Reserved forest is an area or mass of land duly notified under section 20 of the Indian Forest Act 1927 (Act 16 of 1927) or under the reservation provisions of the forest acts of the state government of Indian union. For centuries forest has always been a part of livelihood for the tribal people all over the world. British Empire in India by 18th century took a concrete and legal step to preserve forest in Indian sub-continent for economic and sustainable livelihood. The British promulgated one of the earliest codified Forest Act. This was done in 1865 and marked the beginning of policy that viewed forest as an economic resource, which needed to be harnessed.
Post-British era, the Indian Forest Act 1927 was largely based on previous Indian Forest act implemented under the British known as Indian forest act of 1878. Both Acts sought to consolidate and preserve the area having forest cover of significant wildlife, to regulate movement and transit of forest produce and duty leviable on forest produce. It also defines the procedure to followed for declaring an area to be a reserved forest or protected forest. It defines what is forest offence and what are the acts prohibited inside a reserved forest, and penalties leviable on violation of the provision of the act.
The essence of preserving reserved forest in Nagaland like elsewhere in the country as in the case of Kaziranga National Park and Corbett National Park, give significant examples for the Nagas to consciously think in terms of benefits the forest can provide to the Nagas and not in the sense of inhabiting the protected area by the human beings. On economic aspect, the potential of promoting tourism in the reserved Intanki forest which can generate immense economic benefits for the Nagas. Environmentally, the importance of maintaining ecological system in our land cannot be ignored.
Forest as a resource:
1. Forests are exhaustible but renewable resources.
2. Forest as an eco-system are characterized by carrying capacity that can be exploited without endangering the reproductively and stability aspect of the eco-system.
3. Forest absorbs carbon dioxide, a principle greenhouse gas, improve watershed quality, provide habitat to the wildlife.
Deforestation is a problem that is affecting many aspects of our environment. The causes of deforestation are many, but the main underlying cause is government policy. I believe that if our government adopts and implement the Forest Acts judiciously, the encroachment of the forest and the rate of deforestation will decrease to a point where tree loss will no longer be a major threat to our environment. We would not even have a single acre of protected forest land today. But it was concerned conservationists that fought to pass the 'Creative Act of 1891' and influential private citizens led to the 'Weeks Act of 1911' which regulated private forest activities to prevent continuing forest devastation.
So what are we now to do about deforestation? It is obviously a worldwide problem that is negatively affecting many aspects of our environment and its causes are many and varied. In order to decrease the rate of deforestation to the point where it is no longer harmful to the environment, our state governments should implement a plan to stop encroachment inside Intanki Reserved Forest in particular and deforestation in entire Nagaland in general. One major cause of deforestation in Nagaland is unsustainable agriculture. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), "90% of deforestation is caused by unsustainable agriculture practices". Linked with this has been migratory farming (Jhum Cultivation). Most tropical forest soil is too poor to sustain agriculture, so after a few years, farmers are forced to move to another location and clear another patch of forest ripping clean the soil of all nutrients and minerals. Leaving aside numbers of rare medicinal plants particular to Nagaland forests. Such agriculture practices are not only directly causing deforestation, but are also making it nearly impossible for the land to later be used for the reforestation process.
Wildlife protection is a crucial point at this juncture particularly in Nagaland. Wildlife is being over-hunted to a point where the dwindling number of animals is threatened with some facing extinction, for example our every Naga emblematic bird, the Hornbill which now, I believe, can only be found in Intanki Reserved Forest. Proper protection, rules and regulations governing hunting (I know its radical but, even to the extend of shoot at sight) must be enforced in the protected area, of wild animals by providing adequate support from the law enforcement agencies to ensure sustainable wildlife.
Wildlife plays a crucial role in the socio-cultural development, wildlife provides animal protein in the diet of many peoples. For example, many species of wildlife, ranging from insects through reptiles to mammals, are a delicacy and provide a major source of income for our Naga Tribal Communities. Wildlife also plays an important role in tourism industry, providing a great potential for future development of eco-tourism while contributing, albeit in a less conspicuous way, to our Nagas economy. Though the economic benefits are often obscured and difficult to quantify, it does not make them any less real. Natural forests and timber industry depend on animals such as insects, birds, elephants and monkeys for pollination, seed dispersal and regeneration and that we cannot have a natural forest without these animals.
As our population and grows and our encroachment continues into Intanki Wildlife Sanctuary, healthy and natural habitat is removed or degraded preventing normal interactions, healthy breeding or safe travel for many species. While some species can adapt, many cannot. The loss of habitat usually leads to conflicts between animals and humans, with the animals coming out the losers.
The recent judgement passed by the High court to allow 'Partial Residency' inside the Sanctuary will significantly weaken the already weakened Sanctuary. Therefore, in support of the step taken by our Forest Minister Mr. M.C. Konyak to evict the encroacher from the forest, I would like to purpose that we should not be partial but evict everybody residing inside the Reserved Forest because none of the settlement inside the Intanki Wildlife Sanctuary is genuine traditional settlers as claimed by some encroachers, according to the legal records available in both the Forest Department and Kohima Magistrate office.
