https://indianmasterminds.com

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

Restoring A Majestic Forest

Indian Forest Service Officer Vikas Ujjawal brought back the dying Lohardaga forest of Jharkhand to life. In the process, he also managed to generate employment to locals who till now were dependent on the forest for their livelihood.
Indian Masterminds Stories

While news of saving tigers, elephants and other Indian wildlife often hog all the limelight, not much thought is given to the quality of the forest, which is essential to maintain the diverse flora and fauna of the region. It can be very tough to transform a degraded forest into a rich, livable forest for its animals, birds, grasslands and trees. But this is what forest officer Mr Vikas Ujjawal has done in a 6,000-hectare forest in Jharkhand.

The 6000 hectare Lohardaga forest

A 2014-batch officer of the Indian Forest Service, Mr Ujjawal was posted five years ago in the Lohardaga district of Jharkhand. There, this Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) saw the miserable condition of the terrain: namely dying forest and dying up water streams. He decided to bring them back to life, to return the forest to its pristine glory, come what may.

In an exclusive conversation with Indian Masterminds, Mr Ujjawal revealed how he managed to rejuvenate nature in the region and also helped in acquiring sustainable livelihoods for the residents.

Mr. Ujjawal with his team

OBSERVING THE REGION

Mr. Ujjawal was appointed as the DFO in the region in December 2016. Under his watch, came the wide Kuru range along with its 6000 hectares of forest. He realized that the forest was in a degraded state and not in a good shape; he made up his mind to intervene and do whatever he could, in his capacity as the custodian of that forest.

Prior to restoration, the forest was in a degraded condition

INVOLVING THE LOCALS

The issue which came to his notice was the illicit felling of trees in the region. Majority of people living in the area were engaged in the practice of cutting trees and selling the obtained timber in markets.

“This was disappointing as people had no proper livelihood and at the same time, they were least bothered about conserving nature. That bothered us and we decided to establish a bridge between the forest department and the local community. There were various hiccups but we finally succeeded into bringing them on board” he stated.

Illegal felling of trees was a hazard

However, it was quite difficult to convince the locals as to why protecting the forest was necessary. To tackle the situation, and to keep them away from destroying forests for their earnings, Mr. Ujjawal came up with the idea of providing them livelihood opportunities which would lessen their dependence on the forests.

“We came up with various activities such as imparting bamboo craft training to people. For that, we selected communities that were traditionally experts in the field and we gave them techniques and inventory to produce stuff of urban quality and not regular ones, because selling in local markets was easy but we wanted them to reach urban markets which would be beneficiary for them. This program also diversified their skills” said Mr. Ujjawal.

Mr. Ujjawal involved people in different occupations

Furthermore, he also tried involving people in bee-keeping. He distributed about 120 bee- keeping kits among local families and linked their honey production to local markets.

RESTORING LOHARDAGA FORESTS

Mr. Ujjawal ensured that the local communities earned their bread and simultaneously prevented illegal felling of trees, illicit mining and other such activities.

He also convinced the locals as well as the administration to plant as many trees as possible in the region. “In three to four years, we observed a peak increase in the density of the forest and almost negligible forest fires. We were able to convince people not to litter or kindle fire in the forest region which they have been doing traditionally,” he added.

People were convinced to stop lighting fires in the forest

Through such interventions, Mr Ujjawal was able to establish a much bridge between forest officials and the local communities.

THE TRANSFORMATION

The result of all the efforts was quite convincing. The entire forest landscape that they were addressing is extremely important for the state as the area is the origin of three important rivers of Jharkhand – Damodar River, Auranga River, and Sankh River.

The transformation of the forests

“We did a survey and noticed that once the origin of Auranga River that had dried out and receded by 1 kilometer has regained its origin and has become perennial in its nature because of improved water retention in the forest and no major forest fires resulting in better crops. All these had a good ecological impact on the environment” claimed Mr. Ujjawal.

It is largely because of Mr. Vikas Ujjawal’s efforts that the Lohardaga forest has regained muich of its original beauty and grandeur.


Indian Masterminds Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Related Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
NEWS
IAS Ashwani Kumar
Assam’s Bold Bet on Local Talent: IAS Ashwani Kumar’s Vision for a Digital Assam
Haryana Jungle Safari
Haryana’s Mega Jungle Safari Project Moves Closer to Reality; Phase-I Design Finalised
SBK Singh IPS CP
Delhi Police Commissioner S B K Singh Bans Aerial Platforms from August 2 to 16 for Security Reasons
IPS-logo-resized_new
10 Senior Cops Get New Roles In Bihar Police; DG Jitendra Kumar Gets Additional Charge of B-SAP
Indian Forest Services IFS officer
Jharkhand IFS Rajneesh Kumar Transferred Amid Ongoing Legal Proceedings - Details Inside
Uttar Pradesh UP Government
17 Review Officers Transferred in Uttar Pradesh Secretariat Administration Reshuffle - Details Inside
IFS-forest-resized
6 IFS Officers Transferred in Odisha to Strengthen Environmental Administration, Jagayandatt Pati Made RCCF, Koraput Circle
IAS Officers Indian Administrative Services IAS logo
4 Young IAS Officers Reshuffled in Uttarakhand, Rahul Anand Made Joint Magistrate, Dehradun
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
IAS Karn Satyarthi
How IAS Karn Satyarthi Transformed Gumla Through Empathy and Innovation
Ananth Rupanagudi IRAS
IRAS Ananth Rupanagudi’s Take on Corruption, Reform, and Duty
WhatsApp Image 2025-07-26 at 13.16
What Most Indians Don't Know About Jim Corbett
ADVERTISEMENT
UPSC Stories
BPSC Bihar police
From Lantern Light to Police Uniform: How Praveen Kumar from a Small Bihar Village Cracked BPSC to Become SDPO
From a lantern-lit village in Bihar to becoming an SDPO, Praveen Kumar's journey is a testament to resilience,...
IAS Priyansha Garg
Why Mindset Matters: IAS Priyansha Garg’s Mental Health Mantra for UPSC
After two failed prelims, Priyansha Garg cracked UPSC with AIR 31 in her fourth attempt, proving how...
Ashish Akshat
From Setback to State Topper: How Ashish Akshat Topped JPSC While Working Full-Time
Ashish Akshat from Dhanbad topped JPSC 2023, proving that resilience, discipline, and family support...
Social Media
Mudumalai Tiger Reserve
Mudumalai Tiger Reserve: From India’s First Sanctuary to a Tiger Conservation Success Story | International Tiger Day Special
IAS Supriya Sahu Hails Mudumalai's Role in Tiger Conservation on Tiger Day. Declared in 1940, Now Among...
Mangroves
Mangroves: Nature’s Shield Against Disasters, Says Officer Parveen Kaswan on Mangroves Day - Watch His Post Here
Mangroves, with their dense, interlaced root systems, form a mesh-like structure that serves as a buffer...
Retired IPS Inderjit Singh Sidhu
Purpose Doesn’t Retire: How 88-Year-Old Retired DIG Becomes Chandigarh’s ‘Quiet Warrior’ of Cleanliness
Inderjit Singh Sidhu’s Dawn Patrol Earns Applause, Mahindra’s Praise for a Man Who Chose Action Over...
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Latest
IAS Ashwani Kumar
Assam’s Bold Bet on Local Talent: IAS Ashwani Kumar’s Vision for a Digital Assam
Haryana Jungle Safari
Haryana’s Mega Jungle Safari Project Moves Closer to Reality; Phase-I Design Finalised
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
IAS Karn Satyarthi
Ananth Rupanagudi IRAS
WhatsApp Image 2025-07-26 at 13.16
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT