Environmental degradation has both local and global impact. Local impact in rural areas include agricultural land pollution, health hazard due to air / water pollution, degradation in quality of life, deterioration of livelihood sources etc. Environmental degradation causes occurrence of drought and floods, reduction in the bio-mass production and land cover condition, etc. which are directly and indirectly responsible for degradation of soil and water resources. It affects both food production and food security in rural areas in long term. It also creates tremendous pressure on land resources due to ever increasing demands for fuel and fodder. The poor villagers are most affected by environmental degradation. Fuel, fodder, water, medicines (herbs) and even food are gathered to a certain extent from the immediate environment. But environmental degradation causes depletion of bio-mass which forces the village people, especially the women to cover a long distance in search of the same.
GUP realized that the best way to arrest environmental degradation and promote sustainable use of the environment and natural resources is to ensure maximum participation of people, especially the women, in its areas of operation in different States. Series of training, meetings, seminars were organized on this issue to organize affected people to prevent environmental degradation in their respective areas and finding out meaningful ways for their involvement in various stages of natural resources management.
GUP has planted lakhs of trees under social forestry and environment conservation programme during last one decade in different miro-eco regions in different states of its involvement. Afforestation has all along been a great benefactor and friend of the rural poor. Forestry has come for the rescue and aid to the people of those area at all stages. Even at the formation ( nursery) stage , the social forestry provided employment and livelihood to several persons of the area.
The artificial forest raised through this process is now providing these rural people fuel wood, minor forest products like honey, herbs, fruits, materials for domestic use , etc. They have developed inherent love for the forests raised by themselves. This spirit of kinship foster oneness with the biomass - a fillip to the concept of social fencing.