There is a village in Mansa of Punjab- Nangal Khurd. Here in the last month i.e. June 2022, the club of 100 women, 50 young people and the district administration collectively planted a tree. These are all different types of trees. This model of planting trees collectively is called community tree plantation.
The history of Van Mahotsav in Punjab is very old. In July 1947, the botanist M.S. It was celebrated here by Randhawa. In the year 1950, due to the efforts of Kanhaiya Lal Manik Lal Munshi, it was celebrated all over India. It is celebrated as part of efforts to spread awareness about afforestation among the people.
Why is afforestation necessary?
The IUCN states that deforestation and forest degradation contribute to 12% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Research suggests that 2 billion hectares of degraded forest in the world can be converted into forest. The figure for such land in India is 140 million hectares.
Challenges in the way of afforestation
The biggest challenge is to identify the land for afforestation. After this the biggest problem is that the governments do not pay much attention to this area. The government does not provide adequate finance for research and development. Apart from this, coordination with the local people is also a problem. In the absence of proper coordination, the process of afforestation hangs for a long time and sustainable afforestation is also not possible.
effects of afforestation
Climate change is the biggest problem of today’s time. Afforestation acts as an adsorbent to absorb carbon dioxide, so it also reduces the effect of greenhouse gases. It helps to cool the earth. They help in the formation of clouds by proper transpiration, and they also act like a sponge to absorb the water of the rivers which are overflowing due to rain.
Apart from this, they also provide resources for the wood used for cooking wood, timber and furniture for the rural economy. It also increases the fertility of the soil. Apart from this, it also increases the productivity of agriculture. It also provides employment opportunities in the rural economy. It also helps in dealing with the problem of food insecurity. Agro-forestry also works to prevent displacement from villages to cities. The decade of attainment of ecological pre-phase is being observed between the years 2021-2030. This will not only ensure the recovery of forest land, but through this the degraded forest can also be recovered.