Population, Forest Degradation and Environment: A Nexus

Das, Nimai and Sarker, Debnarayan (2001): Population, Forest Degradation and Environment: A Nexus. Published in: Conference Volume (Bengal Economic Association, Kolkata) , Vol. 22, (2002): pp. 61-68.

Abstract

In order to examine the trend and impact of relationship between growth of forest resource and population in West Bengal, a province of India, in the time series data for every ten-year from 1901-1991 this study suggests that the increase of population to forest land in West Bengal is alarming, because the ability of the forest to satisfy the demands is limited by the extent of forest resource of the state. The increasing population in West Bengal makes a negative impact on the forest. Though this impact is not highly significant at present, the long run relationship between density of population and forest area leads to substantial damage of the forest resource causing acute environmental problem of the state in future. Similarly, soil erosion, which is the only natural factor to damage forest resource in West Bengal, has some significant effect, though not highly. Keeping in view of such problems community forest management programme like social forestry or joint forest management seems to a positive step for protecting environmental problem.

• Item Type: MPRA Paper
• Language: English
• Keywords: Bengal forest resource, population pressure on environmental resource, Soil erosion, Distributed lag model, Time series econometrics
• Subjects: Q - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics ; Environmental and Ecological Economics > Q2 - Renewable Resources and Conservation > Q23 - Forestry; C - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods > C2 - Single Equation Models ; Single Variables > C22 - Time-Series Models ; Dynamic Quantile Regressions ; Dynamic Treatment Effect Models ; Diffusion Processes

References

1. Bhattacharya, A.K. (2001): Community Participation and Sustainable Forest Development: global perspective, Concept Publishing Company, New Delhi.

2. Datta, S.K and S.Y. Deodhar (2001): Implication of WTO Agreements for Indian Agriculture, Centre for Management in Agriculture and Indian institute of Management Ahmedabad, Oxford & IBP Publishing Co Pvt. Ltd., New Delhi.

3. Deadman, D.F. and W.W. Charemza (1992): New Direction in Econometrics: general to specific modeling, cointegration and vector Autoregression, Edward Elgar, London.

4. Elvingson, P. (1998): Can be too much of it, Acid News, No. 4, pp 6 – 8.

5. Enders, W. (1995): Applied Econometric Time Series, John and Sons, New York.

6. Gadgil, M. and R. Guha (2001): The Use and Abuse of NATURE, Oxford University Press.

7. Government of West Bengal (2000): State Forest Report, West Bengal, Directorate of Forest, Office of the Principal Chief Conservator of Forest, Kolkata.

8. Gupta, J.P., A. Kar and A.S. Faroda (1997): Deforestation: Problems and Possible Remedies, Yojana, pp 55-58, August 1997.

9. Kumar, H.D. (2001): Forest Resources: Conservation & Management, Affiliated East-West Press Pvt. Ltd., New Delhi.

10. Mandal, A.K. and R.K. Ghosh (1989): Sundarban (a socio bio-ecological study), Bookland Pvt. Ltd., Kolkata.

11. Mohan, M. (2000): Ecology and Development, Rawat Publication, Jaipur and New Delhi.

12. Panda, S.M. (1999): Sustainable Development: Some Reflection, Indian Journal of Agricultural Economics, Vol. 54, No. 1, Jan – March 1999, pp 7 - 10.

13. Sengupta, R. (2001): Ecology and Economics – an approach to sustainable development, Oxford University Press.

14. Sarma, P.D. (1997): Tribals and Forest Management, Yojana, pp 51 – 52, August 1997.