Forests

India on Friday said global climate ambition remains inadequate even a decade after the Paris Agreement, as it joined Brazil's new global fund for tropical forests as an observer and called for developed nations to accelerate emission cuts and deliver promised climate finance. Delivering India's statement at the Leaders' Summit of COP30 in Belem, Brazil, Indian Ambassador to Brazil Dinesh Bhatia reaffirmed the country's commitment to multilateralism and the Paris Agreement, which marks its 10th anniversary this year. "India welcomes and supports Brazil's initiative in establishing the Tropical Forests Forever Facility (TFFF), representing a significant step towards collective and sustained global action for the preservation of tropical forests. India is pleased to join the Facility as an observer," Bhatia said. Launched on Thursday, TFFF is a Brazil-led global fund to reward tropical countries for protecting and expanding forests. It aims to mobilise around USD 125 billion through .

World leaders gathered at the COP30 Leaders' Summit in Belm, Brazil, to launch the Tropical Forests Forever Facility, a landmark global initiative aimed at channelling large-scale finance into the protection of tropical forests. The Tropical Forests Forever Facility (TFFF) is designed to reward countries for keeping their forests standing rather than waiting for them to be cut down or degraded. According to the launch statement, it has been endorsed by 53 countries. The host country, Brazil, described the move on Thursday as a turning point in global environmental finance and one of the most important deliverables of this year's UN climate conference. It creates a system of regular, performance-based payments to tropical forest nations that successfully maintain their forest cover, verified through monitoring tools such as satellites. The goal is to shift the financial incentives in favour of conservation and to recognise the immense ecosystem services provided by tropical forests

India has climbed to the ninth spot globally in total forest area and retained its third rank in annual forest area gain, according to a new report released by the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO). The Environment Ministry said this reflects the success of India's large-scale afforestation and community-led forest protection efforts under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership. Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav said India's rise from the 10th to the ninth position marks a "major achievement" in sustainable forest management and ecological conservation. The minister said that growing public participation in tree plantation campaigns, particularly under the 'Ek Ped Ma Ke Naam' initiative, and large-scale state government drives have contributed to this progress. "Here is a reason to rejoice for all Indians. We have achieved 9th rank in terms of forest area at the global level as compared to 10th spot in the previous assessment. We have also maintained our 3rd ..

The value of timber and non-timber products falls across states, even as carbon stocks rise

From 2010-11 to 2021-22, very dense forests in India grew 22.7% to 102,502 sq km, while moderately dense forests shrank by 11,071 sq km and open forests increased 3.2% due to plantations

A California judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed by an Indigenous tribe in the Brazilian Amazon against The New York Times and TMZ that claimed the newspaper's reporting on the tribe's first exposure to the internet led to its members being widely portrayed as technology-addled and addicted to pornography. The suit was filed in May by the Marubo Tribe of the Javari Valley, a sovereign community of about 2,000 people in the Amazon rainforest. Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Tiana J. Murillo on Tuesday sided with the Times, whose lawyers argued in a hearing Monday that its coverage last year was fair and protected by free speech. TMZ argued that its coverage, which followed the Times' initial reporting, addressed ongoing public controversies and matters of public interest. The suit claimed stories by TMZ and Yahoo amplified and sensationalised the Times' reporting and smeared the tribe in the process. Yahoo was dismissed as a defendant earlier this month. Murillo wrote in he

Every time humans cut into the Amazon rainforest or burn or destroy parts of it, they're making people sick. It's an idea Indigenous people have lived by for thousands of years. Now a new study in the journal Communications Earth & Environment adds to the scientific evidence supporting it, by finding that instances of several diseases were lowered in areas where forest was set aside for Indigenous peoples who maintained it well. With the United Nations climate summit set for Brazil in November, the study authors and outside experts said the work highlights the stakes for people around the world as negotiators try to address climate change. Belem, the city hosting the conference, is known as the gateway to the Amazon, and many who will be attending, from activists to delegates, think the role of Indigenous communities in climate action and conservation will be highlighted in a distinct way. The forest man' or man forest,' according to the Indigenous perspective, has always been ...

