Tie-up with private firms to develop forest land

The Forest Department is working on a proposal to allow public-private partnerships to develop “deemed forest” land.

The proposal seeks to resolve the Department’s fund issues, while also augmenting environmental activities as a part of the Corporate Social Responsibility of industries and big business houses here.

“Industries in Baikampady that do not have land for afforestation on their premises, currently sponsor sapling plantations in schools or by roadsides. This is scattered. However, the Forest Department has the land and this can be given to them to adopt for a more comprehensive afforestation programme,” said Sanjay Bijjur, Chief Conservator of Forests (Mangalore).

He said the proposal has in principle received the approval of B. Ramanath Rai, Minister for Forests, Ecology and Environment, who was keen to start the process in Mangalore division itself.

The Department holds nearly 1.40 lakh acres of deemed forest land in the district. A deemed forest is defined as being at least two contiguous hectares containing more than 50 natural trees per hectare. Assistant Conservator of Forests Abbas A.S. said a survey was underway to identify the exact locations of the land.

“As we only know roughly which land can be called deemed forest, the survey will help us demarcate the land. The survey is expected to be completed by November-end,” he said.

For the Department, any development of the land is tied to funds. The department is allotted Rs. 57,000 for 200 trees, or just around Rs. 285 per tree. The actual expenditure is nearly thrice as much, said an official.

Similarly, the Department can only water trees twice a year. “However, private companies do not have such caps on their CSR budgets. Larger scale developments are possible,” said an official.

Environmental CSR

Rajashekhar Puranik, Environment Officer, Karnataka State Pollution Control Board, which monitors ‘green initiatives’ of companies, said that the proposal could widen CSR spent towards afforestation.

“The scheme will ensure more CSR environmental activities are conducted in a systematic manner,” he said.