BHUBANESWAR: The Forest department will soon roll out a new ‘Odisha Eco-Restoration Policy’ to improve the quality of forests, restore ecological functions and enhance wildlife habitats to help reduce human-wildlife conflict.
Principal chief conservator of forests (PCCF) and head of forest force (HoFF) K Murugesan told TNIE that the policy is built around the concept of ‘Four Modules - One Map - One Policy’, ensuring that each hectare receives a scientifically appropriate treatment, a defined funding pathway and a community stake. He said the declining quality of forests could be one of the reasons behind the increase in human-wildlife conflict in the state and neighbouring Jharkhand and West Bengal, despite elephant populations being higher in several southern states.
The PCCF said the proposed policy has four modules. The first involves Artificial Regeneration (AR) and Assisted Natural Regeneration (ANR) in existing forests, based on forest type and regeneration potential, with scope for carbon-credit linkage. Plantation will be taken up directly in non-Podu districts, while in Podu (shifting cultivation) districts, it will be taken up after sequenced treatment and other interventions.
The plantation in the first module also focuses on species palette and layered plantation including top canopy, sub-canopy and shrub/undergrowth to ensure right species in the right storey for natural growth and long-term forest resilience.
The second module focuses on block-based restocking of endangered and high-value native species such as Asan and Red Sanders. In the third module, the Forest department has planned to improve the quality of existing forests through scientific thinning and the fourth focuses on non-felling protection measures and reserving blank patches for fresh plantation.
The interventions will be mapped using the ‘2023 Forest Type Map’ and implemented through a 10-year restoration cycle. The PCCF informed that the proposal has been submitted to the state government for approval. He said that the proposed policy seeks to shift the focus from conventional plantation to site-specific ecological restoration, using native species, natural regeneration, community participation and GIS-based monitoring.
Murugesan said the policy will prioritise native species over monoculture plantations, with species selected according to the original forest type of each site. It will also focus on existing rootstock, seed banks and natural succession before fresh planting is considered, he said.
Forest-dependent communities will also be involved in the restoration process, with provisions for livelihood convergence and benefit sharing. Moreover, the restoration activities will be GIS-mapped and monitored through measurable monitoring, reporting and verification outcomes.