Increasing the forest cover

Increasing the forest cover

Subject: Environment 

Section: Biodiversity

Concept:

Status of forest cover:

• The India State of Forest Reports published by the Ministry shows that overall at the national level forest cover has increased by 21,762 square kilometre in the last one decade. There is no decreasing trend in forest cover of the country.
• As per the latest ISFR 2021, the total forest cover of the country has increased by 12,294 square kilometres in the last seven years (ISFR 2015 to ISFR 2021).

Steps taken for afforestation purpose by  MOEF&CC :

• Green India Mission(GIM) is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme, 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 undertaking plantation activities in the forest and non-forest areas.
• Nagar Van Yojana (NVY)
• It is being implemented since the year 2020 which envisages developing 400 Nagar Vans and 200 Nagar Vatika in the country during the period of 2020-21 to 2024-25
• It works with an objective to significantly enhance the tree outside forests and green cover, enhancement of biodiversity and ecological benefits to the urban and peri-urban areas apart from improving quality of life of city dwellers with the funds under the National Fund of the Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA).
• ‘School Nursery Yojana’ (SNY) is implemented since the year 2020 for a period of five years where students of class Sixth, Seventh and Eighth from all public and private schools organized by State Boards/ Central Government Boards all over the country will be actively involved in developing nursery, raising and planting seedlings as part of school curriculum.
• Others: Afforestation activities are also taken up under various programmes/funding sources such as Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, Compensatory Afforestation Funds under Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA).