Dehradun (The Hawk): The forest cover of the country was recorded 7,13,789 sq km in 2021 assessment with an increase of 1,540 sq km within two years. The total forest and tree cover of the country was 8,09,537 sq km which was 24.62% of its geographical area. India has been successful in enhancing forest carbon stocks through sustainable management of forests. Total forest carbon stocks were estimated to be 7,204 million tonnes in 2021 assessment with an increase of 79.4 million tonnes. Forests are net carbon sinks in in the country and offsetting about 15% of the total greenhouse gas emission of the country.
Role of forests has been increasingly recognized as most cost-effective option for climate change mitigation through carbon captured and storage in biomass and soil. Activities responsible for deforestation and forest degradation can significantly affect the amount of carbon stored in the forests. Reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation along with role of conservation, sustainable management of forests and enhancement of forest carbon stocks collectively known as REDD+ mechanism. REDD+ has the potential to deliver significant carbon and non-carbon benefits to the local communities including conservation of natural forests and biodiversity.
India has been successful in improving the forest carbon stocks in its forest by about 5% from 6,621.5 million tonnes in 2005 to 7204 million tonnes in 2021. India is one of the few countries where forest and tree cover have increased in recent years transforming country's forests into a net sink owing to national policies aimed at conservation and sustainable management of forests.
The Government of India has always made positive efforts through framing suitable policies, laws and regulations, and by amending them from time to time to conserve and protect the forests. Various policies, acts and legislations in India are a strong testimony of country's commitment to the philosophy of forest conservation. The principal aim of National Forest Policy, 1988 is to ensure environmental stability and maintenance of ecological balance including atmospheric equilibrium which are vital for sustenance of all life forms, human, animal and plant. Goal of the National Forest Policy is to have a minimum of one-third of the total land area of the country under forest or tree cover. In the hills and in mountainous regions, the goal is to maintain two-third of the area under such cover in order to prevent erosion.
The Government of India enacted the Forest Conservation Act, 1980 for conservation of forests. The act put restrictions on the use of forest land for non-forest purposes. Prior to the enactment of the act, a total of 41.35 lakh hectares of forest land was diverted over a period of 25 years between 1951-52 to 1975-76, without undertaking any mitigative measures. The average annual rate of diversion during this period was about 1.65 lakh hectares. The pace of diversion of forest land for non-forest purposes was around 1,60,000 hectares per annum from 1951 to 1976. However, after the implementation of Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980, the rate of diversion of forests has come down drastically to 35,000 ha annually during 1980-2011. After the enactment of the act, over the forty-year period between 1980 and 2021, a total of 9.9 lakh hectares of forest land is diverted for non-forestry purposes. The average annual rate of diversion during this period came down to around 23,618 hectares.
Compensatory Afforestation means afforestation done in lieu of the diversion of forest land for non-forest purpose under the Forest (Conservation) Act 1980. Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has notified the Forest (Conservation) Rules, 2022 which inter-alia envisages formulation of an Accredited Compensatory Afforestation mechanism to be used for obtaining prior approval under section 2 of the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980. Accredited compensatory afforestation is a system of proactive afforestation to be used for obtaining prior approval under section 2 (ii) of the Act for raising of advance afforestation over non-forest land. Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of India has issued the guidelines on the accredited compensatory afforestation on 24 January 2023. As per these guidelines, some of the preconditions of raising accredited compensatory afforestation are land on which the provisions of Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980 are not applicable and which is free from all encumbrances should be considered, non-forest land, including mined out and biologically reclaimed non-forest land, ownership of which vests with the State Public Sector Undertaking or Central Public Sector Undertaking, may also be used for afforestation, an afforestation shall be counted towards accredited compensatory afforestation, if such land covers an area of minimum ten hectares, afforestation raised should preferably be heterogeneous in nature and shall consist of indigenous species. The carbon credits or any other associated benefit earned from plantation raised under accredited compensatory afforestation will also accrue to the land-owning agency. Accredited compensatory afforestation will expedite afforestation works which will ultimately increase the total carbon sequestered thereby helping to achieve the forestry sector target of Nationally Determined Contributions.
