Forest Conservation is a Question of Existence, Not Just Environment

By Yogesh Kumar Goyal

Nature has always been revered in Indian culture. Our festivals and celebrations have not been merely occasions of social joy, but symbols of the co-existence of nature and humans. Today, when the entire world is grappling with unprecedented challenges like climate change, loss of biodiversity, pollution, and water crisis, ‘Van Mahotsav’, celebrated in India from July 1st to 7th, is not just a tree plantation drive but has become a national resolve to save life on Earth. In fact, considering the needs of the present times, there can be no bigger festival than Van Mahotsav, because it concerns not just the environment, but the very future of human civilization. In Indian tradition, forests are considered godlike. They are not merely clusters of trees but the lungs of the Earth, the largest shelters for biodiversity, protectors of rivers, guardians of climate balance, and the livelihood baseline for millions of people. Just before independence, a massive tree-plantation drive carried out in Delhi in July 1947 gave birth to the concept of Van Mahotsav, which was given a national form in 1950 by the then Union Minister for Food and Agriculture, Kanhaiyalal Maniklal Munshi. The first week of July was chosen because the soil retains sufficient moisture during the Southwest Monsoon, ensuring the highest survival rate for saplings. Today, this campaign has become a living symbol of India's philosophy of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ (The World is One Family).

The state of forests globally remains alarming. According to the United Nations, only about 31 percent of the Earth's land area is forested, while millions of hectares of forest land are lost every year to illegal logging, industrialization, mining, and infrastructural development. Scientists have warned that if this trend continues, many of the world's rainforests could face a severe crisis in the coming decades. In times like these, the responsibility of a massive and biodiversity-rich country like India increases even more. In recent years, India has made remarkable efforts toward forest conservation and tree plantation. According to the India State of Forest Report (ISFR) by the Forest Survey of India, the country's total forest and tree cover has increased to 8,27,357 square kilometers, which is 25.17 percent of the country's total geographical area. This includes 7,15,343 square kilometers of forest area and 1,12,014 square kilometers of tree cover. Compared to the previous assessment, an increase of 1,445 square kilometers was recorded in the total green cover. In terms of area, Madhya Pradesh has the largest forest cover in the country, followed by Arunachal Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. On the other hand, in terms of forest density ratio, Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh, and Meghalaya are the leading states. Internationally, the Global Forest Resources Assessment Report by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations ranks India ninth in the world based on total forest area, and puts it among the leading nations in terms of annual gain in forest area.

However, certain serious challenges are linked to these achievements. Experts believe that a major portion of the increase in green cover has occurred in open forests and commercial plantations rather than natural dense forests. Natural forests are not just collections of trees; they are complex ecosystems consisting of thousands of flora, fauna, microorganisms, and water sources. Artificial plantations can never replace them. A matter of particular concern is Northeast India, where a decline in forest cover has been recorded in several areas due to road construction, hydroelectric projects, Jhum (shifting) cultivation, landslides, and other development activities. In my book ‘Pradushan Mukt Saansein’, I have explained in detail that the impact of forest degradation is not limited to the environment alone, but directly affects wildlife and human life. Due to the destruction of natural habitats, animals like elephants, tigers, leopards, and other wildlife are entering human settlements in search of food and water, leading to a continuous rise in incidents of human-wildlife conflict. On the other hand, while compensatory afforestation is carried out after large-scale cutting of trees for development projects, most of the saplings fail to survive due to a neglect of their care, irrigation, and protection. Merely planting saplings is not enough; protecting them until they grow into trees is the real success.

Today, forests have become the greatest guardians of human health. Trees are the most effective and affordable solution to problems like air pollution, water crisis, and desertification of land. They absorb carbon dioxide to slow down climate change, provide oxygen, balance the rainfall cycle, maintain groundwater levels, and prevent soil erosion. Due to rising pollution, there is a rapid increase in diseases related to cancer, heart ailments, asthma, bronchitis, and lungs. Moreover, erratic monsoons, severe heatwaves, droughts, cloudbursts, and forest fires are clear signs that nature's balance is deteriorating rapidly. To tackle this crisis, India has set a target to create an additional carbon sink of 2.5 to 3 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent by 2030, in which forests will play a decisive role.

Nevertheless, the real message of Van Mahotsav is not limited to planting millions of saplings in a single week; its success lies in prioritizing native species suitable to the local climate—such as Neem, Peepal, Banyan, Bael, Jamun, Arjun, among others—and ensuring regular care for each sapling for at least three years. Until tree plantation is transformed into a campaign of public participation and public responsibility, the dream of a Green India will remain unfulfilled. Development and environment are not contradictory but complementary to each other. Economic progress, modern technology, and infrastructural development are essential, but they cannot replace clean air, pure water, and a balanced climate. If forests are protected, rivers will remain alive, groundwater will thrive, biodiversity will be preserved, and the future of human civilization will also be secure. Therefore, Van Mahotsav should not remain just a government program, but must become the moral responsibility of every citizen and a national movement. Today, the need is not just to plant trees but to save them, because future generations will want a legacy of a clean, breathable Earth from us, not tall buildings of development.

(The author is a senior journalist, environmental expert and author of the highly acclaimed book on environmental conservation, ‘Pradushan Mukt Saansein’)

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