Through the life of Quercus the acorn and his woodland kin, Being an Oak reveals nature's quiet power to change, adapt, and heal when left alone

The government has replaced the system of awarding green credits immediately based on the number of trees planted with granting credits after five years of restoration of degraded forest land, once 40 per cent canopy cover is achieved. The environment ministry revised the methodology for calculating green credits for tree plantation, first notified on February 22, 2024, through a new notification issued on August 29. The credits are rewarded under the Green Credit Programme. Green credits are rewards given for taking voluntary steps to protect the environment. Individuals, communities and companies can earn them through activities like planting trees, restoring mangroves, saving water, practising sustainable farming or managing waste in an eco-friendly way. Under the new system, credits will be awarded only after a minimum of five years of restoration work and once the land achieves at least 40 per cent canopy density. One credit will be given for each new tree that has survived ...

Spain is deploying a further 500 soldiers to battle wildfires that have torn through parched woodland during a prolonged spell of scorching weather, Prime Minister Pedro Snchez said Sunday. The decision to add to the more than 1,400 troops already on wildfire duty came as authorities struggled to contain forest blazes, especially in the northwestern Galicia region, and awaited the arrival of promised aircraft reinforcements from other European countries. Firefighters are tackling 12 major wildfires in Galicia, all of them near the city of Ourense, the head of the Galician regional government Alfonso Rueda told a press conference with Snchez. Homes are still under threat so we have lockdowns in place and are carrying out evacuations, Rueda said. Galicia has been battling the spreading flames for more than a week. Temperatures in Spain could reach 45 Celsius (113 Fahrenheit) in some areas Sunday, the Spanish national weather agency AEMET said. On Saturday, the maximum temperature was

The Ministry of Tribal Affairs has clarified that Community Forest Resource Management Plans (CFRMPs) must be prepared by Gram Sabhas through their Community Forest Resource Management Committees (CFRMCs), in accordance with the Forest Rights Act and its rules, and not by the forest department or any other agency. In a letter dated August 14 to the chief secretary of Chhattisgarh, the ministry responded to recent communications from the state's forest department and tribal development department seeking guidance on CFR management. The ministry said that the guidelines issued on September 12, 2023, along with Rules 4(1)(e) and 4(1)(f) of the Forest Rights Rules, clearly state that the CFRMC, constituted by the Gram Sabha, is responsible for preparing the CFRMP on its behalf. The ministry's response comes amid controversy over a circular issued by the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF), Chhattisgarh, dated May 15, which stated that the forest department would manage communi

Each tiger reserve to plant 2,000 native saplings as part of habitat restoration; campaign also aims to eliminate single-use plastic and bolster ecological resilience

The Supreme Court on Wednesday underscored the need of sustainable development but advised against the use of bulldozers to clear forests in order to achieve it. A bench of Chief Justice B R Gavai and Justices K Vinod Chandran and Joymalya Bagchi was hearing a suo motu case over large-scale felling of trees in the Kancha Gachibowli area of Telangana. I am myself an advocate for sustainable development, but that doesn't mean that overnight you should employ 30 bulldozers and clear all the jungle, Chief Justice Gavai said. Senior advocate K Parameshwar, who is amicus curiae in the matter, informed the bench about several private parties wishing to respond to the state's affidavit. The bench took note of the statement and posted the hearing on August 13. On May 15, the top court said felling of trees next to the University of Hyderabad prima facie appeared to be "pre-planned" and asked the Telangana government to restore it or its officials could land in jail. The CJI said it was fo

The Standing Committee of the National Board for Wildlife (NBWL), headed by Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav, has recommended 32 defence infrastructure proposals involving diversion of land from protected areas and eco-sensitive zones across Arunachal Pradesh, Gujarat, Ladakh and Sikkim. These include construction of strategic roads, helipads, training areas, ammunition depots, housing for troops and artillery regiments, with the bulk of the projects located in Ladakh's ecologically fragile Karakoram and Changthang sanctuaries. In Arunachal Pradesh, the committee cleared two major projects of the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) inside Dibang Wildlife Sanctuary: the 56-km Malinye-Balua-Kapuda road (involving 111.29 hectares of forest land and 9.73 ha from the Eco-Sensitive Zone) and the 20.88-km Kapuda-Phuphu road (involving 44.13 ha of forest land). "The animal passage plan for the present proposal should address the wildlife movement for the animals found in the sanctuary

