An ode to sentinels of Forest wealth
By Colonel Satish Singh Lalotra
‘What we are doing to the forests of the world is but a mirror reflection of what we are doing to ourselves.’ Mahatma Gandhi.
The forests of this planet are the typical lungs through which this earth of our breathes fresh air. The trees of these forests function as the proverbial ‘Alveoli’ in lungs that filters and exchanges oxygen and carbon dioxide inhaled by billions of us daily on non-stop basis. Imagine a lung without the air sacs / alveoli in a human body. It is simply unthinkable. Same is the case of forests with a similar co-relation threatening our very existence in case of their disappearance from this face of earth. According to the (ISFR) Indian state of forest report of 2021, India’s total forest cover was 7,13,789 square kilometers, which was 21.71% of the country’s geographical area. This was an increase of 1,540 square kilometers from the 2019 assessment. According to this ISFR report , the states with the highest increase in forest cover are Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Odisha, Karnataka, and Jharkhand. 35.46 % of forest cover is prone to forest fires. The total carbon stock in India’s forests is 7,204 million tonnes , an increase of 79.4 million tonnes from 2019. But are we as a nation satisfied enough with these figures or can something else be done to catalyze this figure to a yet higher degree of forest acreage through the length and breadth of India? Yes, why not. A lot can be done and is being done simultaneously to help us achieve the green cover in a more meaningful manner.
Here comes the unambiguous help not laced with rhetoric in the form of hundreds and thousands of ‘Forest guards, rangers, and even civil activists who are at the forefront of saving these forest wealth from the rapacious deeds of various corrupt people and their cohorts day in and out and becoming martyrs in the line of their duty . Can somebody forget the quintessential ‘Chipko movement’ of the early 1970s led by the duo of Chandi Prasad Bhatt and Sunder Lal Bahuguna of Chamoli- Uttrakhand against large scale cutting of trees by timber contractors? This movement was further given a resounding fillip by the likes of Amrita Devi Bishnoi , Medha Patkar, A.K Banerjee etc. The 5 Fs (food , fiber, fodder fuel, and fertilizer) were the main protagonists around which revolved this world famous Chipko movement and still holds its ground on the same principles about five decades back. But can such a vast resource as that of forests on which are riveted the eyes of the unscrupulous not draw its pound of flesh for its conservation and protection? Yes it has drawn not only in the recent past, but even many centuries ago. The date of 11 September is reminiscent of this drawing of blood from its protectors even as early as 1730 in the infamous ‘Khejarli massacre’ when on express orders of Maharaja Abhay Singh of Jodhpur (Marwar -Rajasthan) , his workers started cutting the Khejarli trees considered sacred by the Bishnoi community in Rajasthan’s Khejarli village. These trees were required for burning lime for his new palace. If the folk lore is to be believed then one Amrita Devi Bishnoi offered her head as a mark of protest in place of the sacred Khejarli tree. The Maharaja’s workers beheaded her and continued to kill over 363 people including Amrita Devi’s children. Disturbed by these developments, the Maharaja responded in an unprecedented manner by declaring these Khejrali trees as reserved and protected for trees and animals. It is this very massacre centuries ago which has been the harbinger for future protests of the like of Chipko movement of the 1970s. It is this 11 September 1730 that has been branded in the psyche of India which finds itself celebrating the cause of care and preservation of forests at the altar of its protectors viz, the foresters, guards, rangers, civil right activists connected with the furtherance of expansion of green cover in the sub-continent.
The day sees participation from the ministry of environment, forest and climate change, educational societies and institutions across the country to raise awareness about the importance of protecting the forests, trees and the environment at large. The fact that this community of Bishnois have been always at the forefront of protection of forests etc from the times of yore right till the present times was brought to the notice of a complacent state machinery of Rajasthan when in 1998 during the shooting of Bollywood movie ‘Hum saath saath hain’ near Jodhpur two black bucks were shot dead by Salman Khan on the intervening night of 1-2 October 1998 . Now blackbucks are sacred to Bishnoi tribe in Rajasthan which explains why Poonam Chand Bishnoi , a local who protects the species for religious purposes was allegedly witness to the group of these Bollywood heroes and heroines driving through the village of Kankani where this infamous incident happened. He reportedly testified that the group later fled the scene on being spotted. With the case still an ongoing imbroglio testifies to the fact that dangers in the form of rogue elements could still pose an existential threat to these wild animals and their habitats.
As on 11th September 2024, India is the world’s most deadly country for forest rangers (all uniformed personnel of forest department). Between 2012 -2017 India accounted for nearly 31%, 162 deaths out of a recorded 526 ranger deaths all over the world. Besides being the highest globally, this is just one less than the sum total deaths of the next five countries on the list -Congo, Thailand, Kenya, USA and South Africa. India recorded most deaths (34) in 2012 and 2016 and the least (19) in 2013. Front line forest staff in India is increasingly targeted by poachers, illegal miners, timber smugglers, and encroachers while protecting forests, wildlife, rivers, wetlands, and other natural resources and ecosystems. The work that rangers do is critical to India’s ecological and economic security. The forests they protect, for instance absorb 11.25% of India’s greenhouse gases, according to a MOEF (Ministry of environment and forests) report. The value of what is technically called as an ‘ecosystem service’ would amount to Rs 6 lakhs crore( $ 120 billion). Yet investigations after the incidents across India showed rangers worked with outdated equipment, no emergency medical assistance, few support or safety systems and little recognition of the hazards they face every day. As recently as 2018, forest guards / rangers were manhandled and injured when they tried to stop illegal fishing in Kaziranga national park. As per Sean Willmore, president’ international ranger federation’ and founding director of ‘The thin green line foundation’-‘India has one of the highest ranger deaths in the world ‘. I am sure this statement by Sean Willmore should make the likes of PM Modi and his ministers sitting in the high rises of Raisina hills in their third term squirm in their seats. Since ten long years are good enough time to get one’s act together. Another hazard that these rangers face in the deeps of the jungle is the ‘Accidental deaths’ by wild animals.
But then the moot question that arises is -why are these rangers singled out for the attacks? The answer lies in the fact that they protect India’s forests which cover 20% of its terrestrial area and natural resources they contain: wildlife, wood, timber, minerals, sand, stones, and boulders. Our forests are open treasuries that are open to loot. One only requires extending his boundaries of daringness to partake in this open loot. More the daringness, more the richness. Our national dailies are full of such daringness on the part of illegal miners, timber looters who have even mowed down police officers and rangers that came in their way with impunity .If encroachment is destroying the forests , then illegal wildlife trading is driving species to extinction. Wildlife crimes are ranked alongside trafficking in arms and drugs in terms of profits, and fetch between $ 8 to 10 billion annually as per the UN office on drugs and crime. No less than 63% of forest rangers have faced life -threatening situations in India according to a survey by the ( WWF) World wide fund for nature and ‘Rangers foundation Asia( RFA) , both NGOs. Actually the protected areas are restricted for anthropogenic activities such as grazing, wood cutting, and collection of minor forest produce which can lead to confrontations with criminal elements engaged in commercial extraction and local residents who live off the land. These confrontations mean that the staff are at odds with their own community. Members of the ‘Human -elephant conflict mitigation squad’ tasked with tracking elephants in Athgarh ( Odisha) , for instance , talked of dealing with the resentment of villagers , sometimes even their own families for protecting animals that damaged crops.
Though these forest rangers are constantly targeted and killed, they operate in a void; field investigations show that there is little recognition and no honour accorded to the job. Staff shortage to the extent of 30% to even over 90% in some cases over the last decade has further exacerbated the situation. There is little state support and India does not stand by its forest rangers even in death. This may sound preposterous to the readers of this article of mine. But it is true to the hilt. In case of an injury or death, forest authorities usually pitch in to help the family or provide medical assistance. They are assisted by contributions from ‘Rangers associations’, NGOs, and individuals. NGOs such as the WWF-India and Wildlife trust of India provide insurance schemes and assistance for frontline forest staff. But there is no ‘institutional pan-India life or health insurance schemes for front line forest staff. Isn’t it a travesty of justice? The Tiger reserves (TRs) are encouraged to make such provisions in their annual plans, which can be funded by the NTCA ( National tiger conservation authority). Some of these observations of mine have been taken when I visited the STR ( Satpura tiger reserve ) way back in 2012. But since then no forward movement has taken place to ameliorate the cause of the forest staff Pan India. With such glaring loopholes in the area of forest conservation, at least a glimmer of hope by way of recognition of these unsung forest rangers via ‘National forest martyr’s day ‘ on 11th September every year should come as a much belated relief. It is not for nothing that father of the nation said —quote’ What we are doing to the forests of the world is but a mirror reflection of what we are doing to ourselves’.unquote.
(The writer is a retired Army Officer.)
