Recent Issue-

Himalayan states have lately met in a conclave to request a distinct ministry to address endemic issues and a green bonus in recognition of their contribution to the conservation of the environment.

Ten out of 11 states took part in the conclave. It is for the first time that the Himalayan states have come on a single platform to take a unanimous stand on the issue of green bonus and demanded a separate ministry to deal with problems unique to them.

The result of the meeting-

A “Mussoorie resolution” was passed at the conclave making a collective pledge to conserve and protect their rich cultural heritage, bio-diversity, glaciers, rivers and lakes besides making their own contribution to the nation’s prosperity.

Reason for the green bonus demand -

• Most of the country’s rivers originate in the Himalayas and therefore, the Himalayan states have to play the most significant role in the prime minister’s water conservation initiative.
• It is also necessary because the Himalayan states’ contribution to environmental conservation is the biggest with all their green cover.
• The Himalayan states are also at a disadvantage because large swathes of land fell into ecosensitive zones where all sorts of development activities could not be carried out.
• So, these states, by protecting forests and ecosystems, ensure larger life-saving services to the country. For these, they also face numerous restrictions in their usual development works such as taking up big projects that destroy forests.

A green bonus thus is needed to compensate the Himalayan states for their disadvantages.

Indian Himalayan region-

• IHR is the section of Himalayas within India, spanning 11 Indian states (Arunachal Pradesh, Assam Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, Tripura, Uttarakhand) & 2 districts of Bengal and that runs along 2500 km of Himalayan ranges between Indus river basin in North-West and Brahmaputra in the East.
• Approximately 9,000 glaciers of IHR store about 12,000 km³  of freshwater.
• This region is endowed with rich vegetation & is home to almost 36% of India’s total biodiversity. More than 41.5% area of IHR states is under forests, representing 1/3rd of total forest cover of India & nearly half (47%) of the “very good” forest cover of the country.
• The total geographical area of IHR states is approximately 591,000 sq. km (18% of India) and it is inhabited by about 3.8% of the country’s population.
• The strategic importance of the IHR is evident from the fact that IHR states share borders with 6 neighboring countries.
• This is one of India’s major carbon sink. Besides it averts soil erosion from the world’s youngest mountain range.

Payment for ecosystems services (PES)-

The demand for green bonus is an emerging global mode to conserve ecosystems called payment for ecosystems services (PES). And this demand has triggered interest on PES in India which has been experimenting this though in sporadic ways.

Allocation of funds-

• This demand has been the country’s longest ever bid for PES at this scale that involves formalized distribution of incentive fund between the Union and state governments.
• The 12th Finance Commission (2005-10), for the first time, recognised the need to invest in resources and earmarked Rs 1,000 crores for five years to be given to states for preserving forests.
• The 13th Finance Commission allocated Rs 5,000 crore, based on the area under forest cover with an added parameter of Canopy density.
• The 14th commission reformed the revenue-sharing formula between the Union and the states. It brought the landmark change of including forest cover as a determining factor in a state’s share.
• Though it is for all states, the Himalayan states are perceived to be the natural beneficiaries given their high forest cover.
• In the distribution of funds to states, the commission attached a 7.5 per cent weight to forest cover. Population, demographic change, income distance and area are the other factors that decide the share of a state in central tax pool.

At present, ecological services payment schemes cover carbon sequestration and storage, watershed development and protection, non-domestic biodiversity protection and forest protection. In the climate change regime, carbon emission reduction and other mitigation activities make huge businesses.

But agriculture and farmers have been kept out of the formal carbon market that is worth more than $100 billion. Farmers, particularly those practicing traditional farming including in Himalayan states, have been rarely considered eligible for payment for their ecological services.

Need of the hour-

• Now, it is being felt that farmers should be rewarded for their ecological services. Traditional farming is considered climate-resistant and less harmful to the environment.
• Under the climate change mitigation and adaptation plans, agro-biodiversity is mentioned as a potential instrument to be explored. The poorest farmers living in degraded environment usually practice this type of farming.
• When agriculture with low ecological footprint is encouraged for payment for ecological services, it would serve two purposes — bring down poverty and make agriculture climate-resistant.

Way forward-

The demand for a ‘green bonus’ by Himalayan states, thus, is not only a valid one but also an ecological necessity. They should demand more, because by giving them more India’s plains can be saved from many disasters.