Haryana’s Green Manifesto calls for SEZs in Aravalli and Shivalik Ranges
The Green Manifesto states that 8.24 per cent (3,64,154 ha) of the total geographical area of the state has been degraded, which means the productivity of the land has declined, thereby negatively impacting food and water security.
CHANDIGARH: As Haryana’s assembly elections approach, environmentalists and ecological experts, alongside local communities, for the first time in the history of the state have crafted Haryana’s inaugural Green Manifesto 2024.
This document demands the legal designation of the Aravalli and Shivalik ranges as Special Ecological Zones (SEZs) due to their crucial ecosystem services. Key initiatives include regulating mining activities, establishing a roadmap to achieve a 21% native forest cover within four years, and involving local communities in creating sacred forests and bans in each village.
Additionally, it advocates for the establishment of Biodiversity Management Committees in every panchayat and municipal ward to delineate ecologically significant areas and complete People’s Biodiversity Registers.
The Green Manifesto details the environmental and ecosystem issues plaguing Haryana. It states that 8.24 per cent (3,64,154 ha) of the total geographical area of the state has been degraded, which means productivity of the land has declined, thereby negatively impacting food and water security. To add to its woes, Haryana is a water deficit state.
The manifesto, the copy of which is with this newspaper reads. “Remove non-native and invasive species like the Vilayati kikar and others planted under the Aravalli plantation project and other such schemes in the Aravallis and Shivaliks in phases and undertake planting of native species.”
The report further reads “Ensure that site-specific afforestation plans are made based on a baseline survey of all the districts to study reference ecosystems to bring back natural ecosystems that result in soil formation, moisture regime development, nutrient cycling, also planting of native grasses and shrubs along with trees is extremely important from an ecological viewpoint. Prioritise planting of native, habitat-specific species for afforestation and restoration, also priority should be given to highly degraded areas such as mines and quarries within the state for afforestation.”
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