Green desert

Akham Bonbirdhwaja Singh *

Pine forest in Chingkheiching Reserve Forest :: Pix - Manipur Forest Department

It is a known fact that we can create plantation but human beings cannot create a natural forest with its variety of diversity in terms of plants, trees, animals, microfauna and microflora. In spite of best efforts human-beings are no match for nature. We cannot create a natural forest.

Forest in its natural condition can deliver the best of ecosystem services. But then, when we create plantations of particular species which do not support the microbial activities, does not support the hydrology, wildlife does not get food and preys, green desert is a new term which has been coined for such areas and phenomenon,.

Why do we create plantations? In the Indian context, we do it because the original trees have all gone and finished. Secondly, it is done to produce better trees in quick time for commercial purposes. In addition, we do it for reclaiming the deserts and coastal sands. In north-eastern and Manipur, it is mostly done for reclaiming the abandoned jhum lands.

Demand and supply and green desert

One of the reasons for creation of more green deserts is the huge global demand for timber and other forest products. India also has the highest requirement for the huge population of the country in terms of rural energy (fuelwood), construction timber and pulp. The pulp requirement of the world is on the rise, in Brazil and Uruguay, per capita pulp requirement (including that of packaging paper) is 50kg, in other developing countries, it could be around 30kg.

There is such high demand and supply gap, so planners are compelled to go for monocultures, which give highest per unit return and MAI (mean annual increment). Being in a poor country, we discount the ecosystem services. We are too concerned with the immediate and tangible benefit which the general public demands.

Many countries use good and fertile areas for plantation of monocultures and fast growing species for quick returns after clearing the existing forests. This way, the good fertile lands are turned in to green deserts. The question here is, we do not choose the right type which can be grown as well as which are friendly to the local environments.

Pine and green desert

When we talk of green deserts in Manipur context, naturally, we think of mainly Pine and some other exotics. About two to three decades back, extensive plantations were created over thousands of hectares mostly of Pine as pure crop. In sub tropical areas, Pine plantations are not that eco-friendly and do not support faunal and microbiological diversity. The wild animals particularly the herbivores shall have nothing to eat in such forests. Same is true for other exotics too.

Remnants of such plantations are still seen in Bijang Area (NC road, Tamenglong District), Tadubi-Maram area, etc. The Khamellok Pine Forest, Langjing-manbi Pine Forest, Sugunu Pine, Shinghat Pine had all gone due to obvious reasons. There had been a huge demand from locals for more Pine plantation. With more people's involvement scenario it is a tough situation. One may have to sometimes yield to some extent to the local demand but not entirely. In the natural zone of pine, the green desert effect shall not be that overwhelming. Outside natural zone, conifers are now generally avoided as a policy.

In addition to being a green desert species, pine has another problem of premature felling thereby not allowing the soil to mature. This is a serious problem in pine plantations, particularly in Manipur.

Other green desert species

Pure form of Pine has to be avoided. The conifers excluding broad leaved conifers have high resin content and habit of gregarious regeneration and as such the tendency for green desert is quite high. Such phenomenon is with other species such as Eucalyptus. I am not blaming Pine or Eucalyptus alone. Not only Pine, there are other species which create sterile environment and give green desert effect. In Delhi, it is now contemplated that the Prosopis trees shall be removed and other more eco-friendly trees shall be planted.

Normally, the fast growing species and exotics have the tendency to create green desert effect. They are not efficient in ground water recharging due less microbial activities and at the same time, they require more water for its growth. Hence, the soil water is depleted and lowers the water table. The local fast growing species are better, they are water efficient and encourage microbial activities beneath them which is very important for forest hydrology.

Monoculture and green desert

There is a Chinese saying, 'Keep your heart green. Perhaps a singing bird will come.' Truly so if proper environment is created certainly appropriate denizen shall reside there. When we create greens in the desert within no time birds and other small animals and insects start living there. But this is true for the places which were barren earlier, where there was no life. When the problem soils like sand dunes, ravines, landslips, coastal sands, exposed soils etc. are being reclaimed, using one or two suitable species cannot be avoided. The point to be worried is about the good areas turning to green deserts.

The monoculture of a single forestry species also shall have green desert effect irrespective of the species. A single species shall exhaust the nutrients in a particular soil zone and deplete that layer of soil. It shall also support only a particular group of life form which is not sufficient to make the environment sustainable and maintain ecological balance.

It shall not have other species of medicinal and food value. In case of mixed species, various species have different root depth, its associated animals and microbes. All the layers of soil, the forest floor and space above need to be optimally utilized so that dynamism is maintained everywhere, that is where the natural forests are superior to artificial forests.

Climate change and green desert

Of course for initial reclamation we may need a Casuarina or Prosopis but as soon as the soils improve a little bit, one may go for better trees species mixtures to avoid green desert effect. For that matter any monoculture (plantation of single species) always have green desert effect. The mixed plantations are more eco-friendly and good for adaptation to the climate changes.

In the forest rich areas of Canada and Scandinavian countries where there are massive forests of conifers, trials of mixed plantations have already been started for better adaptation to climate change. Here in sub tropics too, the mixed plantations shall be closest to natural forests, hence give us better ecosystem services. Even Pine and Teak shall not give desert effect if grown mixed with broad-leaves species. The mixed plantations are best tools in the climate change adaptation and mitigation strategies.

The temperate and subtropical pines are likely to be affected badly in case of climate change as the rise in temperature shall make the pine unsuitable in its original place (migration of species). As such pure pine plantations shall have great adverse impact on the environment in climate change. It therefore has to be avoided from our mitigation and adaptation strategies.

Conclusion

Now our natural forest remains in a very limited extent, good and pristine natural forests shall be found only in dense forests, now the nation's dense forest is 12.24 percent of geographical area (FSI, 2013). There may be some degraded natural forests in open forests too but in limited extent. If we clear these remnants of natural forest with all its components of biodiversity, all the wildlife, rare plants, medicinal plants, it will be a great loss to the mankind.

One may admit that the green desert are much better than the actual and virtual deserts where presence of life forms is quite restricted. Yes, for problem areas, to start with, it is alright, but the serious issue is of artificially creating green deserts in good areas. A way out is to imitate the nature as close as possible.

We should not be complacent with the idea that we can replace them with artificial regeneration after annihilating the natural forests. So whatever the natural forest that is left with us should be given maximum protection by all of us for posterity of mankind. Now, in India, clear felling any natural forests for creating a plantation is not allowed, a prior permission from central government is required. It is a good step for avoiding green deserts.