Forest Management Practices: Economic Development Over Sustainable Conservation of Natural Resources

Forest Management Practices Continue To Prioritize Economic Development over Sustainable Conservation of Natural Resources in India
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Forest Management Practices Continue to Prioritize Economic Development over Sustainable Conservation of Natural Resources in India
Problem Area and Country Setting
Forests play a significant role in sustaining Biodiversity, maintaining ecological balance, and regulating climate. India has diverse forests covering about 21 percent of its geographical environment, including temperate, subtropical, alpine, and tropical forests. The continuous exploitation of these resources has brought about severe environmental degradation, loss of Biodiversity, and ecological imbalance with an aim for economic development. The problem that is being withheld is the water issue profession and willing of more than 1.3 billion according to the world air quality report 2022. Individuals at these stages, lime, exhaust, and agricultural and industrial emissions are polluted with India-attributable impact (Adamum et al., 2019). This problem statement focuses on forest management practices prioritizing economic development over sustainable conservation of natural resources in India.
India has focused its economic development on traditional forest management, such as timber extraction, building dams, and mining. Due to these developments, a continuous persistent disregard for the benefit of sustainable conservation of forest resources. Forest management practices have led to soil erosion, severe ecological imbalances, deforestation, and loss of habitat. The issue has been brought about by corruption, inadequate governance mechanisms, and a lack of political will to ensure forests are properly maintained, and good practices are implemented to safeguard them (Kumar, 2023). Additionally, inadequate implementation of various forest conservation policies has led to further forest resource degradation. Policies such as National Forest Policy 1988 and Forest Conservation Act 1980 have failed in their role and aim of achieving their goals because of weak enforcement and implementation mechanisms (Kumar, 2023). 
Problem Statement
Economic development has continuously been prioritized over conservation despite efforts to promote sustainable forest management in India. This condition leads to the loss of Biodiversity and depletion of natural resources. According to Chandra & Gupta (2022), immense pressure has been brought about by speedy economic development and population growth on the ecosystems, which later lead to the loss of species, deforestation, and fragmentation of habitat (Chandra & Gupta, (2022). Tropical forests, wetlands, and grasslands are some of the world's biodiverse ecosystems in India. Despite the Indian government implementing initiatives and policies to conserve natural resources and promote forest control practices, priority has been directed to economic development and growth for commercial roles, thus leading to the exploitation of natural resources (Mehta et al., 2020). As a result, it is critical to address this issue by promoting sustainable forest management practices that prioritize natural resource conservation and biodiversity preservation while supporting economic development.
Creative Ideas
Forests are important in people's lives because they maintain a healthy environment and support the global economy. There are various ways that the forests provide ecosystem services like water filtration, conserving Biodiversity, carbon sequestration, and soil conservation. Therefore, taking care of forests is important for the environment and the economy.
Forests Purify the Air We Breathe
Forests play an important role in purifying the air we breathe. The trees absorb carbon dioxide and other pollutants and release oxygen into the atmosphere. People and other living things breathe the oxygen released, making the environment healthier. The carbon absorbed is stored for a long time; thereby, the amount of greenhouse gases is reduced in the atmosphere (Chaturvedi et al., 2022). Other pollutants such as nitrogen dioxide, ozone, and Sulphur dioxide are removed from the air we breathe, which, if left uncontrolled, could lead to respiratory problems and damage the crops.
Forests Filter the Water We Drink
Forests greatly affect the health and quality of the water people drink. They also have an integral role in the health of the water systems. According to Chaturvedi et al. (2022), forests filter our water by acting as natural filters, absorbing and tapping pollutants, sediments, and various contaminants before they access water sources (Chaturvedi et al., 2022). Forests are also capable of storing and steadily releasing water. The condition is significant because it helps maintain a sustainable water supply. Canopy in the forests store water collected from rainfalls and later released through the leaves and into the ground. They are storing rainfalls in the canopy to help lower the chances of soil erosion and flooding. Tress also ens...