Context:
• Revised blueprint of Green India Mission (GIM) places restoration at the centre of India’s climate roadmap.
• Target → restore 25 million hectares of degraded + non-forest land by 2030.
• Key issue → not only how much area India restores, but how restoration is done (quality of forests; not merely canopy cover).
Key Highlights:
Scientific Insight (New Evidence)
• IIT-Kharagpur study + other IIT collaborations (2025) → ~12% decline in photosynthetic efficiency of dense forests in India, mainly due to rising temperatures.
• Dense forests → may be less effective at absorbing carbon than previously assumed → “more trees ≠ always more carbon”.
• Restoration must build ecosystem resilience + structural diversity.
Afforestation / Policy Landscape
• India’s afforestation history struggled with 3 persistent gaps:
– community participation
– ecological design
– financing
• ~200 million Indians depend on forests → FRA 2006 legally empowers community rights, but plantation models often bypass community claims.
New Directions & Examples
• States experimenting with innovative financing & carbon market engagement:
– Himachal Pradesh → biochar programme + carbon credits
– Uttar Pradesh → “village councils to carbon markets” model
• Joint Forest Management Committees in Odisha → integrated into planning & benefit-sharing.
• Chhattisgarh → restoring biodiversity-sensitive plantations by planting native trees, aligning ecology + livelihoods.
Institutional Challenges
• CAMPA corpus ~₹95,000 crore → underutilised; e.g. Delhi used only ~23% between 2019–24.
• Need alignment between local priorities + national climate goals.
Relevant Prelims Points:
• GIM is one of 8 National Missions under the NAPCC (National Action Plan on Climate Change).
• CAMPA – Compensatory Afforestation Management & Planning Authority → uses funds collected via diversion of forest land.
• FRA 2006 – grants community forest rights.
• Native species plantations = more climate-resilient vs monoculture eucalyptus/acacia.
Relevant Mains Points:
• Forests = carbon sinks + livelihood buffers → community governance at core.
• Key governance shift → from plantation monoculture to site-specific restoration guided by local ecology.
• Research + citizen monitoring + public dashboards → improve accountability.
Way Forward:
• Local governments must co-design plans → align livelihood + biodiversity + carbon objectives.
• Expand training in silviculture + forest ecology for State forest departments & PRIs.