Analysis of state and national level performance of Indian Forestry

Abstract

The forestry sector in India has been playing a pivotal role in the economy both because of being the habitation for tribals and also being the host for several flora and fauna that contribute in many respects. The forests contribute direct and indirect revenue to the nations across the globe. India has three out of the 18 global biodiversity hotspots that are primarily part of forests. In view of the significance of this sector to the local economy, a study was doneon assessing the area changes across States, forest produce production pattern, institutional arrangements for forest management and the scenario of the future. Five States - Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Maharashtra,Andhra Pradesh and Orissa accounted for almost 45 per cent of the country's forest area. The per capita income has decreased over the years due to population increase. The national wastelands development board and subsequently the national afforestation and eco-development board gave the much needed fillip to social forestry besides the States taking the initiative on their own under various multinational and· donor based social forestry programmes. The value of output from forestry in 2011 as proportion of contributionto agricultureand allied sectors varied between 3 .8 and 22.4 per cent. Indiabad almost one third forest area under joint forest managementwith the local communitiesas conservation and development partners, with more area under such system in States like MadhyaPradesh and Jharkhand. Despite formidable increase in forest produce production,the imports of wood and forest products continued over the years. Besides these material contributions,the forests contribute to various environmentalservices, which are vital for human survival. All these have been discussed in some detail.