Forest Restoration in India

Today, human activity has an impact on every forest in some way, whether it is directly through the invasion or deforestation of exotic plants, or through the results of climate change. Forest restoration aims to reintroduce natural processes related to a forest’s production, such as how water reacts with soil, rivers, and vegetation. This enhances a forest’s condition, fertility, and diversity of life.

In addition to increasing the amount and quality of forests, successful restoration also improves food security, the quality of the air and water, climate change resilience, and a host of other factors. These numerous benefits can all be targeted as restoration targets, which can help attract more funding and complete community involvement.

Forest Restoration in India:

• 713,789 square kilometers, or 21.71 % of India’s total land area, are covered in forests. India has set an objective of covering 33% of its land area with forests. According to the Forest Survey of India, “forest cover” refers to all lands that are at least one hectare in size and have patches of trees with a canopy coverage of more than 10%. This applies to all lands, regardless of their actual ownership or intended purpose.
• Landscapes with forests are essential for combating climate change and offer a wide range of ecological services. But there are various challenges and difficulties in restoring forests in India as the country faces the challenge of adopting a net-zero, nature-positive growth route that can meet its inhabitants’ demands while reducing climate change and protecting its ecosystem for a better future.
• To meet restoration goals, all these challenges must be properly reviewed and analyzed. One of the biggest problems in India is finding a location that is both available and accessible. Regarding the choice of places for restoration, there are no clear rules or standards that have been established by science. Again, the accessibility of open forests and other types, such as scrubs forests, depends on their adaptability and other factors. This area identification process is challenging due to the lack of scientific standards for the selection of degraded forests under different agro-climatic zones.
• Sometimes tree replacement is necessary for restoration. This can involve planting trees and defending the land from activities that contributed to the initial land clearing and deforestation. In order to allow former wooded land to spontaneously regenerate and restore ecosystems including soil quality, drainage filtering, and rich biodiversity, it may also require conservation.
• Another strategy entails incorporating trees on farms to increase the productivity of rural landscapes. This may entail both an increase in trees throughout the landscape and the prevention of land degradation through better agriculture methods.

Forest Conservation Schemes Introduced by Government:

• Plantation and afforestation programs are being carried out in forested areas by the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change (MoEFCC) using a participatory approach. The National Mission for a Green India, Integrated Development of Wildlife Habitats, Conservation of Natural Resources & Ecosystems, and National River Conservation Program are just a few of the Centrally Sponsored Umbrella schemes being implemented by the government for the restoration and conservation of ecology. 
• In addition to being utilized for compensatory afforestation by States/UTs, the money collected under the Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA) as compensatory levies from States is also used for other plantation-related activities. These programs primarily assist ecological restoration through afforestation inside and outside of forest regions, the development of habitats, conservation of soil and water resources, and other activities.

How Restoration of Forests will Benefit the Nation’s Well-being?

• Restoration has become a highly established practice, and because of its advantages over planting trees, including cost-effectiveness and the capacity to maintain more biodiversity, People’s and governments’ interest in it is gradually growing.
• Forest Landscape Restoration aims to restore ecological viability, improve human health in deforested or devastated landscapes, and provide a wide range of commodities and services to a variety of stakeholders and across various land uses. Forest restoration is regarded as one of the finest ways to support sustainable development by restoring the ecological, economic, and social benefits and functions of the forests.
• The voluntary Bonn Challenge, which was started in 2011 by the German government and the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature), aims to restore 150 million hectares of deteriorated and deforested areas by 2020 and 350 million hectares by 2030. India pledged to rehabilitate and restore 21 million hectares of damaged and deforested land when it joined the Bonn Challenge in 2015. During the United Nations Convention on Combating Desertification Conference held in Delhi in September 2019, this was increased to a target of 26 million hectares by 2030.
• Since the previous state can have contributed to the severity of the disaster, such as unsuitable tree species, restoration does not always entail returning to the former state. Instead, restoration aims to return forests to a more natural condition with greater structural and functional diversity that increases the forest’s resilience. However, given that climate change is advancing and that even natural forests may be affected, it is crucial to prepare for the future and perhaps locate species and tree genetic materials that are better suited.
• The restoration of forests can aid in the adaptability and context of climate change while boosting the environmental and livelihood benefits of the region and its inhabitants. Through restoration procedures, forests and other resources can be improved, which lowers the risk of disasters including floods, droughts, disasters, and pest attacks.

Conclusion:

In India due to the quality of land, restoration practices promote the availability of natural resources like food, water, wood, and other useful bio-medicines. It provides communities that rely on forests with possibilities for reliable revenue development. The nation reaffirms its priorities, implements required legislative changes and provides necessary funding while putting an integrated and inclusive strategy and appropriately incorporating a variety of stakeholders, including state governments.