more-inIndia recorded a marginal increase in forest cover, according to the India State of Forest Report 2017. So, two things are clear: even if forest cover is being increased, it is also simultaneously being lost, and new forest may also be subsequently lost. For this, we need a more rigorous integration of the forest policy with other existing environmental legislation and policy. The Biological Diversity Act, 2002, calls for setting up a Biodiversity Management Committee in each local body. Being a bottom-up exercise, it is also a means of understanding the overlap of cultural and natural biodiversity.

Source: The Hindu April 10, 2018 18:45 UTC