Forest department to involve tribal people living in reserve forest area At last count, Erode district had a forest cover of 2,27,678 hectares — 1,45,531 in Sathyamangalam division and 82,147 in Erode division — accounting for 27.7 per cent of the district’s geographical area of 5,722 square kilometres. The area under forest cover in the district is a little over 10 percentage points more than the State’s average of 17.58 per cent, but behind the 33.3 per cent mandated by the National Forest Policy — 1988. While the State Government has taken efforts to increase the forest cover to 25 per cent of the land area by encouraging tree cultivation in and outside reserved forest areas, the Forest Department here has initiated measures to sustain and increase the forest cover by involving tribal people living in reserve forest area. The department has adopted policies that are ecologically sustainable, socially acceptable and economically feasible. Last week, the District Forest Officer, Sathyamangalam, and the Conservator of Forests I. Anwardeen interacted with representatives of 12 villages to evolve strategies for enhancing food security through acquiring new skills so as to depend less on forests for survival. The Joint Forest Management Approach (JFM) fosters positive relationship between the forest department and village communities. Under the Tamil Nadu Biodiversity Conservation and Greening Project, the department intends to involve villagers of Arasamarathoddi, Kalkadambur, Gunjampalayam, Anilnatham, Vedarpalayam, Kadatti, Sujjalkkarai, Ramabailur, Kilathur, Vaithianathapuram, Kanakunthur, and Karalayam villages in T. N. Palayam, Sathyamangalam, and Hassanur ranges in forest conservation. Saplings The department has planted saplings in the forests at spots surrounding the areas under cultivation by forest dwellers and raised solar fencing around their agricultural fields to prevent any scope for encroachment, Mr. Rajkumar said. Alongside checking encroachments by forest dwellers through deployment of anti-poaching watchers, the department is in the process of identifying a new direction in forest resource management by empowering village communities as a source of local self-governance in planning, management and development of forests, sources said. Planting of saplings is being encouraged outside forest area with as much emphasis. Conduct of wildlife week celebrations last month enhanced awareness about forest conservation among the student community. Competitions Painting, elocution and quiz competitions were conducted on the topics ‘wildlife and its diversity’, ‘status and strategies of wildlife conservation in India’ and ‘forests, wildlife and environment’ and the department found the students’ understanding of wildlife encouraging.