Should the State’s understanding of what constitutes forests be a matter of semantic jugglery? Haryana seems to think so, holding the “dictionary definition” of forests to mean areas with 40% canopy density spread over at least five hectares if isolated or at least two hectares if contiguous with government-notified forests. Its excuse is that the Supreme Court last year directed states to use the dictionary definition of forests in the broad sense for identifying forests, as established in the 1996
Should the State’s understanding of what constitutes forests be a matter of semantic jugglery? Haryana seems to think so, holding the “dictionary definition” of forests to mean areas with 40% canopy density spread over at least five hectares if isolated or at least two hectares if contiguous with government-notified forests. Its excuse is that the Supreme Court last year directed states to use the dictionary definition of forests in the broad sense for identifying forests, as established in the 1996 Godavarman judgment. While the Oxford Learner’s Dictionary defines forest as a large area of land that is thickly covered with trees, Haryana seems to have adopted a very restrictive, literal understanding of the same, ignoring its particular vegetation context. As a consequence, vast tracts of the Aravallis will now be left out of protection under the Forest Conservation Act (FCA). The vegetation has adapted to the scant rainfall in these areas; the open forests and scrublands gives the Aravalli ecosystem a much-needed shield against exploitation. This is particularly important for the national capital region, where the urbanisation push poses a significant threat to the deemed forests.
The Haryana government seems to have prioritised its revenue imperatives over conservation ones, given FCA barriers to mining, construction, etc, will now not apply. The apex court ordered states to implement the Godavarman judgment, a defining order in forest protection, in “letter and spirit”, but Haryana’s move falls far short of this. A scientific understanding of what constitutes a forest in a particular geography, with its unique climatological canvas is what Haryana needs. It must prioritise ecological value and not subvert conservation through dubious lexical phrasing.
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