QUES . “Degradation of forest resources and wildlife is a fallout of agriculture and urbanization.” Assess this statement giving examples from India. UPSC IES/ISS EXAM 2021 General Studies . 200 Words . 5 Marks

HINTS:

Forests cover nearly one-third of the land area on our planet and are home to most of the world’s life on land. They are also essential to human health, purifying our water and air and serving as our first line of defense against new infectious diseases. Additionally, forests provide more than 86 million green jobs and resources such as food and fuel that support billions of people’s livelihoods. Forests also play a critical role in mitigating climate change because they act as carbon sinks—soaking up carbon dioxide that would otherwise be free in the atmosphere and contributing to ongoing changes in climate patterns.

But forests across the globe are under threat, jeopardizing these benefits. The threats manifest themselves in the form of deforestation and forest degradation. The leading cause of deforestation is agriculture, with poorly planned urbanization another significant contributor to global deforestation. In 2022, the world lost more than 16 million acres of forest.

Agriculture:

As per UNFCCC, agriculture is the direct cause of deforestation. Subsistence farming, commercial agriculture, shifting cultivation and industrial logging all cause deforestation.

In India, agriculture is one of the main reasons for deforestation. Forests are cleared to make way for agricultural land, and this has led to the loss of habitats for many wildlife species.

For example, the cultivation of apples in many parts of the Himalayas in general and Himachal Pradesh (India) in particular has done great damage to the original stands of natural forests. Apple cultivation causes deforestation in two ways viz. (1) Apple cultivation requires clearance of land from vegetal cover and (2) A Huge quantity of wood is required for the packing of apples every year.

Urbanization:

Rapid urbanization in India has led to the destruction of forests and the displacement of wildlife. As urbanized areas expand, they are encroaching on preserved areas, like national wildlife refuges, and are dividing forests into smaller fragments. Forests that are located next to cities and suburbs are exposed to high temperatures, pollution, insect pests, invasive plants, and other factors that threaten forest health.

For example, in Mumbai, the construction of high-rise buildings and other infrastructure has led to the destruction of mangrove forests, which serve as a crucial habitat for many species of birds, mammals, and marine creatures.

The protection and conservation of forest resources are not only desirable but are also necessary for the economic development of a nation and the maintenance of environmental and ecological balance from local through regional to global levels.