We must reverse this trend and work to preserve Intanki Wildlife Sanctuary and habitat if we are to leave for future generations a Nagaland that resembles the one we presently inherited.
Post-British era, the Indian Forest Act 1927 was largely based on previous Indian Forest act implemented under the British known as Indian forest act of 1878. Both Acts sought to consolidate and preserve the area having forest cover of significant wildlife, to regulate movement and transit of forest produce and duty leviable on forest produce. It also defines the procedure to followed for declaring an area to be a reserved forest or protected forest. It defines what is forest offence and what are the acts prohibited inside a reserved forest, and penalties leviable on violation of the provision of the act.
The essence of preserving reserved forest in Nagaland like elsewhere in the country as in the case of Kaziranga National Park and Corbett National Park, give significant examples for the Nagas to consciously think in terms of benefits the forest can provide to the Nagas and not in the sense of inhabiting the protected area by the human beings. On economic aspect, the potential of promoting tourism in the reserved Intanki forest which can generate immense economic benefits for the Nagas. Environmentally, the importance of maintaining ecological system in our land cannot be ignored.
Forest as a resource:
1. Forests are exhaustible but renewable resources.
2. Forest as an eco-system are characterized by carrying capacity that can be exploited without endangering the reproductively and stability aspect of the eco-system.
3. Forest absorbs carbon dioxide, a principle greenhouse gas, improve watershed quality, provide habitat to the wildlife.
Deforestation is a problem that is affecting many aspects of our environment. The causes of deforestation are many, but the main underlying cause is government policy. I believe that if our government adopts and implement the Forest Acts judiciously, the encroachment of the forest and the rate of deforestation will decrease to a point where tree loss will no longer be a major threat to our environment. We would not even have a single acre of protected forest land today. But it was concerned conservationists that fought to pass the 'Creative Act of 1891' and influential private citizens led to the 'Weeks Act of 1911' which regulated private forest activities to prevent continuing forest devastation.
So what are we now to do about deforestation? It is obviously a worldwide problem that is negatively affecting many aspects of our environment and its causes are many and varied. In order to decrease the rate of deforestation to the point where it is no longer harmful to the environment, our state governments should implement a plan to stop encroachment inside Intanki Reserved Forest in particular and deforestation in entire Nagaland in general. One major cause of deforestation in Nagaland is unsustainable agriculture. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), "90% of deforestation is caused by unsustainable agriculture practices". Linked with this has been migratory farming (Jhum Cultivation). Most tropical forest soil is too poor to sustain agriculture, so after a few years, farmers are forced to move to another location and clear another patch of forest ripping clean the soil of all nutrients and minerals. Leaving aside numbers of rare medicinal plants particular to Nagaland forests. Such agriculture practices are not only directly causing deforestation, but are also making it nearly impossible for the land to later be used for the reforestation process.
Wildlife protection is a crucial point at this juncture particularly in Nagaland. Wildlife is being over-hunted to a point where the dwindling number of animals is threatened with some facing extinction, for example our every Naga emblematic bird, the Hornbill which now, I believe, can only be found in Intanki Reserved Forest. Proper protection, rules and regulations governing hunting (I know its radical but, even to the extend of shoot at sight) must be enforced in the protected area, of wild animals by providing adequate support from the law enforcement agencies to ensure sustainable wildlife.
Wildlife plays a crucial role in the socio-cultural development, wildlife provides animal protein in the diet of many peoples. For example, many species of wildlife, ranging from insects through reptiles to mammals, are a delicacy and provide a major source of income for our Naga Tribal Communities. Wildlife also plays an important role in tourism industry, providing a great potential for future development of eco-tourism while contributing, albeit in a less conspicuous way, to our Nagas economy. Though the economic benefits are often obscured and difficult to quantify, it does not make them any less real. Natural forests and timber industry depend on animals such as insects, birds, elephants and monkeys for pollination, seed dispersal and regeneration and that we cannot have a natural forest without these animals.
As our population and grows and our encroachment continues into Intanki Wildlife Sanctuary, healthy and natural habitat is removed or degraded preventing normal interactions, healthy breeding or safe travel for many species. While some species can adapt, many cannot. The loss of habitat usually leads to conflicts between animals and humans, with the animals coming out the losers.
The recent judgement passed by the High court to allow 'Partial Residency' inside the Sanctuary will significantly weaken the already weakened Sanctuary. Therefore, in support of the step taken by our Forest Minister Mr. M.C. Konyak to evict the encroacher from the forest, I would like to purpose that we should not be partial but evict everybody residing inside the Reserved Forest because none of the settlement inside the Intanki Wildlife Sanctuary is genuine traditional settlers as claimed by some encroachers, according to the legal records available in both the Forest Department and Kohima Magistrate office.
We must reverse this trend and work to preserve Intanki Wildlife Sanctuary and habitat if we are to leave for future generations a Nagaland that resembles the one we presently inherited.
