Forest Governance in India: Challenges & Way Ahead

Recent tiger deaths at Malai Mahadeshwara Hills Wildlife Sanctuary in Karnataka highlight the risks of prioritizing infrastructure expansion over ecological preservation. This incident underscores the urgent need to balance development with wildlife conservation.

Infrastructure Impact on Indian Forests

Extent of Diversion: Between 2014 and 2024, more than 1.73 lakh hectares of forest land were diverted for non-forestry purposes.
Primary Drivers: Hydropower and irrigation, mining and quarrying, and road construction were the top three reasons for forest land diversion.
Linear Infrastructures: Roads and transmission lines caused a 71.5% reduction in large forest patches (i.e., larger than 10,000 sq. km).
Afforestation Gap: From 2019-2024, 1.78 lakh hectares of compensatory afforestation were completed against a 2.09 lakh hectare target, achieving 85% success.
Wildfire Exposure: During the 2024-25 forest fire season (November-June), India had the highest infrastructure exposure to wildfires, with $44 billion worth of assets at risk.

Legal and Constitutional Safeguards for Indian Forests

Constitutional Provisions

Article 48A: The Directive Principles of State Policy guide the State to protect and improve the environment and safeguard forests and wildlife.
Article 51A(g): Outlines a fundamental duty of every citizen to protect and improve the natural environment, including forests, lakes, rivers, and wildlife, and to have compassion for living creatures.
Concurrent List: The 42^nd Amendment Act, 1976, transferred forests to the Concurrent List (Seventh Schedule), allowing both the Centre and States to legislate on forest management.

Legal and Judicial Safeguards

Forest (Conservation) Act 1980: Requires central approval and mandates compensatory afforestation when diverting forest land for non-forest purposes.
Forest Rights Act 2006: Recognizes the rights of forest-dwelling communities and requires Gram Sabha consent before any diversion of forest land.
Environment (Protection) Act 1986: Acts as an umbrella law mandating Environmental Clearance for large projects through Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA).
Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972: Infrastructure proposals near protected areas must be examined by the State Board for Wildlife and then reviewed by the Standing Committee of the (NBWL).
T.N. Godavarman Case (1996): Expanded the definition of ‘forest’ to include legally recorded forests and those meeting the dictionary definition.

Key Challenges in Forest Governance

FCA Amendment 2023: Excluded unrecorded forest lands from protection, exempted specific projects from clearances, and removed Gram Sabha consent in some instances.
Compensatory Afforestation: Replacement plantations often do not replicate natural forests, resulting in low biodiversity and a poor sapling survival rate.
FRA Implementation: Weak enforcement, bureaucratic delays, and political interference have limited community participation in forest governance.
Weak FRA Implementation: Bureaucratic delays, poor enforcement, and political resistance hinder forest community participation and forest governance.
Policy Conflict: Economic growth often overrides environmental safeguards; protection laws are viewed as obstacles to ‘ease of doing business.’
Cumulative Impact: Environmental clearances are often issued on a case-by-case basis, ignoring cumulative ecological impacts and landscape-level degradation.

Recent Government Initiatives

PARIVESH 2.0: A unified online portal for faster processing and transparent monitoring of environment, forest, and wildlife clearances.
WII Mitigation Guidelines: Recommend eco-friendly measures to reduce the impact of linear projects such as roads, railways, and power lines.
National Transit Pass System (NTPS): Digitizes forest produce transport for improved traceability and prevention of illegal logging.
Remote Sensing and GIS Tools: Forest Survey of India employs satellite-based mapping for forest monitoring, fire alerts, and encroachment tracking.
National Working Plan Code 2023: Provides scientific guidelines for forest planning and promotes uniformity through the Indian Forest Management Standard.

Way Forward

Landscape Planning: Integrate biodiversity corridors like the 32 tiger corridors identified by the Wildlife Institute of India to maintain ecological connectivity.
Robust EIA: Include cumulative impact studies. E.g., 68% of linear projects (2015–22) lacked proper ecological assessment.
Community Stewardship: Empower Gram Sabhas under the FRA. E.g., Gadchiroli villages earned ₹100+ crore via sustainable bamboo use.
Eco-Infrastructure: Mandate wildlife crossings. E.g., NH-44’s underpasses in Pench cut wildlife collisions by over 80%.
Green Governance: Align projects with Articles 48A & 51A(g). E.g., Ken–Betwa link shows the need to balance irrigation gains with tiger habitat protection.

Sustainable development must harmonize economic progress with ecological preservation through inclusive and nature-positive governance. As aptly stated, “Environmental protection is not a luxury, but a necessity for survival and sustainable development.

Reference: The Hindu

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PMF IAS Pathfinder for Mains – Question 389

Q. Incidents of wildlife mortality across India underscore the tension between infrastructure expansion and ecological sustainability. Analyse the challenges in balancing developmental priorities with biodiversity conservation and propose measures to reinforce environmental governance. (250 Words) (15 Marks)

Approach

Introduction: Write a contextual introduction by mentioning the Tiger deaths at Malai Mahadeshwara Hills.
Body: Analyse tension between infrastructure expansion and ecological sustainability, challenges in balancing developmental priorities with biodiversity conservation, and suggest measures to reinforce environmental governance.
Conclusion: Emphasis on a balanced and sustainable approach and mention future course of action.