Illegal felling and smuggling of sandalwood trees in Marayur forest in Idukki have come down owing to a series of steps taken by the Government, Minister for Forest Benoy Viswom has said.
Speaking at a seminar on `Deforestation in Kerala,' organised by the BBC World Service Trust and the Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) as part of EU-India Economic Cross Cultural Programme here on Monday, he said the rate of felling of sandalwood trees had come down to .2 level. "We are not satisfied with that and wants to make it zero level. Despite the vigil, we lost one sandalwood tree a couple of days ago," he added.
Mr. Viswom said the Government was committed to seeing that illegal felling and smuggling of sandalwood trees in Marayur was prevented at all costs. The Government would strive to see that the existing forest cover was preserved at all cost. All attempts would be made in this direction, although it was a difficult task. It would be a priority agenda of the LDF Government.
The Minister said deforestation was carried out for social, political and economic reasons. "It stems out of greed of powerful quarters running behind wealth. They are powerful, roots are deep and contacts are wide. As they are rich, they think they can do anything," Mr. Viswom said.
Former Pro Vice-Chancellor, University of Kerala, M.K. Prasad, in his address, said forests were viewed as a revenue generating system. The Acts did not clearly define forest and it was a big drawback. He also stressed the need for excluding plantations from forest cover.
A report released by TERI on the occasion called for urgent action to restore forest cover in the State. The report outlined the way in which the continuing decrease in dense forest area in the State was leading to a wide range of serious problems.
Presenting the report, Associate Fellow, TERI, Yogesh Gokhale said the short-term livelihood and food security needs should be balanced against the long-term sustainability of forest environment. Incentives were needed to ensure the survival of the ecological heritage of the State.
BBC World Service Trust's Director for Media Development for South Asia Sam Miller; and Associate Director, Sustainable Development Anupama Vancheswaran spoke. Representatives from NGOs, the media and the Government participated in the seminar.The Hindu: Kerala
