President Ramnath Kovind today said, forest officers have to strike a balance between conservation needs and development requirements. <br/><br/>He was speaking to the Probationers of Indian Forest Service 2016 batch who called on him at Rashtrapati Bhavan. <br/><br/>He asked them to treat people living in and around the forests, as partners in management and not as intruders. <br/><br/>Mr Kovind said, forests are not merely a resource but they also cover cultural, spiritual and intellectual heritage of the country. He also said that depletion in forest cover and global warming leading to climate change.<br/>