The Centre has issued model rules for the felling of trees on agricultural land in a bid to promote agroforestry with the aim of doubling farmers' incomes, increasing tree cover outside forests and mitigating climate change. In a letter sent to all state governments on June 19, the environment ministry said the objective of 'Model Rules for Felling of Trees in Agricultural Lands' is to enhance the ease of doing business in agroforestry and incentivise farmers to integrate trees into their farming systems without facing undue procedural hurdles. The government has been promoting agroforestry to double farmers' income, enhance tree cover outside forests, mitigate climate change, reduce timber imports and ensure sustainable land use. It also supports India's climate goals under the Paris Agreement. A key barrier is the lack of clear, harmonised rules for felling trees on agricultural land which affects cultivation and marketing of agroforestry produce, according to the ...

India lost 18,200 hectares of primary forest in 2024 compared to 17,700 hectares in 2023, according to the latest data from a global collaboration of over 100 organisations. The data provided by the Global Forest Watch and the University of Maryland showed the country has lost 2.31 million hectares of tree cover since 2001, equivalent to a 7.1 per cent decrease in tree cover during this period and 1.29 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions. India lost 3,48,000 hectares of humid primary forest (5.4 per cent) from 2002 to 2024, accounting for 15 per cent of its total tree cover loss during the same period, it stated. The country lost 16,900 hectares of humid primary forest in 2022, 18,300 hectares in 2021, 17,000 hectares in 2020 and 14,500 hectares in 2019, the data showed. The dataset defines primary forests as "mature natural humid tropical forest cover that has not been completely cleared and regrown in recent history". GFW researchers classify Landsat satellite imag

Fifteen of the 20 countries with the largest area of primary forests that signed the 2021 forest pledge are now losing trees faster than they were at that time, according to World Resources Institute

Ravi Sahariya, 26, sits silently among a group of villagers at a small temple in Moondiyar, a village bordering the ecologically-rich Shahbad forest in Rajasthan's Baran district. The forest, vital to the lives of tribal families like his, is now under threat as 408 hectares of it are proposed to be diverted for a massive pumped-storage project. The meeting at the temple, attended by around 30 people, has been called to oppose the 1,800-megawatt hydro project being built by Greenko Energies Private Limited. While only three villages -- Kaloni, Mungawali and Baint -- are officially listed for land acquisition, the project's shadow looms much larger, affecting at least seven nearby villages, home to hundreds of forest-dependent tribal and Dalit families. The project entails two large reservoirs covering a total of 624 hectares. Water will be lifted from the Kuno river, near Mungawali village. Though it promises clean energy, locals fear it could destroy their way of life. Moondiyar

The bishop sat quietly near the front row, hands folded, listening as Indigenous leaders and church workers spoke about the threats to Peru's northern forests, a part of the Amazon rain forest. It was 2016, a year after Laudato Si, Pope Francis' encyclical on the environment. When he was up to speak, the bishop didn't preach though he was in his city of Chiclayo as host of a regional gathering. Instead, he reflected on things he had seen. It's a very important encyclical, he said. It also represents something new in terms of this explicit expression of the church's concern for all of creation. That bishop, Robert Prevost, is now Pope Leo XIV. He was always very welcoming, very close to the people, Laura Vargas, secretary of the Interreligious Council of Peru, who helped organize the event, recalled in a phone interview with The Associated Press. He had no problem saying yes when we proposed it he was genuinely interested in social pastoral work. Since then, Prevost deepened his

Madhya Pradesh has become the first state to implement an AI-based real-time alert system on a pilot basis for active forest management using satellite images, mobile feedback, and machine learning, an official said on Tuesday. The Artificial Intelligence system will enable the forest department to detect land encroachment, land use change, and forest degradation. "Madhya Pradesh has become the first state in the country to implement an AI-based real-time forest alert system. This historic step has been taken towards active forest management in the state. This system works with the help of satellite images, mobile feedback and machine learning," the official said. This system is being implemented as a pilot project in five sensitive forest divisions including Shivpuri, Guna, Vidisha, Burhanpur and Khandwa, which have reported several encroachment and tree felling incidents. It will be implemented at the state level, the official added. He said that based on Google Earth Engine, th