Forestry Curricula Combine natural and Social Sciences: Forest Manager

New concepts of sustainable ecosystems are emerging

As the Indian Council for Forestry, Research and Education (ICFRE) aids, promotes and co-ordinates forestry education, research, etc, are you going in for any major changes (in the way education is imparted) given today’s environmental concerns?

The forestry sector is evolving and adapting to new demands. The increasing role of local communities, amongst others, have changed the forestry institutional setting and new concepts of sustainable ecosystems are emerging. Increased attention is now being paid to multiple functions of forests. There’s more emphasis on social and ecological forest systems, building partnerships in forestry research, increasing the outreach through the Van Vigyan Kendras (VVKs), enhancing automation in the forestry research sector to address the needs of various stakeholders.

The curricula of forest universities are designed to integrate natural, social and applied sciences. Investigations to reduce the long gestation period of forestry research and support of quality planting material have become focal points of forestry research, addressing adaptability to climate change. 

Where forestry is concerned, is India lagging in terms of more manpower?
There is an urgent need to bring new scientific, administrative and technical infusion by establishing additional manpower and subject-specific theme based institutes and bureaus to better address the national mandate of ICFRE. At present, because of scarcity of resources and manpower no such dispensation is available in the Council. 

There is a need to upgrade functional set-up of ICFRE to be at par with that of ICAR, expanding reach and coverage of ICFRE by creating more institutes, bureaus, project directorates, national research centres and substations/ field stations of institutes alongwith establishment of Van Vigyan Kendras in each district of the country besides strengthening networking of forest universities.