Bantala: In a heartwarming development, villagers have contributed to an increase in forest cover in Angul district by 2 sq km despite rapid industrialisation and expansion of mining projects, a report said Wednesday.
The matter came to fore from a recent report published by the Forest Survey of India, an autonomous body of the Union government.
This has become possible due to untiring efforts by villagers who have managed to protect the green cover through their community based programme. The district has 2,704 sq km of forest cover which is 42.42 per cent of the total geographical area.
While large swaths of forest land have been put into use for industrialisation, construction of railway lines and other developmental works by converting them into non-forest category, the villagers have contributed their might to the growth of forests.
According to a report, over 5,000 hectare of forest land has been converted into non-forest category. In many cases, forest land is under encroachment of industrial units and influential persons. In such a scenario, the villagers’ contribution to growth of forests has appeared as ray of hope for many, the FSI report said.
The district has over 1,900 villages out of which residents in 1,000 villages have been protecting forests. They have managed to protect forests through community participation with groups of villagers guarding the jungles on rotation basis. This has been continuing since 1980.
The state government gave approval to the villagers’ efforts under its joint forest policy in 1994. Later, the forest department formed Vana Surakhsya Samitis (forest protection committees) under each forest division to aid the National Afforestation Scheme.
The scheme is being implemented in 500 villages under Angul, Athamallik, Satkosia forest divisions and Pallahara and Khamar forest ranges under Deogarh forest division.
According to 2015 FSI report, forest cover has increased in 14 districts in the state while it has declined in 11 districts and has remained unchanged in five districts.
The geographical area of Angul district is 6,375 sq km out of which dense forest is spread over 362 sq km, medium dense forest is on 1350 sq km and open forest on 990 sq km while bushy jungles are spread over 117 sq km.
In 2011 FSI report, 2 sq km of forest land declined in the district while it increased to 35 sq km in 2013. It again witnessed an increased to 2 sq km in 2015.
Environmentalist Sushil Kumar Pradhan said this has become possible due to sustained efforts by villagers in protecting forests while the forest department is not doing its bit to encourage the villagers. PNN
