Conserve forests for national ecological security: Raja

New Delhi, Sep 5 (UNI) Union Minister for Environment and Forest A Raja today sought to reassure forest dwellers and other stakeholders that the Forest Department was not acting against the developmental aspirations of people.

''This is an unfortunate misunderstanding. Forest Department is only trying to strike a healthy balance between conservation and development, which is vital for the long-term national ecological security,'' Mr Raja said.

He was speaking after inaugurating a two-day conference on Principal Chief Conseervator of Forests and Chief Wildlife Wardens from all over the country here.

The Minister said the forestry sector was now caught between multiple demands ranging from livelihood concerns of the local people to the developmental aspirations of the national psyche.

''This highlights the necessity of increasing the utility value of our forest resources,'' he said.

Reiterating the government's commitment to achieving 33 percent forest cover and tree cover by 2012, he said the 12th Finance Commission had allocated an additional 1000 crore rupees for the conservation and protection of forests.

He also said that efforts were on to influence other land owning ministries to earmark two percent of their budgetary outlay for planting trees and earmarking 25 per cent of plan outlay in Rural Employment Schemes in the Ministry of Rural Development and Ministry of Agriculture.

Highlighting few areas of concern regarding Indian forestry, the Minister expressed the need to have a realistic assessment of the efficiency of National Forest Policy.

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