Government of India Initiatives

The 2021 India State of Forest Report (ISFR) found that India’s forest cover is 7,13,789 square kilometers, which is 21.71% of the country’s geographical area. This is an increase from 21.67% in 2019. The report also found that the country’s total forest and tree cover is 80.9 million hectares, which is 24.62% of the country’s geographical area.

Forests are included in the Concurrent List of the Constitution of India and are currently governed by the National Forest Policy, 1988. Various schemes are being implemented by the Central and State Government/Union Territory Administration for increase in forest and tree cover in the country. These includes

The National Afforestation Programme (NAP) and Green India Mission (GIM)

National Afforestation Programme is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme implemented by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change for regeneration of degraded forest and adjoining areas in the country. Now NAP scheme has been merged with Green India Mission. National Mission for a Green India (GIM) is one of the eight Missions outlined under the National Action Plan on Climate Change. It aims at protecting, restoring, and enhancing India’s forest cover and responding to Climate Change by means of plantation activities in the forest and non-forest areas.

• Compensatory Afforestation Fund (CAF) Act

Enacted in 2016, this legislation ensures that industries compensate for the diversion of forest land for non-forest purposes. The money is used to conserve, regenerate, or improve forest resources and provide green cover. 90% of the fund is used by the states and remaining 10% by the Centre.

Forest Conservation Act

The Forest (Conservation) Act of 1980 was enacted to protect forests and their resources. It also aims to prevent forest lands from being converted for other purposes without the prior approval of the Central Government. It also permits only unavoidable use of forest land for various developmental purposes. The Forest (Conservation) Amendment Act, 2023, recognizes the importance of forests in achieving national targets of Net Zero Emission by 2070.

National Action Programme to Combat Desertification

Enacted in 2001 it aims to combat desertification and mitigate the effects of drought and land misuse. It also aims for the sustainable development of dry, semi-arid, and dry sub-humid areas. It works towards rehabilitating partially degraded lands and mitigating the effects of drought and land misuse.

Other steps taken by the Government includes:

Other steps includes:

• Joint Forest Management (JFM): Protection and management of forests are jointly undertaken by the Forest Department and the local communities.
• Protected Areas: The government has established 1014 Protected Areas including 106 National Parks, 573 Wildlife Sanctuaries, 115 Conservation Reserves and 220 Community Reserves covering a total of around 5.32% of geographical area of the country.
• Awarness Programs: Various awareness programs like “Vanmahotsav” are conducted by the government to conserve forests.

Deforestation is the clearance of forests by cutting down trees and not replanting them. It can involve the conversion of forest land for agriculture, logging, urban development, or infrastructure projects. Effects of deforestation include soil erosion, climate change, desertification, biodiversity loss, food and fuel shortage, disruption of the water cycle, effect on human health and extinction of species. According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation report around 420 million hectares of forest were lost between 1990 and 2020. The annual rate of deforestation has slowed down but was still 10 million hectares per year between 2015 and 2020.