The world’s population is increasing at an alarming rate, therefore more and more food is required. The forests are being destroyed and more land is being cultivated, thus destroying the environment. Besides this the tribal population is removing trees to practise shifting cultivation and for fuel. To fulfill the demands of the urban population the forest cover is being destroyed.
We need to conserve our forests as it preserves the ecological diversity and our life support system- water, air and soil.
The Forest Conservation Act in 1988 made strict punishment for those who violated the rules. Strict measures were taken to regulate the activities of the tribals, prohibition regarding felling of trees in hilly areas and to stop grazing and to prevent forest fires. People should be made aware of the importance and value of trees and encourage them to plant more trees.
The famous Chipko movements in the Himalayas, Beej Bachao Andolan in Tehri and Navdanya have shown the participation of the community in conservation of forests.