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Forest Department is one of the few oldest and important administrative organs of the State with its Headquarters at Thiruvananthapuram.
Objectives
The forests of Kerala will be managed with the following objectives;
- To conserve and expand unique and complex natural forests of Kerala for posterity, in particular with regard to water; biodiversity; extent; productivity; soil, environmental, historical, cultural and aesthetic values, without affecting their ecological processes.
- To increase the productivity of forest plantations through appropriate management interventions and use of modern technology to meet the needs of the present and future generations.
- To increase the tree cover both inside and outside the forest to meet the timber & non-timber demands of the society.
- To conserve, maintain and enhance the existing gene pool of the state for posterity.
- To reduce pressure on forest through appropriate interventions.
- To meet the livelihood needs of tribals and other forest dependent communities.
- To sustainably conserve and manage biodiversity-rich and sensitive ecosystems such as mangroves, sacred groves, coastal areas, wetlands, homesteads, private plantations etc. which are outside the control of the Forest Department.
- To improve the standard of living of the forest dependent tribals and village communities.
Subjects assigned to the DepartmentGeneral Administration including Recruitment and Establishment matters, Biodiversity Conservation, Forest Protection, Wildlife Management and Research, Forest Development, Social Forestry, Forest Vigilance and Evaluation, Eco-development and Tribal Welfare, Planning and Research, Tribal Rehabilitation and Special Afforestation, Infrastructure and Human Resource Development, FMIS etc. |
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Travancore Even from 3000 BC foreigners like Assyrians and Babylonians were drawn to Kerala for spices. In 5th century AD, Romans and Arabs were conducting a brisk trade with Kerala in pepper, cardamom, lavender, ginger, garlic, and other spices and condiments. The volume of foreign trade increased during 9th and 10th centuries AD. Commodities like pepper, lavender, teak, ivory were exported and fishing nets, potteries, silk etc were imported.
Three-fourth of the land area of Kerala was under thick forest even up to 18th century. History of forestry in Kerala can be dealt with separately under three separate regions- Travancore, Cochin and Malabar areas, as these erstwhile geographical and political areas later merged to form the present Kerala State.
Travancore
In the beginning of 19th century Mr. Edyve visited South India to explore the possibility of exploiting the teak timber for ship building. Later, in 1816, Lieutenants Ward and Coner came to survey Travancore and Cochin, “The Memoir of Travancore Survey” prepared by them gives valuable information on the forests of Travancore at that time.
In 1820, the government started exploiting timber directly and a timber depot was set up at Alapuzha. Captain Robert Gordon, the commercial agent was also holding charge as the Forest Conservator. His duty was to collect and make available timber and cardamom from forest areas for shipment to Great Britian.
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