India’s Forests Hold the Future

UPSC Syllabus Topic: GS Paper 3 –Environment.

Introduction

India’s forests now anchor the climate and development agenda. The revised Green India Mission targets restoration of 25 million hectares by 2030 and an additional carbon sink up to 3.39 billion tonnes CO₂e. Progress since 2015 shows expanded cover and mission support, but future gains depend on ecology-first design, community leadership, capable field teams, effective CAMPA use, and real convergence with agroforestry and watershed programmes so restoration delivers resilience—not just plantation numbers. India’s Forests Hold the Future.

Current Status of Afforestation in India?

Target: India target, to restore 25 million hectares of degraded forest and non-forest land by 2030 (revised Green India Mission (GIM)).

Carbon sink pledge: India also aims to create an additional up to 3.39 billion tonnes CO₂e carbon sink by decade-end.

Implementation (2015–2021): From 2015–2021, afforestation covered 11.22 million hectares, with ₹575 crore disbursed to 18 states.

Cover change: India’s forest and tree cover is 25.17%, far below the 33% target of the 1988 National Forest Policy.

India’s forests provide ecosystem services valued at over ₹130 trillion annually, sustaining most rural livelihoods

Global standing (GFRA-2025): India ranks 9th in total forest area and 3rd in net annual forest area gain worldwide.

Major Concern Related to Afforestation in India

1. Declining ecological effectiveness: A 2025 study by IIT Kharagpur with IIT Bombay and BITS Pilani found a 12% fall in photosynthetic efficiency of dense forests due to rising temperatures and drying soils. Planting more trees will not ensure stronger carbon sinks.
2. Weak community participation and legality: Nearly 200 million people rely on forests, and the Forest Rights Act (2006) empowers their management. Yet many plantation drives bypass claims and consent, eroding trust and legitimacy.
3. Capacity gaps in implementation: The revised GIM promotes native, site-specific species, but many field teams lack ecological expertise. Training institutes exist in Uttarakhand, Coimbatore, and Byrnihat, yet capability is uneven.
4. Financing bottlenecks and under-utilisation: CAMPA holds about ₹95,000 crore, but utilisation is inconsistent; Delhi used 23% of approved funds between 2019 and 2024. GIM has modest allocations and relies heavily on CAMPA.
5. Fragmented alignment across programmes: The blueprint links restoration to agroforestry, watershed missions, and CAMPA, but turning this integration into on-ground practice remains difficult. Policy–practice gaps slow outcomes.
6. Quantity-over-quality plantations and monocultures: Area-driven targets encourage single-species planting, lowering biodiversity, water security, and climate resilience.

Initiative Taken

Central initiatives

1. Revised Green India Mission (GIM):

It plan to restore 25 million hectares by 2030 and build an additional carbon sink by decade-end.

It expands focus to Aravalli Hills, Western Ghats, mangroves, and Himalayan catchments.

Programme convergence: Seeks tighter links with the National Agroforestry Policy, watershed initiatives, and the Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA) to support restoration at scale

2. National Afforestation Programme (NAP): It focuses on ecological restoration of degraded forests and improving livelihoods, using a three-tier structure (SFDA–FDA–JFMC), and supporting activities like soil–moisture conservation, fencing, micro-planning, awareness, and monitoring.
3. Forest Fire Prevention & Management (FFPM) Scheme: It provides dedicated support for prevention, preparedness, and management of forest fires, so that regenerated areas and new plantations are protected.
4. MISHTI (Mangrove Initiative for Shoreline Habitats & Tangible Incomes): Announced in Union Budget 2023-24, MISHTI aims to restore/afforest about 540 sq km of mangroves across 9–11 coastal States/UTs over five years. It does this mainly through convergence of CAMPA, MGNREGS and other schemes, and it stresses local community/EDC/VSS involvement because mangroves are both a bio-shield and a high-carbon ecosystem
5. Aravalli Green Wall Project : Run by MoEFCC, this project tries to build a 1,400-km, ~5-km-wide belt of plantations and restoration along the Aravallis in Gujarat, Rajasthan, Haryana and Delhi to stop desertification, improve biodiversity, and protect NCR from dust.

State initiatives

1. Tamil Nadu: Nearly doubled mangrove cover in three years, strengthening carbon storage and coastal protection.
2. Himachal Pradesh: Biochar programme launched to generate carbon credits and reduce fire risks.
3. Uttar Pradesh:

• Planted over 39 crore saplings this year; exploring ways to connect village councils to carbon markets.
• Green Chaupal platform to mobilise village-level plantation and maintenance with a Gram Harit Nidhi (village green fund) and monthly meetings for awareness and micro-plan execution.

4. Odisha: Joint Forest Management Committees integrated into planning and revenue-sharing, improving participation and compliance.
5. Chhattisgarh: Biodiversity-sensitive plantations and revival of barren cattle shelters by planting mahua, aligning ecology with tribal livelihoods.

Way forward

1. Community leadership: Recognise and empower FRA rights-holders, and involve them in planning, planting, and monitoring from the start to build trust and ownership.
2. Ecology-first design: Prioritise native, site-specific species and diversify plantings so restoration improves biodiversity and drought resilience, not just canopy.
3. Capacity building: Train frontline staff through institutes in Uttarakhand, Coimbatore, and Byrnihat to deliver ecology-sensitive work.
4. Smarter finance: Deploy CAMPA funds for participatory planning, maintenance, and adaptive management rather than one-time planting.
5. Transparent tracking: Publish dashboards on survival rates, species mix, fund use, and community participation.
6. Market linkages: Scale biochar and connect local bodies to credible carbon markets for upkeep.
7. Institutional alignment: Ensure that GIM’s planned convergence with agroforestry, watershed missions, and CAMPA becomes operational on the ground, with states executing one coordinated restoration plan.

Conclusion

As India looks to Viksit Bharat 2047, forests are future capital. If India restores 25 million hectares with community leadership, native species, clear public tracking, and honest use of CAMPA funds—and if the Centre, states, local bodies, civil society, and researchers work as one—GIM can become a national movement and reshape restoration worldwide.

Question for practice:

Examine the major concerns in India’s afforestation, and explain the key Central and State initiatives and the way forward under the revised Green India Mission.

Source: The Hindu