Environmental Accounting for Forest Area

Forests play a key role in the livelihoods of the local people as they have both direct and indirect use values. Realization of the indirect benefits of forests to mankind, including improvement in the quality of forest ecosystem, has increased nowadays. It is observed that underestimation of the contribution of indirect benefits from forests or absence of valuation of forest products and services is one of the essential factors leading to forest degradation. Apathy towards these factors will increase the threat to forest. Estimating forests value and understanding how different ecosystem components interact with the income and welfare of rural households leads to sustainable management of forests. Accounting of soils of Pavagadh forest area where ecorestoration activities were practiced, the precise cost and benefit of the different forest conservation activities and further the utility of the Geographical Information System in spatial display of such analysis in the present publication emphasizes the need of indirect cost benefit analysis of the forest management accounting system specifically before and after restoration activities in an area.