1. Climate Change mitigation projects - Practical aspects in Uttaranchal context

2. My presentation How to mitigate climate change How to increase C sequestration What to do and what not to do Practical aspects

3. Uttaranchal • Area – 53483 sq.km • Forest area – 34662 sq.km • 64.8% • 4.5% of India’s forests • Forest Cover – 23938 sq.km • 44.8% • Dense – 19023 sq.km • Open -- 4915 sq.km

5. Climate change • Recession of glaciers • Decrease in snowfall • Ganga stopped !

6. Causes • Construction/Land transfer • Fires • Dependence on Fuel and fodder • Global warming

16. FDA/ IAP project • All government and community lands, waste lands not put under construction have been constituted as van panchayats • 1650 ha in 66 villages out of 496 forest panchayats • CC mitigation projects can also be routed through FDA

17. Required • Afforestation or densification and not plantation • Avoid wasting money in tree planting in natural grasslands and scrublands • Alternate livelihood

18. Pulpwood vs. miscellaneous forests • Miscellaneous forests of Terai converted to pulpwood plantation • Agroforestry model adopted to prevent loss of fertility • Low decomposition; no ground flora; low C sequestration

19. Hence, • Pulpwood plantations should be done only on marginal crop lands, degraded farm land, etc. and not on existing ‘unproductive’ forests

20. Conversion of Sal to Teak • Teak is deciduous / Sal is evergreen • No undergrowth • Low decomposition (20 degree Celsius) • Low C sequestration • Soil erosion

21. Therefore, • Assisted Natural Regeneration (ANR) of Sal areas • Teak plantation to be stopped in Sal areas

22. Encroachment of Chir Pine in Oak Areas • Due to wrong plantation • Excess grazing • Soil erosion • Resulting in • Low C seq • Low undergrowth • Low decomposition • Increase fire hazard

23. What to do • ANR Oak • Protection • Right plantation • Alternate livelihood to decrease dependency

24. Sheesham wilt • All along the base of himalayas • Many theories • Succession stage, siltation or climate change?

25. Biodiversity • Indicators of climate change • Hence to be monitored

26. Allow natural succession • No mining • No plantation • No other activities

27. Save all ecosystems • There are species which like climates we don’t like