`World Earth Day’: Wanton loot of green gold goes unabated in J&K; 30,000 Cubic Feet timber seized

Srinagar: Wanton loot of green wealth goes unabated in Jammu and Kashmir.

Jammu and Kashmir government has recovered 30,000 Cubic Feet of timber from jungle smugglers.

Despite the Forest Department’s plantation drives and fencing, the rampant felling of trees by timber mafias has taken a toll on the green gold of the valley.

Figures accessed by The Kashmir Monitor indicated that the forest department has seized around 30,837.17 cubic feet of timber and registered around 626 cases of timber smuggling during 2019-2020. The data for 2020-21 is yet in the making and has not been released yet.

In addition to this, the data said that around 494 trees are completely damaged while 206 trees stand partially damaged.

Jammu and Kashmir has 21,387 sq km of forest area. Nearly 47.80% of Jammu and Kashmir’s geographical area is covered by forests. Economically, the forests in Jammu and Kashmir generate 2 million man-days of employment and have a monetary value equivalent to Rs 1.93 lakh crore. Besides, the forests exhibit remarkable diversity ranging from subtropical to temperate to alpine because of the distinctive geo-climatic conditions prevalent in the UT.

Conservator of Forests, Kashmir, South Circle, Irfan Ali Shah Shah told The Kashmir Monitor that the department in collaboration with Forest Protection Force is taking all the efforts to curb the timber mafia.

“It’s being supplemented by the territorial forces who put in nakkas on the important link roads towards forests. We are religiously fighting this nexus. We are booking people under the public safety act who commit this offence. Of late, we booked 21 people in Shopian under six PSA’s,” Shah said.

He said the department is also utilizing technology like advanced drones to track down the smugglers.

Dr. Irfan Rashid, Coordinator, Department of Geoinformatics, University of Kashmir said the smuggling takes place for multiple reasons.

“The livelihoods of people living near the forested areas are not secure. They face socio-economic issues as they lack education, health, and other important facilities. With no alternative livelihood at hand, they can resort to smuggling,” Dr. Rashid said.

He said the consequences of rampant felling can lead to the draining of sediment-laden water in wetlands. “Due to this, they lose their carrying capacity. Another outcome is the habitat loss of several species. With the result, we can witness an increase in a surge of man-animal conflict,” he said.