Conservation Viewpoint-About Wastelands

Abstract

Much confusion is being caused in India today by government and non-government organisations failing to take a proper view of the real wastelands of the country. The result is different estimates of wastelands in the Ministries of Agriculture, Rural Development and the Forests and Environment. Two misnomers have added to the confusion: forest wastelands and non-forest wastelands. The Department of Wastelands within the Ministry of Rural Development deals with non-forest wastelands, but is busy growing "forests" of a kind on village common lands or grazing lands. The Society for Promotion of Wastelands Development takes up areas on the hillocks and sometimes grows Prosopis Juliflora a pernicious weed in itself-in the name of wasteland development. Juli flora can really promote %%fasting 011311d. Dr. Swaminathan rightly call wastelands as wasted lands.