[Answered] What are the determinants of forest fires in Indian forests? Also, analyze the role of tribal and local communities in dealing with forest fires.

As per India State of Forest Report-2021, 21.71% of the country’s geographical area is under forest and 35.46% of the forest cover is still prone to forest fires. In 2021 large blazes in Simlipal Tiger Reserve in Odisha and Uttarakhand destroyed ecosystems of species from the microscopic to the magnificent level.

Several factors which are responsible for forest fires are mentioned below:

Determinants of forest fires in Indian forests:

• Anthropogenic causes like smoking, campfires, fireworks on festivals, residues uncleaned by tourist may increase of wildfires in Indian Forests.
• Natural Causes such as lightning, deficient rainfall, increased temperatures primarily because of climate change offer favourable circumstance for a fire to start. For eg: The massive fires of the Amazon forests in Brazil and in Australia in the last two years due to climate change
• Duration of dry spells like logs, dead leaves, stumps, dry grass and weeds can intensify the forest fires.

Role of tribal and local communities in dealing with forest fires:

Tribal people continue to be guardians of these forests along with the Forest Department. They play a critical role in dealing with forest fires.

• Tribal and local communities collect the dry leaves, clean the bushes and create fire lines which help in fire management. However, collection of mahua flowers and kendu leaves by light fires also induces forest fires
• Communities follow forestry management practices integrating with their intangible ancestral knowledge to deal with forest fires.

However, there are certain issues as well in involving tribal and local communities:

• But the practice of shifting cultivation and grazing in forest areas are also some of the reasons for forest fires.
• Tribal communities better control the forest fires in the first place. However, empowering them with forest rights shifts the balance of power and communities start to get a sense of ownership of the forest

Conclusion:

Forests continue to be central to our civilization by shaping our air and rivers. Certain measures like ground-based detection, clear-eyed about problematic community practices will go a long way as local community and tribals are the fulcrum of future strategy.