THE HINDU Editorial Vocabulary- February 14, 2018 - Topic 2
Woods and trees: On the
state of Indian forests
The Environment Ministry’s ‘India State of Forest Report 2017’ based
on satellite imagery, may present a net positive balance in the form of 24.4%
of India’s land area under some form of forest or tree cover, but this is but a
broad-brush assessment. According to the report, forest and tree cover together
registered a 1% rise over the previous estimate two years ago.
However, such an
estimate listing very dense, moderately dense, open and scrub forests mapped
through remote sensing does not really provide deep insights into the integrity
of the green areas. The emphasis in environmental policy to raise forest cover
to 33% of the geographical area will yield some dividends. There has been an
increase over the baseline cover of 20% at the turn of the century. Yet, tree
cover is not the same as having biodiverse, old-growth forests. The ecosystem
services performed by plantations that have a lot of trees grown for commercial
purposes cannot be equated with those of an undisturbed assemblage of plants,
trees and animals. India may be endowed with 16 major forest types, and 221
types and sub-types based on the Champion and Seth classification, but retains
very little of its ancient forests after centuries of pre-colonial and colonial
exploitation. Latter-day development pressures are also taking their toll.
Forest restoration should, therefore, aid the return of native vegetation.
In its audit of various regions, the Ministry’s
report has calculated a cumulative loss of forests in Mizoram, Nagaland and Arunachal of nearly
1,200 sq km. The impact of such a terrible loss must be seen against the
backdrop of the Northeast representing a global biodiversity hotspot. Any gains
achieved through remediation programmes in Odisha, Assam, Telangana, Rajasthan,
Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir and Manipur cannot compensate
for it adequately. Naturally, environmental economists have come to regard the
calculation of national accounts of wealth and development as weak, because
governments do not add the benefits of functions such as flood control and
climate moderation to the value of forests. Such a failure erodes the gains
made by many communities, because lost natural capital contributes to material
losses. India must review the programmes that it has been pursuing to revive
forests, and move away from monoculture plantations that are favoured by even
forest development corporations in many States. Scientific reforms to bring
true nature back are needed. The latest assessment categorises more than
300,000 sq km of area as open forests with a tree canopy of 10-40%. These lands
provide the opportunity to bring back diverse, indigenous trees. Such a
measure, combined with a policy against allowing open cast mining, can bring
about a renaissance. Dedicated efforts will be required to protect the precious
forests of the Northeast.
Vocabulary
Estimate: an approximate calculation
or judgment of the value, number, quantity, or extent of something.
Example: At a rough estimate, our staff is
recycling a quarter of the paper used
Synonyms: rough
calculation, approximation, estimation, rough guess
Dense: closely compacted in
substance.
Example: Dense volcanic rock
Synonyms: thick, heavy, opaque, soupy, murky, smoggy
Antonyms: penetrable, smart, light, thin
Integrity: the quality of being honest
and having strong moral principles; moral uprightness.
Example: He is known to be a man of
integrity
Synonyms: honesty, probity, rectitude, honor, good
character
Antonyms: dishonesty, favoritism, inequity, injustice, partiality
Emphasis: special importance, value,
or prominence given to something.
Example: They placed great emphasis on the
individual's freedom
Synonyms: prominence, importance, significance, value, stress
Exploitation: the action of making use of
and benefiting from resources.
Example: The Bronze Age saw exploitation of
gold deposits
Synonyms: utilization, use, making
use of, making the most of, capitalization on
Restoration: the action of returning
something to a former owner, place, or condition.
Example: The restoration of Andrew's sight
Synonyms: reinstatement, reinstitution, reestablishment, reimposition, return
Terrible: extremely or distressingly
bad or serious.
Example: A terrible crime
Synonyms: dreadful, awful, appalling, horrific, horrifying, horrible, horrendous
Antonyms: ordinary, good, unalarming, mild
Compensate: give someone something,
typically money, in recognition of loss, suffering, or injury incurred;
recompense.
Example: Payments were made to farmers to
compensate them for cuts in subsidies
Synonyms: recompense, repay, pay
back, reimburse, remunerate
Antonyms: absolve, acquit, excuse, forget, forgive, neglect
Pursue: follow someone or something
in order to catch or attack them.
Example: The officer pursued the van
Synonyms: follow, run
after, chase, hunt, stalk, track, trail, shadow
Canopy: an ornamental cloth covering
hung or held up over something, especially a throne or bed.
Example: A romantic four-poster bed
complete with drapes and a canopy
Synonyms: awning, shade, sunshade, brise-soleil, marquee, chuppah
Precious: of great value
Example: Precious works of art
Synonyms: valuable, costly, expensive, invaluable
Antonyms: unloved, worthless, unworthy, artless
