Tribals can greatly help Haritha Haram in forests

Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao exhorted officials to extend Haritha Haram to forests (Hans India, 12th Sept), while reviewing the Haritha Haram mission. Yet in another report, CM suggested that selective medicinal plants should be grown in Vikarabad forest wherein Tuberculosis sanatorium was established by Nizam. It appears under Haritha Haram, the target is to plant 40 crore saplings, and 29 crore saplings have already been planted.

Encouraging tribals to plant native species and rejuvenating water sources in forests through Mission Bhagiratha will yield effective results. Medicinal plants also should be considered under the mission to help tribals make some earnings. Then, they will not only protect plants but also check smuggling by outsiders

To regenerate forest cover with medicinal and economically useful plants is a wise and welcome move. If medicinal plants that fetch money to tribals, under minor forest practice produce, the tribals will automatically protect these plant species from smugglers.

Some of the most important medicinal plants that need to propagated are Terminalia chebula (Karkkaya), Terminalia bellerica (Thani), and Phyllanthus embelica (usiri). All these three constitute famous triphala churna. Some of the big medicinal trees like Strychnos nuxvomica (musti), Strychnos potatoruim (Indupa gijalu), Terminalia arjuna (arjuna), Acacia catechu (khadira),

Acacia sandra (sandra), Buchnania lanzan (chiranji). Holarrhena antidysenterica ( kutaja) Pterocarpus marsupium (Bijasal), Aegle marmelos (bilwa) and Artocarpus integrifolia (panasa) are the most important medicinal plants found in the forests of Telangana. These plants need to be propagated. Plantation of non-conventional heart wood-bearing plants like Hardwickia species and Dalbergia sissoo need to be encouraged.

To elaborate further, the economy of tribals is largely dependent on some useful plants. These are Madhuca latifolia (vippa) (for flowers and seeds), Stercularia urens (gum karaya, kovela).

Buchnania lanzan (chiranji seeds), Bahunia vahilli (adda leaves), Dispyros melanoxylon (leaves to make beedis) and Mucuna prurensis (seeds, medicinal, L-DOPA). In fact, all tribals in hamlets are found in the forests only to collect these products. Tribals sell these products to Girijan Corporation, since they have legal rights over these minor forest products. These plans need to be propagated under the Haritha Haram.

Haritha Haram in forests need a different approach. The agronomic aspects of the aforementioned plants do not seem to have been studied. The best rational approach is to collect the natural saplings in rainy seasons, where the natural sapling density is high under mother tree, and then plant them in the damaged region of forests.

One method of plantation is to blast the rocky areas of forest, fill it with a good soil and plant the saplings during rainy season. These plants grow well in their natural habitat and the roots penetrate into cracks of rocks and grow well.

Social forestry in degraded forests needs to be discouraged. Usually teak and eucalyptus will be planted under the social forestry schemes. After ten years, the plants will be cut and then the forest will become a desert. Regeneration takes at least ten years.
It may be mentioned that the Urban Haritha Haram involves raising saplings in nurseries and planting on road side and public places, but Forest Haritha Haram needs a different method since tribals are an integral part of forest – regeneration is not possible without their cooperation. The tribals must be given incentives to protect the new saplings.

One golden rule is if the trees give continuous yields yearly, tribals will not cut them and they will also prevent outsiders from cutting them for smuggling. Further, it is not possible to water the saplings in the forests. Therefore, Haritha Haram of these plants should be done during rainy season only. Only native species should be propagated, not alien species.

Further, the tribals must be allowed to cut grass and graze cattle. It thick grass remains uncut, no new plants natural or planted saplings will be grown. Besides, cattle are seed spreaders. Of course, the goats are enemy of the forest since they indiscriminately eat all the tender forest plants.

In the patta land of tribals, which may be in forest, such as Hemindorft patta lands in Utnoor mandal of Adilabad district, they should be encouraged to grow annual medicinal plants such as Bacopa monniera (Brahmi), Centella asiatica (Saraswati), Eclipta alba (bringa raj),

Andrographis paniculate (nela vemu) and Phyllanthus amarus (nela usiri). Unfortunately, forest officials view the tribals as enemies of the forests and will not usually them into forests. In fact, tribals are well-versed with topography and native names and the availability of useful plants more than foresters. Many of the foresters do not have Botany as subject in degree.

Along with Haritha Haram, the government needs to plan Mission Bhagiratha also. During the last summer, wild animals as well as tribals suffered due to lack of drinking water. Mission Bhagiratha needs to be extended to fill the ponds to meet the drinking needs of wildlife and tribals as well.

Since it is difficult to lay pipelines in the forest, existing ponds or new ponds need to be created and filled with tankers occasionally during summer. Pipelines may be used to supply to the nearest points.
(Nagaiah is a Senior Principal Scientist at IICT, Hyderabad, and Srimannarayana is a retired Professor (Chemistry),
Osmania University)

By Dr K Nagaiah &Prof G Srimannarayana