Exploring the nexus between Indian forestry and the Sustainable Development Goals

doi:10.1016/j.regsus.2022.01.002

Abstract

Abstract:

Forests are considered as a sacred asset in India and have guided the way of living throughout its history. Indian forests not only accommodate the myriad species but also act as a survival support system to the communities that depended on them. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development proposed by the United Nations (UN) has gained momentum and becomes an integral part of the recent efforts of Indian governance. In this investigation, we examined the potential nexus between Indian forestry system (biodiversity-enriched assets, ecosystem services, constitutional mechanisms, and governances) and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through theoretical underpinnings from literature that selected from database like Google Scholar, Indian forest survey reports, and information retrieved from Indian government websites. The significance of this review is that it presents comprehensive information about Indian forestry, biodiversity-rich assets, and sustainable forest management practices. The results show that Indian forestry as a whole is an integral part of the food-energy-water cycle and contributes to all dimensions of sustainable development, i.e., economic sustainability, social sustainability, and environmental sustainability. The investigation confirms that besides partly contributing to the economy and life support systems to many dependent species, forests also act as boosters in the areas of food security and health. Targets related to the climate action, peace, and partnership goals are well in place through various forestry interventions and environmental commitments by the Government of India.

Key words: Indian forests, Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Sustainable forest management, Economic sustainability, Social sustainability, Environmental sustainability, Climate change

Giribabu DANDABATHULA, Sudhakar Reddy CHINTALA, Sonali GHOSH, Padmapriya BALAKRISHNAN, Chandra Shekhar JHA. Exploring the nexus between Indian forestry and the Sustainable Development Goals[J]. Regional Sustainability, 2021, 2(4): 308-323.

Figures/Tables 6

Fig. 1.

Table 1

National-level forest institutions in India."

Title of institution	Discussion
Indian Gandhi National Forest Academy, Dehradun	Functions as a staff college for the Indian Forest Service under the administrative control of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. The institution prepares a cadre of competent forest officers to manage India’s forest resources and serves as an apex institution for capacity building of forestry personnel.
Directorate of Forest Education, Dehradun	The cadre is responsible for conducting induction training for the officers of the State Forests Service and Forest Range.
Forest Survey of India (FSI), Dehradun	The objectives of the FSI include: (1) preparing of comprehensive state of forest report once in every two years; (2) designing methodologies relating to forest surveys; (3) imparting training in modern forest survey techniques to foresters; (4) advising on the design and development of basic forest inventory system; (5) and supporting and overseeing inventory work undertaken by the state forest departments.
Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE), Dehradun	The objectives of the ICFRE are to: (1) undertake, aid, promote, and coordinate forestry education, research, and its applications; (2) develop and maintain a national library and information centre for forestry research and allied sciences; (3) act as a clearing-house for research and general information; (4) develop forestry extension programmes and propagate the same; and (5) provide consultancy services in the fields of forestry research, education, training, and allied sciences.
Indian Institute of Forest Management (IIFM), Bhopal	The objective of the IIFM is to provide training in management and related subjects to persons and personnel of forest related industries for careers, leading to management responsibilities in forestry and forest-related systems.
Indian Plywood Industries Research and Training Institute (IPIRT), Bangalore	The IPIRT undertakes research on all aspects of production of sawn timber, manufacturing plywood, and other allied engineering products.
Wildlife Institute of India (WII), Dehradun	The WII has the mandate to produce a cadre of trained wildlife managers, scientific manpower for nature conservation, and field biologists who could collect scientific information on wildlife.
Central Zoo Authority (CZA), New Delhi	The CZA objective includes enforcing standards and norms for upkeep and healthcare of animals in zoos.

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Table 4

Fig. 2.

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Policy	Objective
National Forest Policy, 1988	Focusing on environmental stability, restoring ecological balance, and preserving biological diversity of the country. Apart from this, checking soil erosion and increasing tree cover are the two other important objectives of this policy.
National Environmental Policy, 2006	Seeking to extend the coverage and fill in gaps that exist in environment management with the aim of mainstreaming the environmental concerns in all development activities.
Draft Wetland Policy, 2016	Effective conserving and managing the wetlands in the country.
National Agroforestry Policy, 2014	Integrating the practice of planting trees and crops in the agriculture land and further achieving sustainability in agriculture while optimizing its productivity.
Green Highways (Plantation, Transplantation, Beautification and Maintenance) Policy, 2015	Protecting the environment, helping local communities, and generating employment by planting trees along all the highways in the country.

Act	Objective
Indian Forest Act, 1927	Consolidation of forests, and regulation of transit, forest offences, penalty, powers to forest officers, etc.
Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972	Possession of wildlife articles, hunting, trade of wildlife, penal provisions, etc.
Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980	An act to provide for the conservation of forests and for matters connected therewith or ancillary or incidental thereto.
Environmental (Protection) Act, 1986	Authorizing the central government to protect and improve environmental quality, control and reduce pollution from all sources, and prohibit or restrict the setting and/or operation of any industrial facility on environmental grounds.
Biological Diversity Act, 2002	Preservation of biological diversity in India, and provision of mechanism for equitable sharing of benefits arising out of the use of traditional biological resources and knowledge.
Forest Rights Act, 2006	Recognition of the rights of the forest dwelling tribal communities and other traditional forest dwellers to forest resources, on which these communities are dependent for a variety of needs, including livelihood, habitation, and other socio-cultural needs.

Policy	Objective	Related to the targets under SDG 15
National Afforestation Programme (NAP)	The aim is to restore the ecology of degraded forests and develop the forest resources with peoples’ participation, with focus on improvement in livelihoods of the forest-fringe communities, especially the poor.	15.1 and 15.2
Green India Mission (GIM)	The objective of the mission is to increase green cover to the extent of 5.00×10⁴ km², improve the quality of existing green cover on another 5.00×10⁴ km², enhance eco-system services like carbon sequestration, hydrological services, and biodiversity and provisioning services like fuel, fodder, and timber and non-timber forest produces. It also has to increase forest-based livelihood income for about 3×10⁶ households.	15.1 and 15.2
Intensification of Forest Management Scheme (IFMS)	Formerly known as the Integrated Forest Protection Scheme, the IFMS intends to address both the general problems of forest protection and protection of unique vegetation.	15.5, 15.6, 15.7, and 15.8
integrated Development of Wildlife Habitat (IDWH)	A centrally sponsored scheme launched during the 11^th Plan period to provide technical and financial assistance to states/union territories for protection of wildlife habitats.	15.5 and 15.7
Project Tiger	It is an important movement aimed at the wildlife conservation of tiger in India.	15.5 and 15.7
Project Elephant	The objective is to provide financial and technical support to wildlife management efforts by states for their free-ranging populations of Asian wild elephants.	15.5 and 15.7
Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA)	The aim is to promote afforestation and regeneration activities as a way of compensating for forest land diverted to non-forest uses.	15.9