling of trees by timber mafia—this they said would otherwise affect the larger ecology balance and take a toll on the green gold of the Kashmir region.

According to officials, the forest department seized over 37,9437.19 cubic feet of timber and registered around 626 cases of timber smuggling during 2019-2020 and onwards. The forest officials say that nearly 78 horses have been seized from April 2021 onwards.

According to trekkers and professional campers, it was really saddening to see these magical places including Gogaldara, Ringawali, Baderkoot, Poshkar in Khaag, and Tangmarg belts, falling prey to massive deforestation and green gold mafia.

“This must stop before we witness disasters of such immense resources,” says Ummar Maqbool, an avid camper.

The Divisional Forest Officer, Tangmarg, Showkat Ahmad Kuthoo, while reacting to such claims said that the fallen trees are old dry stumps refreshed by women folk during collection of Firewood. “Recently, 5 PSAs have been issued against timber smugglers of the area.”

Pertinently, Jammu and Kashmir has 21,387 sq km of forest area. Nearly 47.80% of Jammu and Kashmir’s geographical area is covered by forests. The officials say that economically, the forests in Jammu and Kashmir generate over 2 million man-days of employment and have a monetary value equivalent to Rs 1.93 lakh crore.

A senior forest official at Shiekh Bagh, told Kashmir Ink that the department and its allied wings including Forest Protection Force is taking all the efforts to curb the timber mafia and generate awareness among masses regarding the role of forest cover in the human lives.

‘Forest Damages’

Another senior forest official, wishing not to be named, argued and attributed two major causes for forest damages in Kashmir region.

Localised damage: The official argued that in order to meet genuine requirement of timber for construction of log hut, kotha or house or meeting firewood demand for winter in barfani areas. This damage is of petty nature and is not a big issue for the forest department. Although such incidents are reported frequently and all across Divisions of the valley.

Commercial damage: The official told Kashmir Ink that this type of damage is a matter of concern in which a chain of people are involved from cutting trees to selling it in the market. This damage happens near municipal areas where there is huge demand for timber. The grey areas have been Awantipora, Shopian, Budgam, Sutharan, Kuthar, Gotingoo, Kandi, Rafiabad and Kupwara. The official says that there are three main constituents involved in facilitating this type of damage which include wood cutter who lives in forest fringe village, transporter who is either horse, pony rider, head-loader or vehicle carrier and Joinery or Bandsaw mill where sleepers are crushed and converted into finished forms for eventually sale.

‘Wildlife under Threat’

According to experts, the human-driven and natural loss of trees—deforestation—largely affects wildlife, ecosystems, weather patterns, and even the climate. Environmentalists say that the forests cover 31% of the land area on the planet. They help people thrive and survive by, for example, purifying water and air and providing people with jobs; some 13.2 million people across the world have a job in the forest sector and another 41 million have a job that is related to the sector. Many animals also rely on forests. Forests are home to more than three-quarters of the world’s life on land.

“Wild animals need suitable habitat: areas where they are safe, secure, and comfortable. They use these areas for resting, sleeping, feeding, breeding, hiding, and escaping predators. But when we disrupt these areas, animals lose access to important resources and become exposed to new threats,” says, ace wildlife photographer and avid trekker, Muhammad Yaqoob Baba.

“It can cause them to completely lose their homes or be forced out of their natural range. It can change existing habitats and remove sources of shelter, water, and food, such as fruit-bearing trees.”

‘Forest Fires’

The Department of Forest Environment and Ecology, Jammu and Kashmir government recently released a report ‘Forest Fire Risk Zonation & Vulnerability Assessment Forests of Jammu & Kashmir.’ According to officials, the report is a follow-up to the initial study which was undertaken in 2019-20 to map vulnerable areas based on actual fire incidences over the years 2012-2018. The officials informed that the study on “Forest Fire Risk Zonation and Vulnerability Assessment” has been carried out based on the various factors responsible for forest fires, such as fuel, wind speed, slope, aspect, proximity to roads, proximity to infrastructure and ecological conditions.

In this study, an attempt was made to model the forest fire risk zones based on various indicators as prescribed in the National Action Plan on Forest Fire (NAPFF).

Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and Head of Forest Force Jammu & Kashmir, Dr. Mohit Gera, says that forest constitutes the largest, most complex and important national resource mostly dominated by trees and home to around 80% of biodiversity. The PCCF in a report says that the forests face tremendous pressure because of increasing population and demand for forest produce like fuelwood, fodder, grazing and other non-timber forest products. Along with other pressures, forest fires are the major cause of injury and loss to forests.

Commissioner Secretary to Government, Forest, Environment & Ecology, J&K, Sanjeev Verma, says that the forests are a center-piece for nurturing and conserving biodiversity; they are generating significant ecosystem services and economic resources. Vast forest resources of Jammu & Kashmir are priceless treasures that must be conserved for future generations. “Forests face tremendous anthropogenic pressures, as they render a variety of services: on account of removal of fuelwood, fodder, grazing. This pressure is further heightened by Forest Fires, which pose a grave threat to the entire regime of flora, fauna and adversely impact the ecology of that area. Baneful impacts of forest fire do not remain confined to the damage only, but exceed far beyond and have socioeconomic implications also,” he says.

“Forest fires are quite common in sub-tropical Jammu region. Their frequency has generally been low in Kashmir region. However, factors such as changes in precipitation patterns and rising temperatures are creating favourable conditions for higher incidents of forest fires in colder regions as well.”

‘Start of STRATEGY’

Conservator of Forests, North Circle, Irfan Rasool, said that Jammu and Kashmir Forest Department has adopted a multifaceted strategy to tackle timber smuggling. The key constituents of forest damages have been thoroughly examined and accordingly prevention and remedial measures have been taken viz. The people living in forest fringe villages indulge in wood cutting due to underlying socio-economic factors such as poverty, lack of accessibility and lack of employment opportunities.

The Forest department has first allowed road constructions in inaccessible forest villages through PMGSY scheme under Forest Conservation Act which has facilitated access to these forest fringe village people to go to towns for seeking job opportunities. The Forest department has also involved local people in plantation and timber extraction works which has provided them employment at their own place. He says that the forest department has also developed Trekking routes and Eco-parks in vulnerable and smuggling prone areas which has created plenty of opportunities for them to earn their livelihood. On the other hand, the chronic and habitual timber smugglers have been booked under Public Safety Act to create perceptual deterrence.

He further shared that the Forest department has placed the right people for the right job and has effectively involved Forest Protection Force and Police in carrying out the scientific investigations in forest crime cases. These investigations have led to disclosure of nexus existing between various agencies in facilitating illicit timber trade and it has eventually led to arrest of big fishes including officials wherever they have been involved.

“The Forest department has seized many vehicles used in timber transportation which have been confiscated in favour of the government. The forest department has seized and canceled many licenses of saw mill owners who have been found involved in illicit timber trade,” he informed, adding that the remedial measures adopted by forest dept include no. of special plantation projects undertaken in previously degraded and deforested forest areas such as in Tosamaidan, Shopian, Rafiabad and Kandi.

“Millions of plants have been planted by the Forest Department especially under CAMPA scheme over the last few years in these areas which are showing very positive results. The previously degraded swathes are now turning green.” He says that there is a large public support to the Forest department in forest conservancy and efforts of forest department have received tremendous support from civil society, media which have given real boost to forest frontline staff extraordinarily working in the field.

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