Authorities have 'no qualms' in routinely approving forest land diversions

By Shankar Sharma* 

The statement attributed to Bhupender Yadav, Union Minister for Environment, Forests and Climate Change, that, "developed economy should be a developed ecology too; we should be citizens with environmental sense", sounds like a pleasant music to the ears of environmentally conscious people in our country, but many of them may view the same with some sort of cynicism. 

Some of them may even deem it as a light humor on part of our authorities. These people may be forgiven for developing such a distrust in recent years, because of the multiple statistical evidence in the last 10-15 years.
Despite statements such as "forests are a national asset and a major contributor to financial wealth" by the Supreme Court, our authorities seem to have no qualms to routinely approve forest land diversions, even from within the protected areas (PAs). 
According to a new study by the World Resources Institute (WRI) the country lost 1.6 million hectares of tree cover, and 16 million trees, between 2001 and 2018, of which 9.4 million trees were felled in just the last four years. 

 If 500 projects in forests and PAs can be cleared by the National Wildlife Board between 2014 and 2018 (as per media reports), which is one reason why the country has lost about 120,000 hectares of primary forest in the last five years, what can we say about the commitment of our country in the upkeep of the environment?
At serious risk are the country's last patches of forests, natural resources and the health of its people. India, over the six years since July 2014, had approved over 270 projects in and around its most protected areas, including biodiversity hotspots and national parks. 

 At the same time, the Centre has watered down environmental safeguards, prompting stakeholders to warn that such interference not only imperils habitat and ecosystems, but also endangers public health.

 The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has approved 87% (2,256 of 2,592) of proposals that it received for environment clearance (EC) between July 2014 and 24 April 2020, according to data on the ministry’s clearance monitoring website, Parivesh. 

 If this rate of environmental clearance for diverting natural forests and other resources is to continue, the country is likely to lose most of its original forests of enormous ecological significance within a few decades.

It is reported that the legally PAs in the country constitute only about 14% of the forest area and just 4.61% of the total land mass. Even though there is reported to be an increase from six national parks and 59 wildlife sanctuaries in 1970, to 85 and 462 in 1998, respectively (Wildlife Institute of India, 1998), how these PAs are being protected should be a matter of grave concern. 

According to a survey carried out in the mid-1980s, over 65 percent of the PAs were characterized by human settlements and resource use. The pristine forest lands within such PAs are increasingly been diverted for non-forestry purposes. Recent examples of such disastrous policy decisions are: 

(i) favorably considering the application for diversion of hundreds of hectares of pristine forest lands in an LTM sanctuary in Karnataka for a pumped storage power plant, and 

(ii) another application for uranium mining in a tiger reserve in Telangana. 

 Many such project proposals for diverting thick forest lands, even within the PAs, are being routinely sent to MoEF&CC by various agencies of the state and central governments, with an almost high level of confidence to get such approvals. So much so that a few recent media reports indicate that the Government of Karnataka has finalised a sort of agreement with a private firm to build a giant sized (2,000 MW capacity) pumped storage hydel plant within a Wildlife sanctuary in Sharavathi river valley in Karnataka. 

 This development, if true, should indicate the un-natural confidence of the concerned authorities to obtain all the necessary clearances to destroy about 350 acres of some of the best tropical rain forests in a PA. Such level of confidence among the project proponents in the country, should indicate the sorry state of affairs in the country in the pursuit of economic development.
If, despite 7 decades of serious “developmental efforts”, through reduction of PAs to less than 5% of the land mass, there is an ongoing political perception that the so called economic development in the country is not adequate, any further reduction in the areas of PAs cannot result in betterment of our communities; instead much higher levels of community-wise disasters will be certain because of the destruction of biodiversity. Thousands of acres of forest lands are getting diverted, on an average every year, in the name of development projects.
It is reported by a science-based body: "Every dollar spent on nature restoration leads to at least $9 of economic benefits."
According to International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the monetary value of goods and services provided by ecosystems is estimated to amount to some US$33 trillion per year.
A World Bank report of June 5, 2013 has highlighted how the environment has suffered in India consequent to the past decade of rapid economic growth. It says: Although the past decade of rapid economic growth has brought many benefits to India, the environment has suffered, exposing the population to serious air and water pollution. The report finds that environmental degradation costs India $80 billion per year or 5.7% of its economy. 

Most importantly the report also says: A low-emission, resource-efficient greening of the economy should be possible at a very low cost in terms of GDP growth. A more aggressive low-emission strategy comes at a  slightly higher price tag for the economy while delivering greater benefits.
The draft National Resource Efficiency Policy (NREP), 2019 by MoEF&CC had said: "In the endeavor for economic growth, natural resources have been largely indiscriminately exploited, adversely impacting the environment and biodiversity. Further, cross linkages between resource use, climate change, land degradation and biodiversity loss has been scientifically well established. 

Meeting the demand for products and services, of rising population with increased aspirations has led to mostly indiscriminate exploitation of natural resources and would further lead to increased pressure on resources resulting in environmental degradation, thereby raising sustainability concerns."

Authorities seem to have no qualms in routinely approving forest land diversions to the corporates

One scientific article has said: "The continuing loss of biodiversity will undermine our ability for poverty reduction, food and water security, human health and the overall goal of leaving nobody behind. Natural ecosystems provide the foundations for economic growth, human health and prosperity. 

"Our fate as a species is deeply connected to the fate of our natural environment. As ecosystems are increasingly threatened by human activity, acknowledging the benefits of biodiversity is the first step in ensuring that we look after it. We know biodiversity matters. Now, as a society, we should protect it – and in doing so, protect our own long-term interests.”

The IPBES (Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services), assessment has shown the strong interrelationship between climate change, the loss of biodiversity and human wellbeing.

The reluctance of MoEF&CC to effectively implement the highly credible recommendations of Madhav Gadgil Committee on Western Ghats, which it had constituted more than 10 years ago, should be another indication of our country's ignorance/ indifference towards the ecological upkeep in our country. Any number of rhetorical/ high-sounding statements will not be of much use, unless they are supported by effective actions plans.
Despite numerous credible warnings from the scientific communities since decades, biodiversity in our country is facing growing threats threats with the passage of each year. The forest & tree cover in the country has come down to about 21% of the total land area as against the national forest policy target of 33%. 

With wanton destruction of our forest wealth continuing year after year, there is hardly any indication that this trend will be reversed in the near future, because of which the target of 33% looks like impossible to achieve; even by the year 2070, which is the target year for our "too little, too late" aim to achieve net zero emission.
A long list of about 20 project proposals, including many linear ones in the Western Ghats of Karnataka, and including three in PAs, under various stages of seeking approval from MoEF&CC, will demonstrate how serious our authorities are with regard to the statement: "Developed economy should be a developed ecology too; we should be citizens with environmental sense".
Can our people hope that in the context of many such high sounding statements by our political leaders in the recent years, there will be no approval for executing high impact/ destructive projects in our forests; at least within PAs?
Environmentalists in Karnataka will be anxiously looking for the unambiguous and permanent rejection of approval to build three hydel power plants/ PSPs within three different wildlife sanctuaries in Karnataka, which are seeking to destroy many thousands of acres of thick natural tropical forests within these PAs.
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*Power & climate policy analyst, Karnataka. This article is based on author's representation to Bhupender Yadav, Union Minister for EF&CC