Rising forest fires could hinder India’s green cover ambitions
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In hot, dry Central India's mixed deciduous and tropical thorn forests, a warmer climate could extend the severe fire season by as much as 61 days by the end of the century, according to a study recently published in Nature. This study only considers weather changes for which substantial evidence is available.
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Conversely, the wet, evergreen and deciduous forests of the warm, humid North East will see an overall decline in the fire weather index by 40%, despite a rise in temperature, because precipitation and humidity, which affect the possibility of fire more than temperature, are set to increase.
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More than nine in ten forest fires in India are caused by humans, whether by mistake or intentionally. So experts like Barik recommend limiting human access to vulnerable areas. However, there is another angle to the role of the community in protecting a forest.
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"Van Panchayats tend to have better fire control due to active local community participation in protective activities (such as reducing combustible leaf litter and speedily responding to fires), traditional knowledge, and a vested interest in maintaining forest health for ecosystem services," says Vinod Chandra Joshi, scientist, Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, and author of a study that assessed the total tree biomass and carbon stock in forests spanning these three popular governance systems.
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