Ranchi, Aug 27: The Jharkhand Forest Department is set to launch a month-long tree conservation campaign on Raksha Bandhan, with villagers across the state expected to tie rakhis to trees and take pledges to protect them.The campaign will begin on Friday in Gumla and initially involve around 700 villages, where nearly one lakh trees are expected to be covered.
The programme aims to expand its reach to three lakh trees across all 24 districts of the state during the month-long drive.The initiative seeks to give an environmental dimension to Raksha Bandhan, using the festival’s traditional message of protection to encourage communities to safeguard trees and forests.
Under the programme, villagers will tie rakhis around trees as a symbolic commitment to their protection. The Forest Department expects the activity to strengthen community participation in forest conservation, water management and biodiversity protection.According to Principal Chief Conservator of Forests Sanjiv Kumar, the initiative dates back to 2004, when it was started in Lukaiya village of Dhanbad district.
The programme has since expanded to more than 12,000 villages across Jharkhand, he said.One of the early achievements of the initiative was the protection of more than 20,000 Mahua trees in Lukaiya. Forest-based activities have also helped communities utilise minor forest produce as an additional source of livelihood.
Officials said the campaign highlights the close connection between forests and rural life. Trees provide forest produce, support wildlife, help conserve water and contribute to ecological stability.Kumar also referred to Forest Survey of India data, according to which Jharkhand’s forest cover increased from 22,637 square kilometres in 2001 to 23,765.78 square kilometres in the 2023 assessment.
Forest cover accounted for 29.76 per cent of the state’s geographical area in the latest assessment cited in the report.The state government has also stressed the need to ensure the survival of newly planted saplings rather than focusing only on plantation targets.
Chief Minister Hemant Soren has called for greater attention to nurturing and protecting young plants as part of broader environmental conservation efforts.
The Raksha Bandhan campaign is expected to continue for a month, with the Forest Department seeking greater involvement from village communities in protecting trees and promoting sustainable use of forest resources.
