Green Credit Rules: Death by trees?

Sub: Env

Sec: Env legislation

Context:

The Green Credit Rules (GCR) might threaten the lesser Florican and other species.

Green Credit Rules (GCR):

Issued in October 2023 to incentivize environmental protection through market-based mechanisms.
The amendment of the 1980 Forest (Conservation) Act in 2023 led to the implementation of Green Credit Rules (GCR), which could harm natural ecosystems.
Industries can generate green credits by planting trees, with specific guidelines for plantations.

Objectives of the Green Credit Programme (GCP):

GCP aims to create a land bank for plantations accessible via a web portal.
It encourages various entities to participate in afforestation and earn green credits.
The program utilizes digital tools for registration, verification, and monitoring of plantation activities.

Outcomes of the GCP

Impact of GCR on Indian Forests:

States must afforest land to compensate for diverted forests, under the 2023 amendment.
GCR allows green credits to meet compensatory afforestation (CA) obligations, focusing only on plantations.
GCR promotes tree planting on degraded lands, including unique ecosystems, labeled as wastelands.

Problems with the GCR

GCR lacks emphasis on planting diverse native species and involves industry in raising plantations.
It signals a return to a revenue-centric vision for India’s forests, undermining decades of conservation efforts.
The GCRs fail to mention local communities or their rights over forests, which the Forest Rights Act (FRA) guarantees. The 2022 Rules of the FCA eliminated the need for consent from the Gram Sabha for forest diversion.
Misleading Criteria and Misclassification:
- Canopy closure {Open canopies (densities <40%) or Scrub (<10%)} is used as the sole indicator of ecological worth, misclassifying many non-forest ecosystems.
- Ecosystems like grasslands and deserts are misclassified as degraded lands needing afforestation.
- Grasslands and deserts support a high density of mammals and 500 million livestock and are also important for below-ground carbon sequestration.
Tree-covered Wastelands
- Open Natural Ecosystems (ONEs) are often labelled as wastelands, making them prone to tree planting.
- ONEs envelop sand dunes, grasslands and thorn scrub of the Thar, and the savanna grasslands and open woody savannas of Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Gujarat.
- Planting trees on these lands could harm their unique biodiversity and ecosystem services.

Questionable Forest Cover and Afforestation
India’s reported forest cover includes orchards, parks, and plantations.
Studies suggest plantations do not provide the same ecosystem services as natural forests.
Regrowing natural forests is more effective for carbon sequestration and biodiversity.
Compensatory Afforestation (CA) Track Record
- CA programs suffer from poor survival rates and a lack of local community involvement despite the availability of more than 50,000 crores.
- Almost 60% of the CA funds remain unspent.
- Plantations often fail to simulate natural forests and address the drivers of degradation.