FOREST MONITORING PROGRAMME KASHMIR

• Monitoring state governing policies and plans towards the forest protection and conservation

• Monitoring timber smuggling .

• Monitoring forest fires

• Monitoring forest encroachments

• Helping forest protection force to nab the culprits associated with timber smuggling and forest encroachers

FMC-KASHMIR was created in June, 2003 by Green Defenders with the objective of monitoring periodically the changing situation of land and forest resources and present the data for national planning; conservation and management of environmental preservation and implementation of social forestry projects.

We at Forest Monitoring Cell Kashmir are closely monitoring through our district nodes as well as through contact with GD observers and locals living in affected areas and are committed to initiate catalysis action for conservation and protection of Kashmir's forest, curtailment of forest exploitation, by providing media, educational, legal, technical, and other forms of support and advocacy.

The recorded forest area in the State occupies only 20182 sq. km i.e 19.95 % of its 222235 sq. km geographical area. As per the National Forest Policy, 1988, hilly regions like that of Jammu & Kashmir should aim at a forest cover of 66 % against the prescription of 33 % suggested in NFP for the plain regions of the country. Further, about 46 % of the reported cover is between crown density of 10- 40 % , leaving only about 11000 sq km of good forest with crown density of more than 40 % .The State has already lost more than 13 per cent of its forest area in the last four decades. Going by official figures, on an average, the State has lost 74.37 sq.km. of its forest area every year in the last 40 years.

In a State where 48 per cent of the rural population is directly or indirectly dependent on forests, the economic consequences could not be long delayed. The forest wealth of the State includes trees like Deodhar, Blue Pine and Silver Fir. A normal Deodhar tree is 120 feet tall and is worth over Rs.1,00,000 in the market. This has borne the main brunt of exploitation. More than 40,00,000 Deodhar trees were extracted from the dense forests, directly affecting the livelihood of poor households. Over 70 per cent of cedar trees, also known as deodar, have vanished from the forests of Kashmir following the ban imposed on timber exports by neighboring state Himachal Pradesh in 1977. To meet the demand for wood, mass destruction of the state's forests has taken place since then. The incidence of repeated looping by Gujjars and Bakerwalls for firewood and charcoal purpose have made large areas of cedar prone to disease of insects and fungi, also growth is seriously effected.

Almost 3500 to 4000 truckloads of logs has been transported from the state daily. The government also signed various wood supply contracts with industries and exported about 3000 logs of cedar daily to other countries. Despite blanket ban on green felling by Supreme Court, 5360000 Cft firewood / timber is annually commercialized. Forest Conservation Act ( 1997 ) strictly prohibits diversion of any forest area to non forestry sector. However ever since 1997 Forest Conservation Act, 3815.416 ha forest area has been diverted. Forests encroachments is ever increasing issue of Kashmir forests particularly in South circle ; Range Anantnag 1065, Lidder 296, Shopian 768, JV 197 hectare has been encroached. Similarly in North circle ; Kamraj 737 , Langate 542, Kehmil 1070 and in Srinagar circle ; Badipora 270, Pirpanjal 890, and Sind 230 hectares of forest land has been encroached.

Kashmir is predominantly an agriculture economy with total cultivable area of 7.48 and gross sown area of 11.15 lac hectares, roughly 80% rural population directly or indirectly depends on agriculture and allied sectors. However, the Valley falls in the, mountainous Agriculture zone and therefore has a limited cultivable area. The average size of holding in the state is 0.76 hectares and about 85% farmers are in the categories of small and marginal farmers. The State is facing deficit production of around 25% in food grain, 70% in oil seed production and about 40% in vegetable production, coupled with Annual growth of 2.9%. People inside forests and in its vicinity tend to increase their agriculture land or construct structures thereon. In recent past, the tendency showed an increase.

The total area available for grazing in the state is estimated to be 12787 sq km which works out to be 9.02% of the total geographic area. The pastures of trans-Himalayas are not included in this assessment. High altitude steppe grasslands of Ladakh cover an estimated area of 3900 to 40000 sq km. Extensive free grazing is pastoral and nomadic graziers in this area due to poor density of vegetation. The alpine pasture have also lost their productive capacity under the pressure of the nomadic graziers. The carrying capacity of all typed of pasture lands does not exceed more than 2 to 3 Himalayan stock units (1 HSU = 1 adult sheep) against the prevalent grazing intensity of 7 to 8 HSU.

The State falls on the unstable geological formation of the rising Himalayas. Deforestation is described as the root cause of various ecological problems, whether landslides or shrinking water bodies. The Jammu-Srinagar National Highway 1A was constructed by cutting the hilly areas without planting trees along the sides, which made it susceptible to frequent landslides. Thus soil erosion started and the areas were no longer suitable for cultivation. The village economy was no longer self-sufficient and some areas close to the highway were even washed away, particularly in the Ramban belt midway on the highway.

