Written by Tauseef Ahmad and Sajid Raina
In South Kashmir’s Pulwama district, a bunch of aged residents watch with a mixture of awe and curiosity as authorities repair geo-tags on the chinar timber of their locality.
The towering chinars, as soon as susceptible to unlawful felling, at the moment are underneath the digital watch of the administration, marking a brand new period of conservation — one which leaves no room for tampering.
“Chinar timber are the heritage of the Kashmir valley. Fast chopping has diminished their numbers drastically. By geo-tagging every tree, we will monitor their well being, making certain their safety and preservation for future generations,” says Syed Tariq, venture coordinator on the Jammu and Kashmir Forest Analysis Institute (JKFRI).
Tariq, who has been engaged on this venture for the final 5 years, provides that the initiative goals to safeguard chinar timber from the threats of urbanisation and deforestation. As a part of the venture, round 10,000 chinars have been geo-tagged as of now, he informs.
Kashmir’s chinar roots
Chinar timber, famend for his or her longevity and majestic, spreading crowns, supply shade in summer season and a wide ranging spectacle in autumn. “These timber take 150 years to succeed in full maturity and peak,” notes Tariq. “As soon as planted, a chinar tree can final for generations, typically remaining till the fourth or fifth.” He provides that these giants can develop as much as 30 meters tall, with a trunk circumference of 10-15 metres.
Identified regionally as ‘Bouin’ (from the Sanskrit phrase ‘Bhawani’, that means ‘goddess’), the chinar has deep cultural significance in Kashmir. Chinar timber planted throughout the Mughal period and the Dogra dynasty, some courting again to the time of Lal Ded, are a testomony to this historical past. Mughal emperor Akbar, for instance, planted an estimated 1,200 timber at Naseem Bagh, close to Dal Lake and the Hazratbal shrine, a portion of which nonetheless stands immediately.
Central Kashmir’s Ganderbal district boasts the world’s third-largest chinar tree, with a outstanding 74-foot girth. One in every of Kashmir’s oldest, estimated to be round 650 years previous, graces the outskirts of Srinagar.
“Whereas most chinar timber are discovered within the Kashmir valley,” Tariq explains, “additionally they develop within the Chenab and Pir Panjal areas of Jammu.”
Heritage at stake: Dying chinars
Nevertheless, these autumn spectacles are going through a extreme decline. Information suggests a dramatic discount, from 42,000 timber in 1970 to between 17,000 and 34,000, immediately. This loss is obvious even in celebrated places like Srinagar’s Shalimar Backyard, a Mughal-era masterpiece famed for its vibrant fall foliage. Native resident Shabir Ahmad tells The Higher India that Shalimar’s once-majestic chinars, now numbering round 220, are succumbing to drought and decay.
“Over the previous decade, the decline has been stark,” observes Aarif Sheikh, a resident of Ganderbal. He explains the authorized protections afforded to those timber, requiring approval from the Divisional Commissioner for felling, even on personal land, but acknowledges that unlawful felling persists.
Even Naseem Bagh, the place Mughal emperor Akbar planted over 1,100 chinars, has suffered immense losses. Gardener Nazir Ahmad stories a pointy decline, with solely 700 timber remaining, based on 2021 knowledge from the Jammu and Kashmir Forest Division. Infrastructure enlargement and pest infestations, exacerbated by a scarcity of correct care earlier than geo-tagging, have taken a heavy toll.
Environmentalists additionally attribute this disaster partially to local weather change. The Himalayas’ fragile ecosystem is extremely prone to shifting climate patterns. A 2022 research revealed that between 1980 and 2020, Kashmir’s most and minimal temperatures elevated by 2.00°C and 1.10°C, respectively, whereas precipitation decreased.
The implications are vital. “Chinars are essential for stopping soil erosion,” explains environmentalist Raja Muzaffar Bhat. “Their deep roots act as anchors, and they’re important carbon sinks. Throughout the 2014 floods, areas with chinar timber have been considerably much less affected by soil erosion.”
Utilizing tech to save lots of Kashmir’s chinar timber
In 2021, the J&Ok Forest Division determined to take an modern step in the direction of defending these iconic timber — a novel ‘aadhar id’ for each single chinar within the Kashmir valley. As a part of the venture, chinar timber are being geotagged with scannable QR plates, and are being monitored and safeguarded utilizing leading edge tech.
“Utilizing ultrasonography-based (USG) devices, we will assess the well being and threat ranges of every chinar, eliminating the necessity for handbook analysis,” Tariq explains. This expertise permits for early detection of vulnerabilities and focused interventions.
The J&Ok Forest Division, spearheading the marketing campaign, is utilising a Geographical Data System (GIS) to create a complete database. “This initiative will probably be essential in defending chinar timber from the threats of urbanisation and deforestation,” says Tariq.
Scanning the QR code supplies instantaneous entry to 35 knowledge factors, Tariq informs. In accordance with the Forest Analysis Institute (FRI) census, 28,500 timber have been tagged to this point, with the overall anticipated to succeed in 32,500 by the top of March 2025. Ten thousand extra timber are anticipated to be geotagged within the close to future.
“This detailed report will allow us to conduct ongoing analysis, establish timber requiring particular therapies, and supply well timed care to stop additional decline,” explains Tariq. “We plan to conduct extra analysis sooner or later to make sure the well being of those timber and discover if any tree wants intervention,” he provides.
Whereas the survey on the geo-tagging initiative’s success remains to be ongoing, between 2021 and immediately, Tariq says that there have been no unlawful felling of chinar timber.
Edited by Arunava Banerjee; All photographs courtesy Athar Nagar
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