Address at the 34th Annual Convocation of the Professional Forestry Training, Indira Gandhi National Forest Academy, Dehradun

Forest and its Multi-dimensions

I am delighted to participate in the 34th Convocation of the Indira Gandhi National Forest Academy. I congratulate the Indian Forest Service probationers who are graduating today after completion of their professional training. I greet all the faculty members who have worked hard in shaping the young probationers as forest professionals.

Dr. Rajeev Srivasthava sent me a Journal "Indian Forester - March 2005" what a quality, you have a tradition since 1875. Particularly I like the editorial of Indian Forester focusing "Medicinal and Aromatic Plants" with special emphasis on recent technologies, trade, commerce and marketing.

I was thinking what thoughts I can share with you. I have selected the topic "Forest and its Multi-dimensions".

Forest Cover

Yesterday, I was discussing with ISRO Chairman about the estimated forest cover of the country through IRS and the CARTOSAT data. Based on the satellite data study from 1987 to 2003, Forest Survey of India has estimated that the forest cover has increased from 6,47,000 sq. km to 6,88,000 sq. km. during this period. There is a marginal increase around 1%. Even though there is no reduction, we do not find substantial addition either.

What can be the mission for the Forest Officers? What can the institute teach them? What are the capacities to be built in them to achieve the goal of increasing present 20% forest cover of the country to 30% by the year 2015?

Capacity Building

For participating in the nation building tasks of conservation and growth of forest, the capacities required to be built among the probationers in their formative years of training are: the capacity for research or inquiry, the capacity for Creativity and Innovation, particularly the creative transfer of knowledge, the capacity to use high technology, the capacity for Entrepreneurial Leadership and the capacity for Moral Leadership.

Research and enquiry: The 21st century is about the management of all the knowledge and information we have generated and the value addition we bring to it. We must give our students the skills with which they find a way through the sea of knowledge that we have created and continue with life long learning. Today, we have the ability, through technology, to really and truly teach ourselves to become the life-long learners. This is required for devising innovative methods of preventing deforestation and promoting rapid afforestation. The Forest Service Officers should understand the psychology of the people and motivating reasons why they cut trees and what alternatives can be found for changing their psyche.

Creativity and innovation: The management of knowledge in the 21st century is beyond the capacity of a single individual. The amount of information that we have around is overwhelming. The management of knowledge therefore must move out of the realm of the individual and shift into the realm of the networked groups. The Officers must learn how to manage knowledge collectively. When the information is networked the power and utility of the information grows as squared as predicted by Metcalfe's law. Information that is static does not grow. In the new digital economy information that is circulated creates innovation and contributes to national wealth. What we need to promote in the forest is to create new avenues for decent livelihood for the inhabitants by promoting a new enterprises by skill enabling the inhabitants.

Capacity to use high technology: Every Forest Service Officer should learn to know how to use the latest technologies for aiding their learning process. The Forest Academy should equip themselves with adequate computing equipment, laboratory equipments, and Internet facilities and provide an environment for the officers to enhance their learning ability. In the midst of all of the technological innovations and revolutions we cannot think that the role of the teachers will be diminished. In fact the teacher will become even more important and the whole world of education will become teacher assisted and would help in "tele-porting" the best teacher to every nook and corner of the countries and propagate the knowledge. Forest Service Officers must be able to visualize and demand remote sensing data on forest cover and use it for planning and day to day working. They should also be acquainted with emerging smart technologies for faster afforestation and their conservation.

Entrepreneurship: The aptitude for entrepreneurship should be cultivated right from the beginning and in the institute environment. We must teach the officers to take calculated risks for the sake of larger gain, but within the ethos of good business. They should also cultivate a disposition to do things right. This capacity will enable them to take up challenging tasks in improving forest cover in their area and also make good enterprises in the region for the benefit of inhabitant by laying emphasis on better use of minor forest products.

Moral leadership: Moral leadership involves two aspects. First it requires the ability to have compelling and powerful dreams or visions of human betterment. Moral leadership requires a disposition to do the right thing and influence others also to do right things. This is a very important trait for all Forest Officers and they have to become a role model for all the staff and inhabitants to follow.

In sum, inquiry, creativity, technology, entrepreneurial and moral leadership are the five capacities required to be built through the training process. If we develop in all our officers these five capacities, we will produce "Autonomous Learner" a self-directed, self controlled, lifelong learner who will have the capacity to improve and conserve our forest cover in spite of the challenge of growing population. Forest Service Officers are the leaders who will work together as a "Self-organizing Network" and ensure the growth of our forest cover from the existing 20% to 30% by the year 2015. Now I would like to share with you some of my experiences in social forestry.

