Small Forests that Citizens can grow: Part-1

The graphic above cheered me up. That there’s been an increase in forest cover is good news indeed.  6,600 sqKm increase in one year is not small either!

Then I did a double take and pondered a while. And that led me to see forestry entirely differently.

It gets a bit dense from here with a few numbers but do stay with me; you’ll find the trip worth your while!

From online sources we know India’s sovereign land area is 3.04 million sqKm. See below how it is shared:

Source: Planning Commission of India 

Source: WiKiPedia

Item 2 above is 22% of the total land. The same source comments thus on this 22%: “Almost entirely owned by government, about 40% with canopy cover below 40%, 5 m ha considered encroached or under shifting cultivation”

Therefore, even if the government cleared all encroachments, the most it can afforest is 22%. It can of course increase canopy cover in 40% of the area. That’s about all. Government’s potential stops at 22%. 

If you cross-check, present forest cover of 0.7 million sq.Km claimed for 2016 in the opening graphic, is indeed about 24% of 3million sq.Km of total area. So where does the increase of 6,600 sqKm forest cover come from? 

Obviously, from lands in private domain, which is nearly 2 million sqKm,[Item 3 in the table]. Incidentally, India’s forest cover, given its land area and population pressure compares rather well with other countries.
Still, no forest cover is ever enough for the prosperity of a country. So how do we bring in more areas into forest. Is that doable without government assistance?

I say, 'Yes'.

How often we stop at whining about forests being lost. Of course the state can be wanton and often is. We are right to protest when appropriate. But I don't hold with a protest-only behaviour. Signing petitions, human chains, mass marches et al have become a substitute for personal action. The unchallenged whine is, "What can I do. The government is all powerful". A'right, but does the government prevent you from personal creative action or is there no room and scope for it? This assumption is what I want to challenge.

Let us start with this data: India has 250 mill. households, each with about 5 members. Let us assume 20% of the households is likely to have the interest and means to create Micro Forests.That is 50 million families.

The minimum viable size for a Micro Forest is around 1400 sqFt or 130 sqMtr. 
[I'll explain what Micro Forest are and how to create them in my next post]

Thus we see, the country's growth of forest cover in 2015-16 [6,600 sqKm] can also by achieved by individual action. What can be more satisfying than that?

[Part-2 will explain the concept of Distributed Micro Forests and how an individual with modest means can create one]