Students in North East, learn about - Career in Forestry

One of the major natural resources of North East India is its forests. And forestry is an important and interesting subject of study in today’s world when there is big need for save our environment and to protect, conserve our ecosystem. North East is home to the most amazing herbs, medicinal compounds, natural cosmetics etc. Forestry and Wild Life go together since forests serve as home for wildlife. 

Forest wealth contributes significantly to the economy of our Region. Specially trained personnel are therefore needed to maintain and regenerate the forest cover, forest wealth and resources. This involves the services of forestry specialists, forestry management experts and forest officers. Forestry involves protection of forests and farming.

Eligibility: The minimum qualifications required to pursue a 3-4 years, B.Sc (forestry) is to have passed the 10+2 examination with physics, chemistry and biology or agriculture as subjects.

The major courses in forestry and wildlife in India are:

• B.S.C Forestry
• M.S.C Forestry
• M.S.C wood science and technology

Institutions and colleges in India that provides courses on forestry and wildlife:

§         Birsa Agricultural University, Kanke, Ranchi - 6.

§         Forestry Research Institute, Dehra Dun - 248 006.

§         Indian Institute of Forest Management, Nehru Nagar, Bhopal.

§         Orissa University of Agriculture and Technology, Bhubaneshwar - 751 003.

§         Wildlife Institute of India, Chandrabani, Dehra Dun.

§         Agricultural College and Research Institute, Coimbatore( Tamil Nadu ) Coimbatore ( Coimbatore Dist. ) – 651003

§         Chaudhary Charan Singh (C.C.S.) Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar( Haryana ) Hisar ( Hisar Dist. ) – 125004

§         College of Agriculture, Mysore( Karnataka ) Hebbal , Mysore(Mysore Dist.)– 560024

§         College of Agriculture, Pantnagar( Uttarakhand ) Pantnagar ( Udhamsingh Nagar Dist. ) – 263145

§         College of Agriculture and Regional Research Station, Dharwad( Karnataka )
Dharwad ( Dharwad Dist. ) – 580005

§         College of Forestry, Srinagar( Jammu and Kashmir ) Srinagar ( Srinagar Dist. )

§         College of Horticulture and Forestry, Solan(Himachal Pradesh) Solan (Solan Dist.) – 173230

§         College of Technology and Agricultural Engineering, Udaipur(Rajasthan) Udaipur (Udaipur Dist.) – 313001

§         Dolphin (P.G.) Institute of Bio-Medical and Natural Sciences, Dehradun(Uttarakhand) Manduwala, Chakrata Road , Dehradun (Dehradun Dist.) – 248007

§         Dr. Balasaheb Sawant Konkan Krishi Vidyapeeth, Dapoli(Maharashtra) Dapoli (Ratnagiri Dist.) – 415712

§         Dr. Panjabrao Deshmukh Krishi Vidyapeeth, Akola(Maharashtra) PO Krishinagar , Akola (Akola Dist.) – 444104

§         Jawaharlal Nehru Krishi Vishwavidyalaya : College of Agriculture, Jabalpur(Madhya Pradesh) Krishi Nagar, Jabalpur (Jabalpur Dist.) – 482004

§         Kerala Agricultural University, Vellanikkara(Kerala) Vellanikkara (Thrissur Dist.) – 680654

§         Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana(Punjab) Ludhiana (Ludhiana Dist.) – 141004

§         University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore(Karnataka) Gandhi Krishi Vignan Kendra, Bellary Road , Bangalore (Bengaluru) Dist.) – 560065

§         College of Agriculture, Jorhat, Assam (Assam Agricultural University)

§         North Eastern Regional Institute of Science & Technology (NERIST), Nirjuli, Arunachal Pradesh - 791109

Job Prospects and Career Options: There are ample job opportunities available in the government sector. The Indian Forest Services is another good option. The Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE) and its affiliated Forestry research institutes employ trained personnel. NGOs which have taken up the job of preserving forests also appoint such individuals. Timber or plywood manufacturers also employ forestry specialists as consultants. Food and Agricultural Organization also hire forestry specialists for various functions in their organization. The job prospects in the education sector are also very bright. One can also opt for research work in various institutions. There are also jobs abroad as wildlife consultants for esteemed organizations.

In forest and wildlife conservation people can be employed as

• Foresters
• Dendrologists
• Entomologist
• Ethologist
• Silviculturist
• Forest range officers
• Zoo curators 

Having said as above look at one of the survey on North East –

“Rich biodiversity of Northeast India needs conservation

Northeast India, a mega-biodiversity centre and a hotspot1, comprises eight states, viz. Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura. It occupies 7.7% of India’s total geographical area supporting 50% of the flora (ca. 8000 species)2, of which 31.58% (ca. 2526 species) is endemic3. It is a transitional zone between the Indian, Indo-Burman-Malaysian and Indo-Chinese regions. It is also a part of the Vavilovian centre of biodiversity and origin of many important cultivated plant species and some domesticated animals.

The region supports a rich biodiversity spanning from tropical rainforests to alpine scrubs. Takhtajan5 describes the region as the ‘cradle of flowering plants’ because of its diversified angiosperms. This rich biodiversity has a significant role in the maintenance of the ecosystem. Besides, the biodiversity of the region is used ethnologically by locals for various socio-economic and developmental purposes.

The region is rich in orchids, ferns, oaks (Quercus spp.), bamboos, rhododendrons (Rhododendron spp.), magnolias (Magnolia spp.), etc.

With the shrinkage of green cover everywhere, the region is also experiencing an impact on its ecological system. The major threats to the rich biodiversity of the region are expansion of agricultural activities, over-exploitation of forests for firewood, shifting cultivation, extensive timbering, grazing, urbanization, man-made forest fires, introduction of exotic plants, ill-managed road construction, mining, etc. which lead to habitat loss and habitat fragmentation that ultimately results in biodiversity loss. Natural calamities such as landslides, floods and forest fires also result in biodiversity loss to some extent. The region is known for its age old institutional mechanisms on cultural and social values for biodiversity conservation, namely sacred groves or forests in Meghalaya, Manipur and Nagaland; sacred landscapes in Sikkim and sacred hilltops in Arunachal Pradesh.

Conserved as the abode of local dieties, these ecosystems represent remnants of ancient forests. But these practices are rapidly vanishing due to modern education and conversion of religion, which have lead to the giving up of traditional and ethnic beliefs.

The region has four biosphere reserves, 48 sanctuaries, 14 national parks, and two world heritage sites. But lack of awareness at the grassroots level hampers the process of biodiversity conservation. Awareness programmes such as seminars and workshops should be held in schools, and colleges and even for the local folks. Public displays in the form of billboards and handing out pamphlets with about the importance of biodiversity and the need of its conservation are needed. It is time for concerned authorities to take up the necessary actions to conserve this rich biodiversity, before it is too late.

Source - Botanical Survey of India”

Therefore there is a big need for saving our Region and we need Government to step forward aggressively and also other activists, NGOs and this whole drive will need skilled manpower.

Save our Region, save the planet!!!

Compiled by – NE Career Guidance

www.necareerguidance.com