Since 1991, the population of Jammu-Kashmir state has increased 30 percent, and Forest Department has risen 20-22 percent in the protected areas. The forestry budget of 100 million rupees (US$2 million) a year is not enough.....
 

We at Green Defenders Kashmir are closely watching the outbreak of timber smugglings of both forest and non forest produce throughout the Valley, through monitoring of district nodes as well as through contact with observers and locals living in affected areas, it appears that timber smuggling have reached alarming dimensions.

We depend on forest from birth to burial and cradle to cremation. We need wood and forest produce because of our traditional affinity, lack of sufficient resources and alternatives. We have been exploiting our green gold for revenue, construction and development, live stock development and ethno - botanic medicare etc. During insurgency, forest resource suffered the worst.

Green Defenders Kashmir has enhanced its support to state drive against illicit damage to trees and other forest produce. Thanks to esro Kashmir Chapter for the creation of Green Defenders Kashmir. GDK disseminate information of any illicit activities floating from the source to top within no time and press the Forest Protection Force to nab the culprits along the means of transport. We are support enforcement agency, monitoring the nature crimes even before it has to be executed. This is done through trade studies, market monitoring, information gathering activities.
 

  Anti Smuggling Statistics

  Kashmir Division

It is heartbreaking to learn that the fires have mercilessly consumed thousands upon thousands of acres of old growth and alpine forests. It is even more heartbreaking to learn that this environmental disaster was almost entirely the result of human action.

It is heartbreaking to learn that the fires have mercilessly consumed thousands upon thousands of acres of old growth and alpine forests. It is even more heartbreaking to learn that this environmental disaster was almost entirely the result of human action. Though there are climatic conditions which have created an underlying proclivity for these fires, it is distinctly clear that human behavior (including military action) and subsequent inaction or inability by locals/ local authorities to properly respond has played the principal role in the rapid spread of these fires. Moreover, the current lack of a proper forest fire prevention/response plan as well as the underlying conflict in Jammu & Kashmir and the restrictions on access that it creates along the militarized "Line-of-Control" has exacerbated the environmental crisis.

The habitat loss caused by these forest fires alone is sure to push the already weak wildlife populations further towards the threshold of extinction. Apparently timber smugglers, after illegal cutting and timber smuggling from internal forest areas, deliberately set fires to destroy the evidence of the offence. The current lack of a proper forest fire prevention/response plan as well as the underlying conflict in Jammu & Kashmir and the restrictions on access that it creates along the militarized "Line-of-Control" has exacerbated the environmental crisis.

There have been hundreds of forest fires cases reported from both sides of the LOC in Jammu & Kashmir. The fires cover an extensive area ranging from the northern parts of District Baramulla to the southern reaches of Doda. Major fires have been reported all the way along the LOC from Tangdar, Gurez, and Uri. In addition, fires have been raging in district Anantnag, Hirpora area of Shopian, and Kupwara among others. The Kishenganga Valley has been severely hit with fires engulfing large areas of forest on both sides of the "cease-fire line" there. An estimated 122,000 acres of forest have been affected in this area alone, reports indicate. The exact figures of affected forest area has not yet been ascertained, but already damage reports estimate 100 plus hectares of forest to be involved.

This indicates a serious blow to the condition of Jammu & Kashmir’s flora and fauna. The habitat loss caused by these forest fires alone is sure to push the already weak wildlife populations further towards the threshold of extinction.

A number of fires currently raging in Kashmir are likely the result of deliberate arson. In the case of fires in the Hirpora forests of Shopian area as well as in forests of District Islamabad, there are strong indications that they are the direct off-shoot of the timber smuggling problem which continues to be a major cause of deforestation in J&K. Apparently timber smugglers, after illegal cutting and timber smuggling from internal forest areas, deliberately set fires to destroy the evidence of the offence. These arsons are a regular method employed by timber smugglers. (In addition it is possible that timber smugglers can accidentally start these internal forest fires through careless disposal of cigarettes or extinguishing of camp fires). Unfortunately, the extremely dry conditions prevailing this season have proven to be a very volatile combination with these arsons.

In order to curb human accidents causing forest fires, serious efforts has been taken to increase local Kashmiri awareness about forest fire prevention, especially in those residential and village areas located adjacent to forests. Something along the lines of the Smokey Bear Forest Fire Prevention program, could be carried out in the schools.

The local authorities, perhaps in cooperation with local meteorologists and the respective Forestry Departments, should devise a wildfire risk index. In this way, the monitoring of natural or man-made fire probability can increase response readiness as well as alert locals to be more careful when dealing with fire in areas adjacent to forests.

Neither authority seems prepared for battling the fires nor do they seem to have a contingency plan for the necessary response.
 

Just Call  Hot Lines Antismuggling Web & Forest Fire Control Cell 

Principal C. C. Forests 9419011648 Chief Conservator Forests 2479923

Forest Publicity Division 2452729 DFO Pir Panjal 9419475477

DFO Demarcation 2310800 DFO Langate 2424908 DFO Publicity 9419003331