Forest conservation refers to the maintenance of forested areas as well as to the act of planting more trees. Forest conservation benefits future generations in manifold ways. Let us find out why! 

Forests are an integral part of the eco-system. They shelter wildlife. They regulate weather conditions. They provide over 5000 different types of raw materials used for industries. Forests are the lungs of the world. Conserving forests is of utmost importance. 

In the prehistoric age, about two-fifth of the land area of the earth was covered with natural forests. But with time, forests have been overly exploited for commercial purposes. The destruction has increased after the industrial revolution, depleting forest cover more and more. This has led to numerous adverse effects on our planet and the eco-system – 

• Increase in global temperature 
• Less rainfall
• Increase in soil erosion 
• Increase in frequency and volume of floods
• Unavailability of numerous important forest products
• Extinction of certain animal and plant species
• Ecological imbalance

The methods of forest conservation – 

1. There is no denying that trees need to be felled for commercial purposes. But, this need to be done in a planned and regulated manner. Unnecessary cutting of trees need to be avoided completely.  
2. Forest fires need to be prevented.
3. Planting more and more trees is a practice that is inevitable to the conservation and maintenance of forest cover. 
4. Much of the forest cover of this earth has been depleted to make way for agricultural land. Shifting cultivation practiced by some tribal communities harms this ecological balance. Such practices need to be stopped.
5. Forests and forest products have been utilised commercially for centuries. But the practices have not always been sustainable. Timbre procurement itself leads to a lot of wastage. Waste minimization through innovative ways of utilization of all forest products is the only answer.  
6. Forest tourism needs to be developed and promoted! It is one such way in which forests bring in revenue without having to give up anything.
7. There should be more strict laws and acts protecting forests.

Please follow and like us: