The environment value of the forest has finally overtaken the commercial value in the last 50 years. The forests are being increasingly looked upon by everyone as the only remedy for pollution, as well as being the only source of pure water and oxygen. Hence the need for the conservation and protection of these lands has gained new dimensions.

After independence, the government framed new policies for forests in the country. From a policy of using forests commercially, the focus shifted to conserving the environment for the benefit of the people, and their future.

Speaking with range forest officer Sameer Deshpande of Borivali National Park, Yeoor section, one learns that matters regarding forests are improving rapidly and the movement to save the environment is getting stronger with the vociferous involvement of NGOs and other likeminded people, who are playing active roles by influencing government forest polices and it implementation. They are also sensitising people to the importance of these laws and policies.

The recently formed joint Forest Management Committee is helping with the involvement and participation of rural people, for the implementation of the new policies formed by the government for the protection of forests. Recent orders of the Apex and the High Courts have strengthened the hands of the forest authorities, and the encroachment of forest land, at least on Borivali National Park, is soon likely to be a thing of the past.

New acts like the wild Life Protection Act, the Private Forest Acquisitions Act, and the Forest Conservation Act, to name a few, have been enacted to achieve this goal. Started 150 years ago by the British, the forest department was earlier a single body, whose main role was the protection and extraction of timber for commercial use. Today, the forest department has spread its wings four fold. Now there is social forestry, which takes care of advertising, creating awareness amongst the people, undertaking plantation programmes on community and private lands, and providing seedlings for private plantations.

There is also the Forest Development Corporation, which was started to enrich the less valuable forest land by planting valuable teak plantations, thereby adding value to already existing tracts of forests, without taking anything away.

Also created was the wildlife wing, which was started to protect special areas, which are important for wild life conservation. Given the status of National park and Sanctuaries, which provided more legal support to the wild flora and fauna.

The wild Life wing of Maharashtra further created Nature Interpretation Centre around the state, educating people on the importance of proper interaction between wild animals. Plants and forest cover, with human beings. This has resulted in creating better understanding between the forest officials on one hand, the people residing around National Park and Sanctuaries, on the other. The people’s participation in this project is helping tremendously in the protection of the vast treasures around them.