Impact of Climate Change on Forest Dwelling Communities and the Role of Forest Department in Mitigation

Climate change is a recent phenomenon and, hence, is yet to be understood fully. Up to 70% of the world's animal and plant species rely on forests for survival. Human activity involved in infrastructure, commercial loggingLogging, cattle ranchingRanching, urbanizationUrbanization and mining are also the major contributors to climate change. At the current rate of deforestation 1–10% of Tropical rainforest speciesSpecies are lost per decade by extinction. The zero net deforestation policy in safeguarding climate change and forest laws will increase food, water security and biodiversity conservation. Climate change impacts forest dwellers by creating shortages of drinking water, water for cattle, shortage of fodder, invasion of alien weeds, unforeseen droughts and floods, changes in crop patterns, frequent forest firesForest fires and spread of epidemicsEpidemics. Forest Departments therefore play a key role in mitigating the impact of Climate change on the forest dwelling communities.