EDAIKKAL MINI FOREST - ENVIRONMENT
News: Edaikkal’s mini-forest: a case study in greening and the workings of the government
What's in the news?
● The
transformation of the area under the Edaikkal
Project in Villupuram district, implemented
in 1994 with funds from the Social Forestry Scheme, is a classic example of
what commitment to greening can do.
● In
28 years, the area has become a dense mini-forest and is now home to fauna like
deer, mongoose and snakes. In another sense, it could also be a case study of
the workings of the government.
● Around 250 varieties of
flora were planted, allotting one acre for each species of tree, plant and
shrubs native to Tamil Nadu.
● The administration decided to create herbariums and special agro-climatic conditions for rarer/exotic varieties in due course.
Social forestry:
● Social
forestry is the management and development of forests with afforestation on
barren lands to achieve environmental benefit and rural development.
● The term was first used by the National Commission on Agriculture, Government of India, in 1976.
Objectives:
● Improve
the environment to safeguard crops from bad weather patterns.
● Increase
the availability of home fuelwood, small timber for rural housing, animal feed,
and minor forest output for local industry.
● Enhance
the natural beauty of the terrain; establish recreational forests for the
benefit of both rural and urban people.
● Provide
opportunities for unskilled laborers.
● It
impacts land restoration.
● Raise rural and urban people's living standards and quality of life.
Schemes to promote social forestry:
● Nagar
Van Yojana (NVY)
● School
Nursery Yojana
● Compensatory
Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA)
● National
Afforestation Programme (NAP)
● National Mission for a Green India (GIM) etc.
Nagar Van Yojana:
● To
create Nagar Vans (urban forests) and
Nagar Vatikas in the country with an objective to significantly enhance the
tree outside forests and green cover, enhancement of biodiversity and
ecological benefits to the urban and peri-urban areas apart from improving the
quality of life of city dwellers.
● It
is launched by the Ministry of
Environment, Forest & Climate Change.
● The
finances for the scheme will be paid for
by the CAMPA (Compensatory Afforestation Fund (CAF) Act, 2016) funds.
● Target:
The scheme envisages developing 400
Nagar Vans and 200 Nagar Vatikas in the country during the period of 2020-21 to
2024-25.