Forest Degradation and Management : An Indian Perspective

Forest Degradation and Management - An Indian Perspective provides an overview of the dynamics and challenges surrounding forest degradation in India. It reveals the harmful impacts of human activity on natural resources, ecosystems, and communities, and emphasizes the urgent need for sustainable forest management practices.

The book is divided into four parts, each offering a different perspective on forest degradation. Part I presents an overview of forest degradation in India, including a comparative analysis of assessment tools. Part II explores the ecological impacts of forest degradation on ecosystems. Part III is dedicated to societal aspects, examining the consequences of human activity such as cultivation, eco-tourism, resource utilization, and deforestation, while also analyzing the impact of forest degradation on forest-dependent communities. Part IV focuses on mitigation strategies, highlighting the role of protected areas, governance, policies, and participatory approaches.

This volume within the book series Forestry Sciences is an invaluable resource for students, researchers, policymakers, and conservationists seeking to tackle the complex challenges of forest degradation. It provides knowledge and practical insights to inform decision-making processes, guide sustainable forest management strategies, and promote responsible land use practices.

Dr. Gopal Shukla currently working as Professor & Head in the Department of Forestry at North-Eastern Hill University, Tura Campus, Tura, Meghalaya, India. Before joining as Professor, he worked as faculty member in the Department of Forestry at Uttar Banga Krishi Viswavidyalaya (UBKV), Cooch Behar, West Bengal, India. He has more than 14 years of experience in forestry teaching, research and extension. He has worked on different projects, including the National Agricultural Innovation Project, National Innovations in Climate Resilient Agriculture (ICAR) and as a SERB (DST) young scientist on the project entitled “carbon stock of different land uses of Terai Zone of West Bengal” at UBKV. His specialization is forest ecology and his research and development work is on agroforestry, medicinal plants, forest ecology and conservation. He has published more than 100 papers and articles in refereed journals, 30 book chapters, and eight books, attended various conferences, and handled three ad hoc/extramural project as PI and six as Co-PI, as well as organized two National Seminar as Organizing Secretary, one ten days training program as course coordinator and nine farmer’s training/awareness program. Dr. Shukla has served as Member, Faculty Council, Faculty of Horticulture, UBKV, Cooch Behar, and Board of Studies (UG) Forestry, Bankura University, Bankura, West Bengal. He was one of the members for framing UG and PG forestry syllabus for Bankura University, Bankura, WB and Amity University, Amity, UP. Currently, he is a member of Academic Council North-Eastern Hill University and Research Advisory Committee member of Rain Forest Research Institute under Indian Council for Forestry Research and Education, India. Dr. Shukla also guided four doctoral and 11 master’s students in forestry.

He received Scientist award in 2012, 2018 (SERB (DST)) and received best oral and poster presentation award in number of seminar/conferences. Dr. Shukla also delivered invited lectures in seminars/conference/ training programs and chaired technical sessions in conferences. He graduated from Dr. B. R. Ambedkar University, Agra, followed by postgraduate and doctorate degrees obtained from Uttar Banga Krishi Viswavidyalaya. The focus of his research and development work is on forest ecology, conservation and sustainable forest management.

Dr. Abha Manohar K is a dedicated forestry professional with a strong passion for research, education, and forest conservation.  Her expertise lies in the areas of forest regeneration, medicinal plant cultivation, and the sustainable management of forest resources.  She holds a Ph. D in Forestry from Uttar Banga Krishi Viswavidyalaya (West Bengal, India), where her research focused on the development of propagation protocols for endangered medicinal plants. Also, she graduated from Kerala Agricultural University, followed by postgraduate degree obtained from SHUATS, Uttar Pradesh. Dr. Manohar K brings more than six years of experience in forestry teaching, research and extension.  She has held positions as both a researcher and an Assistant Professor, where she has gained valuable skills in conducting research, managing projects, and teaching forestry courses.  She has published more than 30 research articles in refereed journals, 15 book chapters, and two books. She is a recognized expert in the field of forest regeneration. Dr. Manohar K is a strong advocate for sustainable forest management practices. She is particularly interested in finding solutions to the problem of forest degradation, and her work focuses on developing methods for restoring degraded forests and promoting the sustainable use of forest resources.  In addition to her academic and research pursuits, Dr. Manohar K is actively involved in professional organizations and is a reviewer for several scientific journals.  Dr. Manohar K also delivered invited lectures in seminars/conference/ training program and chaired technical session in conferences.

Anil Raj Kizhakkepurakkal (Kizha) is an Associate Professor of Forest Operations and the Forest Program Leader at the School of Forest Resources, University of Maine (UMaine). He received his Undergraduate degree in forestry from Kerala Agricultural University, Kerala. Dr. Kizha received all his graduate degrees from Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge. i.e., two Masters of Science: Forestry and Environmental Science and a Doctoral degree in Forestry. After which he worked as a Lecturer and Post-Doctoral researcher at Humboldt State University, Arcata, CA. He joined UMaine as an Assistant Professor in 2015.

Dr. Kizha teaches different courses core to the forestry program such as Forest Measurement and Statistics, Advanced Forest Operations, Forest Management, Forest Road, Forest Operations Finance, and Winter Operational Camp. His research spans from Forest Operations, Logistics, Life Cycle Analysis, and Sustainable Forest Management. He is working on several grants at local, regional, and federal level. He is advising several Doctoral and Master’s Students and have over 30 peer-reviewed research articles published in various well reputed journals. Along with this, he serves as an adjunct Professor at Humboldt State University and Coordinator for Division 3.0 at International Union for Forestry Research.

Dr. Pankaj Panwar has teaching experience of 6 years and research experience of 22 years in sub-temperate, dry subtropical and humid subtropical climates. He started his career as Assistant Professor (Forestry) in Uttar Banga Krishi Viswavidyalaya, West Bengal. Later joined ICAR - Research Complex for Eastern Region, Ranchi Centre as Senior Scientist (Forestry). Presently he is working as Principal Scientist (Agroforestry) at ICAR - Indian Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Research Centre - Chandigarh since 2014. He has to his credit more than 130 research publications along with seven books. He has also published eight technical bulletin/brochures and one policy paper. At present Dr. Panwar is working on Natural Resource Management, watershed development and sustainable land management, tree-crop interactions in agroforestry and developing land use technologies for resource poor farmers.

Dr. Sumit Chakravarty is currently working as a Professor & Head, Department Forestry in Uttar Banga Krishi Viswavidyalaya, Cooch Behar, West Bengal, India. He has more than 100 peer reviewed national and international publications, five books and 25 book chapters and numerous conference publications. He has guided ten master’s and five doctoral students and handled four externally funded projects under Department of Biotechnology, Science and Engineering Research Board, National Medicinal Plants Board funded by Government of India. He has conducted research on forestry, agroforestry, medicinal plants and climate change. With more than 20 years of experience, the main focus of his research and development work includes Seed Germination, Plant Ecology, Environmental Impact Assessment, Soil and Water Conservation, Sustainability, Carbon Sequestration, Ecosystem Functioning, Biodiversity Conservation and Natural Resource Management.