Govt working on draft policy for encouraging afforestation

The government is working on a draft policy which encourages private and public sector companies to take up afforestation of degraded forests to reduce import of wood products, Rajya Sabha was told today.
"The Environment Ministry has not issued any guidelines allowing degraded forests to be handed over to private companies so far.
"However the Environment Ministry is working on draft policy guidelines for encouraging participating of private/public sector in afforestation of degraded forest with a view to improving forest condition and decrease import of wood products," Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar said.
He said that proposed guidelines titled 'Guidelines for Public participation in afforestation of degraded forests' provide for consultation with gram panchayats, village panchayats and joint forest management committee wherever necessary and obtain their consent in respect of forest land identified under the scheme before inviting Express of Interest (EOI).

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Replying to another question, Javadekar said the area where compensatory afforestion has been undertaken up to March 31, 2015 in lieu of diversion of forest land under the provisions of Forest Conservation Act 1980, including projects for construction of roads is 6,87,809 ha against a stipulation of 8,60,791 ha which represents 80 per cent achievement of the targets.
"It is true that artificial afforestation carried out under compensatory afforestation provisions of Forest Conservation Act 1980 cannot substitute natural forests, yet keeping in view the imperatives of development and the crucial role played by development projects including highways in the process of development.

"...Permission for diversion of forest land is granted under the FCA 1980 only in cases where diversion of forest land is inevitable. Compensatory afforestation is undertaken to minimise the loss of impact of forest diversion in due course of time," Javadekar said.