Monday, November 25, 2013

A Career in Forest Management in India

The branch of forestry that deals with the overall administrative, economic, legal and social aspect of forest regulation is termed as forest management. It comprises management of fish, aesthetics, silviculture, wilderness, forest resources and others. Management is based on conservation, economics or sometime a mixture of both. Major techniques comprise timber extraction, planting and replanting of different species and also finding ways of preventing forest fire.

There has been an increased public awareness about natural resource policy including forest management. Public concern and increased environmental awareness has led to a demand in forest management professionals.

The usual skills surrounding forest management involves planting and replanting of different species, constructing pathways through forests, timber extraction as well as preventing fire.

Environmental management is a division of management studies that involves designing and implementing environmental friendly policies, programs as well as regulations. Controlling environmental pollution, management methodologies pertaining to environmental studies is the main focus of forest management. Environmental managers are responsible for handling administrative functions whereas environmental experts usually discover problems and address them accordingly.

COURSES AND CAREER PROSPECTS

Forest management, an upcoming field has several opportunities in India these days. Those who are interested in pursuing something different and are intrigued by mother nature, then forest management is definitely an option for them. Some of the courses available in this field are

  • MBA in Energy and Environment
  • MBA in Environmental Management
  • MBA in Forestry Management
  • Post Graduate Diploma in Forestry Management

Professionals in the field of forest management take care of forest resources by protecting them from forest fires and other calamities. Their tasks usually comprise the following:
  • Advising clients on good forestry practices
  • Advise woodland owners about plantations and choice of various species of plants
  • They are also engaged in organizing, growing, harvesting and marketing of timbers.
  • Help in wasteland development
  • Conducting research in areas such as entomology, tree improvement
  • Promoting eco-tourism
  • Ensuring the protection of wildlife
  • Some of the career options available for forest managers are explained below:
  • Forester: He or she is responsible for protecting forests and wildlife.
  • Dendrologists: Researching on history, life-span, and improvement of trees form the major work profile for them.
  • Ethnologists: Studying and analyzing the evolution, behavior, biological functions of an organism against a natural environment are some of the major tasks that an ethnologist has to carry out.
  • Entomologists: They specialize in the study and control of diseases
  • Forest Range Officers: Forest range officers usually take care of public forests, botanical gardens as well as sanctuaries.
  • Zoo Curators: Their major profile comprises animal welfare in the zoos and undertaking conservation work.

Organizations like World Wildlife Fund (WWF) also recruit people who have a background in forest management. Segments where candidates can seek employment are Government sector, educational institutes, Non-government Organisations (NGOs), Outsourcing/Chartered Forester.

Apart from degrees, students can also opt for diploma and certificate programs in the same discipline. Some of the courses other than MBA that a candidate can pursue are
  • BSc Forestry
  • MSc Forestry
  • BSc Wildlife
  • MSc Wildlife

Students can choose from various Indian institutes offering courses in forest management. One of the top-ranking in this category happens to be the Indian Institute of Forest Management (IIFM), Bhopal. Those who want to pursue diploma or a certificate course on the same can do so from Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), Delhi.

IGNOU offers a Certificate in Participatory Forest Management (CPFM). The general objective of the course is to develop an approach towards integration of communities dependent on forests through forest management. Interactive in nature, the program generates sensitivity among all stakeholders in forest resources.

A growing field, forest management has several employment opportunities in India. Interested candidates can carve out a great career for themselves in this field.

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