Affirmative Measures |
Providing a sustained annual yield of firewood (of about 20-25 million tons) requires a large scale afforestation programme to be continued every year. The Forest Department of the State has taken up a massive afforestation programme of raising energy plantations in an area of 22,500 hectares/year. The area identified comes from degraded forests, C and D lands, community lands, foreshore areas of reservoirs and tanks, contour bunds of fields etc. In addition they are also taking up compensatory plantations to compensate for loss of forest submerged by reservoirs built for hydro projects. Another activity of the Forest Department is to raise nurseries to supply millions of seedlings to people who want to plant them in their lands.
The Agricultural Department is popularising the planting of subabool especially in Maiden districts as a multiple benefit activity - to provide fodder, fuel and revenue during drought years. It has succeeded very well in many districts on the Maiden area through its extension programme. Each year millions of seedlings are planted with a good survival rate - in contours, marginal lands, gardens, near houses, in fields etc.
Two interesting experiments to involve people are also going on in Karnataka with good success. One of them is the Millions of Trees Club at Tumkur encouraging Peoples' Nurseries. The other activity has been taken up by the Centre for Ecological Sciences, IISc to induce farmers to take up afforestation work in a scientific manner so as to optimise survival rate, utilisation and species diversity. About 170 farmers from five taluks of Uttara Kannada District are participating in this programme. They are planting about 25 to 37 species in the betta lands at their cost. The planting schedule, species type etc, are scientifically determined and the farmers are guided at various stages. Also liaison work with forest and other government agencies is undertaken to keep the programme going at a good pace. During the second year it was felt desirable to take up nursery development also. About six schools participated in this programme. This, in addition to ensuring supply of seedlings, also instilled in the minds of young students the knowledge of raising nurseries and an awareness for ecology. Currently the Centre has started research nurseries to develop seedlings of a number of species so that the biological/species diversity can be increased.