JK Green initiative: Govt to plant 1 lakh tree saplings in wildlife protected areas

Srinagar, Nov 05: With an aim to enhance forest cover, Jammu and Kashmir’s Wildlife Department in collaboration with the Forest Department under the JK Green Drive program has launched winter plantation drive in many wildlife-protected areas of the valley, officials said on Saturday.
Wildlife Warden Central Division Altaf Hussian told Rising Kashmir that department has started the plantation drive across many wildlife protected areas of the valley.
“The programme is under the JK Green initiative and for this winter at Kashmir’s Central Division of wildlife we have a target of planting one lakh plants by December 10 this year, however, if there are any impediments due to weather the drive will be carried after that as well”, he said.
He said the types of plants they are planting vary from area to area and that they are rehabilitating the zones that have gone degraded. Under JK Green drive, around 1.5 Cr plants are being planted in the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
Notably, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife)/Chief Wildlife Warden, J&K, Suresh Kumar Gupta on November 3 this year launched a winter plantation drive in Wildlife Protected areas under the JK Green Drive program at Khonmoh Conservation Reserve.
According to the J&K Forest department, the National Mission for a Green India, as one of the eight Missions under the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC), recognizes that climate change phenomena will seriously affect and alter the distribution, type, and quality of natural biological resources of the country and the associated livelihoods of the people.
The mission for a Green India (henceforth referred to as Mission) acknowledges the influences that the forestry sector has on environmental amelioration through climate mitigation, food security, water security, biodiversity conservation, and livelihood security of forest-dependent communities.
In tune with the National Green India Mission (GIM), the Jammu and Kashmir has also come up with the perspective Plan (2015-16 to 2020-21) for the implementation of the Green India Mission in the UT with an aim to enhance the forest cover and its quality, to abet mitigation and adaptation in the context of climate change.
J&K Mission Aims to enhance the quality of forest cover and improve ecosystem services from forest lands, including moderately dense forest cover, open forest cover, of degraded grasslands. Eco-restoration/afforestation to increase forest cover and ecosystem services from forest/non-forest lands, including scrub lands and sea-buckthorn areas.