Thread by @prernabindra

"In March 2023 the #Forest #Conservation Amendment bill was plaed before the LokSabha. Ms Prakriti Srivastava,IFS (PCCF #Kerala) & I jointly wrote a submission to the Joint Parliamentary Committee, link provided at the end of the (long) thread. 1/n

highlighting the imp pts:
Fundamental changes in the proposed bill:
a)Limits the scope & ambit of the original FCA (1980), removing crucial safeguards from a vast majority of India's #biodiverse rich #forests, thereby opens the floodgates for diversion for other uses
2/n

b) Undoes many provisions of the existing #ForestConservationAct; c) dilutes the 202/1996 #SupremeCourt ‘Godavarman’ #judgement, overturns its #conservation gains
(d) facilitates privatisation of forests to create plantations
e) shifts focus from conservation of forests to 3/n

increasing green cover; and from ‘creation’ (as if!) & mgt of forests rather than their conservation. It lays emphasis on enhancing #tree & forest cover. Creating #carbonsinks via #plantations is counter intuitive, plantations r poor in sequestering #carbon, most are failures 4/n

The-longwinded – preamble says “ facilitating economic needs”, The Q we ask is: Whose economic needs, as forest dependent communities will be further rendered vulnerable as protection is shorn of forests. 5/n

Suggests (Hindi) name "Van (Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan) Adhiniyam" is non-inclusive, leaving out vast tracts of populations in non-Hindi speaking regions, including the south and the North-East. an Act of such huge import to our people needs to be inclusive 6/n

Dilutes 1996 SC judgement which
widened the scope of #FCA to apply to any land recorded as forest by the government irrespective of its ownership. Proposed to include only those lands recorded as forests on or after 25 October 1980. bulk of the #Aravallis, #tiger habitats of 7/n

Central India, Terai #WesternGhats #rainforests of NE, may no longer be considered ‘forest’ and can potentially be sold, diverted , cleared, felled, utilised, exploited without any safegaurds it further legalises
diversions of forest lands from 1980-96 converted to 8/n

non-forestry activities such as tea, coffee, cardamom, palm oil etc. Again, huge #forest loss, our submission gives examples. Another shocker is that amenmdment exempts #forests within 100 km of international border, LoC, LaC -all rich #ecosystems home to 9/n

#endangered-also endemic #wildlife #bustards #elephants red pandas, #SnowLeopards Gibbons etc-also #Hilamalayn #Glaciers head waters for #rivers potentially threatenned by unchecked construction 10/n

there are other 'exemptions': upto 10ha to for construction of security related #infrastructure; 5 ha in left wing extremeism areas(read #tiger #elephant forests, rich coal deposits); 0.10 ha alongside roads & railwaylines. allows #forests to b used for“any other purpose 11/n

or public utility” as specifed by Central govt (note sweeping powers to land owned by the state.)
It gets worse: Prospecting,investigation,exploration, seismic surveys etc will no longer b treated as non-forest activity. so, if u want to 'survey a forest for coal or lithium 12/n

sure, why not? And we know that if diamonds or coal is found, who will care at conserving tigers or pangolins or bears and the path to clearence will be clear. Fait accompli. 13/n

All terms are vaguely defined: for eg. what is public ultility, 'security'- the possibility for construction & destruction are limiless..also, no excericse to assess the magnitude of natural forest loss were these various exemptions to come into force, 14/n.

the bill blindsides that #deforestation is a key cause of release of #GHGs, will excerbate human #wildlife #conflict, ignores the #FRA , impacts on communites, impacts on #wildlife , other #ecosystems (to increase #forest cover. It changes the character of the FCA 15/n

We say, "The present Forest Conservation Act is meant to regulate activities in forest areas to safeguard them. It is a strong piece of legislation and requires no
amendment but better and effective implementation."
read our entire submission here:
drive.google.com/file/d/1HxaYOG…

I know it is a ong difficult read..but needs must. If you care for forests, wildlife, tigers, future generations, want clean air , water-then empower yourself, and please raise your voice...to conserve India's #forests , her natural heritage and #wildlife