(a) the role of the National Board for Wildlife(NBWL)in conservation, promotion and development of wild lives and forests;
(b) the total forest cover in the country at present and its percentage as compared to total geographical area;
(c) The area of notified forest in Chhattisgarh; and
(d) the details of the measures being taken by the Government for the development, promotion and conservation of forest areas and wild lives in the State?
MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE
(SHRI ASHWINI KUMAR CHOUBEY)
(a) The functions of the National Board for Wild Life include framing policies and advising the Central Government and the State Governments on the ways and means of promoting wildlife conservation and effectively controlling poaching and illegal trade of wildlife and its products; making recommendations on setting up of and management of national parks, sanctuaries and other protected areas and on matters relating to restriction of activities in those areas; reviewing the progress in the field of wild life conservation in the country and suggesting measures for improvement.
(b) The total forest cover of the country as per the India State of Forest Report-2019 published by the Forest Survey of India is 7,12,249 sq. km which is 21.67 percent of the country’s geographical area. The total forest and tree cover in the country is 8,07,276 sq.km which is 24.56 percent of the geographical area of the country.
(c) As per the information received from the Government of Chhattisgarh, the area of notified forest in Chhattisgarh is 59,816 sq.km. This includes reserved forest, protected forest and unclassed forest.
(d) The important steps taken by the Government fordevelopment,promotionandconservationofforestareasandwildlife in the country, including Chhattisgarh are as follows:
i. Providing financial assistance to States/Union Territories under the Centrally Sponsored Schemes of ‘Development of Wildlife Habitats’, ‘Project Tiger’ and ‘Project Elephant’ for development of wildlife and its habitat, recovery programmes for saving critically endangered species, implementation of activities like creation and maintenance of water holes for wild animals in Protected Areas, soil and moisture conservation measures, establishment of anti-poaching camps, strengthening wildlife veterinary care, eradication of weeds, creation and maintenance of fire lines etc;
ii. The Ministry implements two major afforestation schemes, namely, National Mission for a Green India (GIM) for plantation on landscape basis and National Afforestation Programme (NAP) for tree plantation in degraded forests through Joint Forest Management Committees (JFMCs) at village level.
iii. The funds under Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA), inter-alia, are used for forest and wildlife management related activities including compensatory afforestation.
iv. The Ministry also promotes tree plantation as people’s movement in urban areas through Nagar Van Yojana and sensitizes students in greening programmes through School Nursery Yojana.
v. Ministry supplements the efforts of State/Union Territories in prevention and control of forest fire by providing financial assistance under the Centrally Sponsored Forest Fire Prevention and Management Scheme for creation of infrastructure viz. communication system, development of Management Information System, watch
towers, water storage structures, control rooms at Division & Range level, FG barracks and inspection huts etc..
vi. Creation of Eco-Sensitive Zones around National Parks and Sanctuaries;
vii. Implementation of guidelines named, ‘Eco-friendly Measures to Mitigate Impacts of Linear Infrastructure on Wild Life’;
viii. Adoption of National Wildlife Action Plan (2017-2031);
ix. Issuing advisory to States/Union Territories on Human Wildlife Conflict Mitigation;
x. Directions to States/Union Territories to comply with Sustainable Sand Mining Management Guidelines, 2016 and Enforcement and Monitoring Guidelines for Sand Mining, 2020;
xi. Issuing advisories to States/Union Territories for expansion of protected area network.
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