Nagar Van (Urban Forests)

Subject – Environment

Context – Urban ‘forests’ can store almost as much carbon as tropical rainforests

Concept –

The government had announced implementation of the Nagar Van Scheme on the occasion of the World Environment Day, 2020 (5th June).
The theme of World Environment Day 2020 is ‘Celebrating Biodiversity’—a concern that is both urgent and existential but India has decided to focus on Nagar Van (Urban Forests) in addition to the official theme.
The Nagar Van (Urban Forests) aims to develop 200 Urban Forests across the country in the next five years.
Warje Urban Forest in Pune (Maharashtra) will be considered as a role model for the Scheme.
The Scheme enforces people’s participation and collaboration between the Forest Department, Municipal bodies, NGOs, Corporates and local citizens.
These urban forests will primarily be on the existing forest land in the City or any other vacant land offered by local urban local bodies.
The finances for the scheme will be paid for by the CAMPA (Compensatory Afforestation Fund (CAF) Act, 2016) funds.

Significance of Urban Forests –

Urban trees are particularly effective at absorbing CO₂, because they are located so close to sources such as fossil fuel-burning transport and industrial activity.
Comprehensive urban forestry planning can influence the everyday lives of city dwellers by reducing storm water runoff, decreasing wildfire risk and severity, reducing urban heat islands, decreasing utility costs, increasing economic growth, and providing clean drinking water.
Urban trees also have the ability to sequester atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) and serve as long-term carbon sinks. However, cities seem to be lacking in language and planning to link together various mitigation and adaptation strategies specifically to sequester and store CO2 within urban trees.
Typically, tree mass is estimated by comparing the diameter of the trunk or the height of the tree to the mass of similar trees (ideally the same species), which have been cut down and weighed in the past. This process relies on the assumption that trees of a certain species have a clear size-to-mass ratio.