Barren land transformed into a eco-friendly technology centre

I moved to DRDL (Defence Research & Development Laboratory), Hyderabad a missile laboratory in the year 1982. In three years time (1985-88), this laboratory gave the nation a missile technology center called RCI (Research Centre, Imarat) at Hyderabad. When we established RCI, it was a barren land of 2600 acres. In three years time, it became a state-of-the art laboratory with 3 lakh trees, plants and creepers to form a beautiful eco environment. This was possible since environmental upgradation was focused as part of the plan while creation of the laboratory. The next experience, I would like to give is about greening of Leh valley by DRDO at an altitude of 11500 feet.

Greening the Cold Desert

Leh valley is a cold desert. There is very little vegetation. After the Chinese aggression in 1962, DRDO took up the project of greening Leh Valley. DRDO, by developing appropriate local technologies could green several thousand acres of cold desert with poplar and willow trees which has brought prosperity to the whole valley. In the year 1992, DRDO adopted a village Nang at a height of 13500 feet to make it self sustainable village. Within a year, a plantation of 25 hectare was raised by involving villagers. This plantation has become the source of income for the villagers and their average income has gone up by four times.

Forest PURA

The Forest Service Officers should think of a special PURA called "Forest PURA". This PURA must address the problems of people who live around the forest for whom trees are the livelihood. Mostly it is due to non-availability of alternative wealth generation avenue. Hence the Forest Service Officers should first find how they could give alternative energy source for heating, cooking and lighting needs. This should be met through the use of solar energy and bio-mass. Every Forest Officer must facilitate establishment of these energy sources in his or her area of operation. Also, they must find innovative method for promoting minor forest product and its marketing which will enable provision of productive employment to the locals. The Forest Officers should knowledge empower the locals through special capacity building programme in collaboration with state agricultural universities and forest research institute. In essence, the Forest Officer should become a facilitator for creating a number of PURA enterprises in their area with community partnership.

Medicinal and Aromatic Plants: Value addition

I would like to recall the report of the sub-committee of Scientific Advisory Committee to the Cabinet (SAC-C) on herbal and natural products and flori-culture with Mrs. L.F. Poonawalla as chairperson. One of the major highlights of the report is short listing seven herbal plants (Aloe Vera, Rauwolfia serpentina, Centella asiatica, Bacopa Monnieri, Taxus baccata, Artemisia annua, Catharantus roseus) which are very important in view of their application as a drug, national and international demand and also economic benefits.

India is rich in herbs, germ plasm and micro organisms. Industrially developed countries are importing these bio-resources in the raw forms and adding value to them for export to developing countries including India as special seeds, medicines and bio-materials, fully protecting patents of these products. Instead of allowing export of such resources and importing value added products at high cost, India must add its own technology for conversion of such resources to value added products for domestic requirements and also for export.

Conclusion

The Indira Gandhi National Forest Academy has to network all the State Conservator of Forests for real time information that will enrich forests. There are a few countries endowed with large dense forest coverage. There should be a virtual connectivity for exchange of research data. India has a unique remote sensing satellite including CARTOSAT for mapping of earth. Forest Officers have to become friends with remote sensing satellite experts as they will give them technological forecast on forests.

Many of the countries in the world have experienced successive calamities driven by the nature. Till recently, the researchers world over had been pursuing research in unconnected ways, in Climate, Earthquake, Ocean Sciences, forestry and Earth Sciences, without realizing the latent but tight coupling between these areas. This new realization has prompted many countries to pursue the interdisciplinary area of research, which is now known as Earth Systems Science. It is in fact, fast emerging as an area of convergence between Earth, Forest, Climate, Ocean, Environment, Instrumentation and Computer Sciences. I strongly suggest that the Indira Gandhi National Forest Academy should mount a programme in this emerging area of Earth Systems Science. This will call for a dedicated, cohesive and seamless integration between researchers in multiple areas and in multiple institutions. Protection and growth of forest will enable preservation of our environment, minimizing contribution to global warming and enable balanced nation wide monsoon leading to prosperity of the whole nation. While concluding let me once again congratulate the graduating Indian Forest Service Probationers. My best wishes to all the members of Indira Gandhi National Forest Academy in their mission of increasing the forest cover of India to 30% by 2015.

May God bless you.