Forest Resources Conservation and Regeneration: A Study of West Bengal Plateau

At present there is a general awareness that forestry is a principal prop of development in areas where physical and social conditions preclude traditional development activities. The shrinkage in forest areas today has become a severe problem from ecological and economic point of view. The book deals with the lateritic tracts of West Bengal where forest cover is moderate, but with a high potential for rural development through appropriate forestry related activities, uncertain agriculture and lack of industry within the core of the zone has condemned the area to a perpetual state of economic depression.
Formerly a substantial area was covered with mixed forest but now due to influx of population and associated activities rapid depletion of forest have taken palace. Deforestation is also done b the tribal population who are the inhabitants of this region and largely depends on forest for their sustenance.
For the past apathy of government and other bodies, forest has so far been considered merely as residual landuse. But recently government has recognised the importance of this sector in rural development and decided to bring it back through implementation of schemes as afforestation, social forestry, Drought Prone Area Programme, Integrated Tribal Development Project and host of other schemes. The book how ever took into consideration the traditional forestry as well as social forestry concepts within this lateritic tract of Bengal.
Social forestry is a comparatively new concept. So this field is vastly unexplored. This book happen to be the first on dealing with the achievement of social forestry in West Bengal. Case studies have been made in support of the relevance of the Project.
This book objectively examines the varied issues relating to forestry. This may help those who are interested to make plan for the development of rural India.