FOREST
COVER TO BE 25 PER CENT BY 2007
One-fourth of the
country’s geographic area will be brought under forest cover by
the year 2007 through participatory forest management. This was
stated by the Union Environment and Forests Minister, Shri T.R.Baalu
while addressing ‘The Workshop on Involvement of Local Communities
in Conserving Forests and Wildlife’ here today. State Forest Ministers,
Forest Secretaries, Principal Chief Conservators of Forest and
Chief Wildlife Wardens participated in the workshop. Shri Baalu
further said that 33 per cent of the country’s geographic area
will be brought under forest cover by the year 2012. Currently,
19.5 per cent of the country’s geographic area is under forest
cover.
Emphasising
on a mission approach to achieve the target, Shri Baalu called
for a very close collaboration amongst the central and state government
forest departments and also with the ministries dealing with rural
development, agriculture and tribal development. He said that
this was required for optimisation of financial, technological,
land and human resources in view of the magnitude of the task
ahead.
Shri Baalu said that
the Wildlife Conservation Strategy 2002 and the Afforestation
Programme were based on the cardinal principle of protecting the
interests of the poor and tribal population facilitating their
maximum participation in conservation programmes.
The workshop is organised
to evolve a joint strategy for implementation of various programmes
for conservation of forests and wildlife.
