Sustainability is not an option but imperative. For a better world to live in; we need good air, pure water, nutritious food, healthy environment and greenery around us. Without sustainability environmental deterioration and economic decline will be feeding on each other leading to poverty, pollution, poor health, political upheaval and unrest. The environment is not to be seen as a stand-alone concern. It cuts across all sectors of development. The rapid increase in greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, land degradation, increasing floods and droughts, advancing deserts and deteriorating conditions of fragile ecosystems, deforestation, loss of biodiversity and environmental pollution have become subjects of serious global concern. The overall impact of these phenomena is likely to result in depletion of ozone layer, change of climate, rise in sea-level, loss of natural resources, reduction in their productivity ultimately leading to an ecological crisis affecting livelihood options for development and overall deterioration in quality of life. Development based on utilization of natural resources, pressure of population and their growing demands and poverty of the people took a heavy toll of our environmental assets. While natural assets have shrunk, demands have grown resulting in overdrawals being unsustainable. We have to improve our economic growth rate, provide basic minimum life support services to a large section of our population and deal with the problems of poverty and unemployment. At the same time, we have to pay attention to conserving our natural resources and also improving the status of our environment. We need to tackle the environmental degradation in a holistic manner in order to ensure both economic and environmental Sustainability. This is a most challenging task for the country. and in particular for our planners and policymakers today.

FORESTS

 Forests play an important role in environmental and economic sustainability. They provide numerous goods and services, and maintain lifesupport systems essential for life on earth.  Some of these life support systems of major economic and environmental importance are:

(i) supply of timber, fuel wood, fodder, and a wide range of non-wood products;

(ii) natural habitat for bio-diversity and repository of genetic wealth;

(iii) provision of recreation and opportunity for ecotourism;

(iv) playing an integral part of the watershed to regulate the water regime, conserve soil, and control floods; and

(v) carbon sequestration and carbon sink.

Despite significant resource flows and national concern, the potential of forests to reduce poverty, realise economic growth, and their contri-bution to the local and global environment has not been fully realised. A combination of market and institutional failures has led to forests failing to contribute as significantly to rural incomes and poverty alleviation and economic growth as would be possible under good economic and technical management.

 Forests are consistently and seriously undervalued in economic and social terms. For example, the contribution of the forestry sector to gross domestic product (GDP) was only 1 per cent in 1996-97 (measured at constant prices of 1980-

81).  A latest estimate of gross value of goods and services provided by forestry sector puts its contribution to GDP at 2.37 per cent. Though it is extremely difficult to quantify, the economic value of the eco-system services of the forests is vast.  It is also generally agreed that much of the land-use decision that presently drives forest change takes relatively little account of these values. The challenge for policy makers is, therefore, to bring these values into the markets, cross-sectoral decisions, macro-economic policy making, and into the development of economy in general.

 The country’s forest resource is under tremendous pressure. Intensified shifting cultivation, indiscriminate removal of timber, fuel wood, fodders and other forest produce, forest fire and encroachment has led to forest degradation and deforestation.  Forests meet nearly 40 per cent of the country’s energy needs and 30 per cent of the fodder needs.  It is estimated that about 270 mt of fuel wood, 280 mt of fodder, over 12 million m3 (cubic meter) of timber and countless non-wood forest products (NWFPs) are removed from forests annually.  The future management must, therefore, take into account this compelling need for meeting the requirements of the community.

 Participatory arrangements have existed in Indian forestry for several years, in the form of forest labour cooperatives, resin tappers associations, NWFP collector’s cooperative societies and other associations. With the advent of social forestry, participation was fostered through various arrangements in different states.  The efforts were institutionalised with the introduction of Joint Forest Management (JFM) and the notification to this effect was issued by the Ministry of Environment and Forests in June 1990. The February 21 2000 guidelines have further strengthened the efforts in this direction.  So far, 27 states have issued orders enabling the setting up of a mechanism for public participation in the management of forests, and 62,890 JFM Committees covering an area of 14.25 million hectares (m ha) of forest land have been established. The viability of JFM will, however, depend on villagers’ willingness to participate and partnership arrangements, particularly with regard to the benefit sharing.  The role of Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) and voluntary agencies in the management of forests needs to be formalised in view of the 73rd Amendment to the Constitution.

 India’s biological diversity is reflected in the heterogeneity of its forest cover.  It is one of the 12 ‘mega-diversity’ countries of the world.  India is also at the meeting zone of three major bio-geographic realms, namely the Indo-Malayan (the richest in the world), the Eurasian and Afro-tropical.  India also has the two richest bio-diversity areas, one in the northeast and other in the Western Ghats.  The biological diversity is being conserved through a network of biosphere reserves, national parks and sanctuaries. However, the challenges for conservation emanate from population pressures, adverse impacts of industrialisation and intensifying threats from illegal trade.