Meghalaya lost 17, 100 hectares of forest cover during the span of six years from 2014 to 2020. Though the forest cover constitutes about 76% geographical area of the State, about 43% of the same is constituted by open degraded forests.
A substantial part of the forest cover, as assessed by the Forest Survey of India, which actually assesses the green cover, is constituted by the horticultural crops. Majority of these horticultural plantations have been raised in the State in last few decades with financial and institutional support from the State and Union Government. Many of these horticultural plantations have been raised at the cost of forests.
This was revealed during a three day workshop cum training on Forest Certification and Carbon Credit at Sylvan House, Lower Lachumiere.
The program was organised in collaboration with the Network for Certification and Conservation of Forests (NCCF), New Delhi where in Chief Secretary DP Wahlang was the chief guest.
A team of 10 experts from the NCCF also attended and share their thought on the Forest Certification and Carbon Credit during the Workshop.
Addressing the gathering, Meghalaya Chief Secretary, D. P. Wahlang, emphasized the significant learning opportunities within the field of forest management. He underscored the universal importance of forests, whether at the national or state level. Wahlang highlighted the autonomy granted by the Government of India to the states in managing forests, acknowledging the challenges faced, such as significant forest cover loss that necessitated intervention from the central government.
He further mentioned that the Government of Meghalaya has convened multiple meetings to deliberate on strategies for afforestation and enhancing forest cover within the state. These efforts reflect a proactive approach aimed at sustainable forest management and conservation in Meghalaya.
The Workshop will be followed by Training on Carbon Credit and Forest Certification on 25th and 26th June 2024 respectively.
The objective of the workshop is to sensitize the participants about Forest Certification, Carbon Credit and other standards, such as Ecotourism, Quality Planting Material and Trees Outside Forest, developed or under the process of development by the NCCF.
The objective of the Training on the Carbon Credit is to build the capacity of Forest Department officials and other stakeholders in developing proposals for carbon credits and registering them on Carbon Registry-India and other credible registries. While the objectives of the Training on the Forest Certification is to acquaint the participants with various processes involved in Forest Certification, such as gap assessment, internal audits, identifying and maintaining the necessary documentation etc.