Forest (Conservation) Amendment Act, 2023 came into force on 4 August 2023 and the importance of forests is to be realised to enable achievement of national targets of Net Zero Emission by 2070 and maintain or enhance the forest carbon stocks through ecologically balanced sustainable development. The amendment in the principal act has been brought to achieve the country's national as well as international commitments such as Nationally Determined Contributions, carbon neutrality, eliminate the ambiguities and bring clarity about the applicability of the Act in various lands, promoting the plantation in non-forest land, enhancing the productivity of the forests, etc. The amendment made in the Act will promote the social and economic development of the general public as well as of local communities, besides facilitating better forest management by improving their productivity and health of the forests.
Government of India in its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) under the Paris Agreement committed to create an additional carbon sink of 2.5 to 3 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent through additional forest and tree cover by 2030. NDC target of the forestry sector can be achieved through improvement of forest health, restoration of natural forests, tree planting on culturable wastelands, fallow lands, tree planting along the national highways, state highways, railway lines, rivers and canals, greening of urban spaces and agroforestry. India is determined to continue with its on-going interventions, enhance the existing policies and launch new initiatives in the priority areas inter alia full and effective implementation of Green India Mission, afforestation under Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA) and other programmes of afforestation.
New carbon market mechanism under the Paris Agreement especially Article 6.2 on cooperative approaches, nature based (forestry) activities are likely to be the preferred choice to reduce greenhouse gas emissions at relatively lower cost along with other significant co-benefits of forest ecosystem. Establishment of domestic forest carbon market in the country can boost the trading of carbon credits generated from accredited compensatory afforestation, plantation raised under agroforestry and farm forestry.
In the above precepts, Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education, Gujarat State Forest Department and Regional Office of Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change have organised a workshop on Carbon Credits and Accredited Compensatory Afforestation under Changing Legal Scenario is organised at Gandhi Nagar (Gujarat) on 26 September 2023 at Gandhi Nagar (Gujarat) in hybrid mode. More than 1000 participants from Forest Department, NGOs, scientists, industries, academia and policy makers from the state of Gujarat and other states participated in the workshop.
Shri S. K. Chaturvedi, Principal Chief Conservator of Forest & Head of Forest Force, Gujarat has addressed the participants of the workshop as Chief Guest and highlighted the role of forests in climate change adaptation and mitigation, and also highlighted the importance of the Forest (Conservation) Act in conservation of forests.
Shri Arun Singh, Director General, Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education has addressed the participants of the workshop and highlighted that amendments made in the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980 to achieve the national targets and international commitments such related to Nationally Determined Contributions and Land Degradation Neutrality.
Ms. Kanchan Devi, Deputy Director General (Education), Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education in her welcome address highlighted the importance of accredited compensatory afforestation for achieving the NDC target of the forestry sector.
Dr. Rajesh Sharma, Assistant Director Genera (Biodiversity and Climate Change), Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education highlighted the objectives and structure of the workshop.
Shri Shrawan Kumar Verma, Deputy Director General of Forest, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change - Regional Office highlighted the amendments made in the Forest (Conservation) Act.
Sh. S.K. Srivastava, Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Research & Training), Gujarat delivered an audio-video presentation on importance of forest in climate change and carbon mitigation.
Dr. R. S. Rawat, Scientist-E, Biodiversity and Climate Change Division, Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education delivered a presentation on REDD+ readiness in India for climate change and carbon mitigation.
Dr. Lokesh Chandra Dube, Senior Standards Manager, Gold Standard Foundation delivered a presentation on Carbon markets and trading with respect to forest carbon credits.
Shri Shailendra Singh Rao, Founder and Managing Director, Creduce Technologies Private Limited shared the experience on Forestry carbon finance projects from India.
Shri Anoop Zachariah, Lead - Nature based Solutions (Nature based Solution) ReNew Power Private Limited also shared the experience on Forestry carbon finance projects from India.
Shri Yogesh Kumar, Deputy Director, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change - Regional Office Gandhi Nagar proposed formal vote of thanks.
