After Reading This Article You Can Solve This UPSC Mains Model Question:
“Forest restoration is not synonymous with tree plantation.” Discuss in the context of India’s environmental governance. Examine the challenges in achieving the objectives of the Green India Mission and suggest measures for effective ecosystem restoration.15 Marks (GS3, Environment)
Context
The CAG’s performance audit of the Green India Mission (GIM) highlights inadequate progress in restoring degraded forests. The findings expose a key policy gap: tree plantation cannot substitute ecological restoration, which requires improving forest quality, biodiversity, carbon sequestration, water security and ecosystem resilience.
Introduction
India’s forest challenge is no longer merely about increasing the number of trees, but about restoring functional, biodiverse and resilient forest ecosystems. The recent CAG concerns over the Green India Mission highlight the gap between quantitative plantation targets and qualitative ecological restoration.
What is the Green India Mission (GIM)?
- The National Mission for a Green India (GIM) is one of the eight missions under the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC). It was designed as a long-term policy framework to strengthen India’s forest ecosystems while simultaneously addressing the challenges posed by climate change.
- The primary objective of GIM is to protect, restore and enhance forest and tree cover in the country, particularly by focusing on degraded forest landscapes and vulnerable ecosystems. Thus, the mission goes beyond merely increasing the numerical extent of forest cover.
- An important objective of GIM is to improve the quality and ecological health of forests. This involves promoting healthier and more resilient ecosystems capable of providing essential services such as soil conservation, water regulation, carbon storage and habitat protection.
- The mission also seeks to strengthen biodiversity conservation by improving forest ecosystems and protecting habitats. A healthy forest is not simply an area containing trees; it is a complex ecosystem supporting flora, fauna, microorganisms and ecological interactions.
Key Challenges Facing India’s Forest Restoration
- Plantation-centric approach instead of ecological restoration: Afforestation is often measured by the number of saplings planted, whereas true restoration requires recovery of biodiversity, soil health, water systems, natural regeneration and ecosystem resilience.
- Forest cover–tree cover mismatch: Recent assessments show that an increase in overall tree cover does not necessarily represent an expansion of natural forests. This creates a risk of overestimating actual forest restoration and ecological gains.
- Monoculture and invasive species: Uniform plantations and invasive species such as Prosopis juliflora can suppress native biodiversity, reduce habitat quality and weaken ecosystem resilience, particularly in degraded landscapes such as the Aravallis.
- Continued land degradation and habitat fragmentation: Mining, quarrying, encroachment, infrastructure expansion and urbanisation continue to degrade and fragment forest landscapes, limiting the effectiveness of plantation programmes.
- Weak inter-scheme convergence: Programmes such as Green India Mission (GIM), CAMPA and MGNREGA often suffer from inadequate institutional coordination, resulting in fragmented implementation, duplication and inefficient utilisation of resources.
- Poor outcome-based monitoring: Success is frequently assessed through saplings planted, area covered and expenditure, rather than long-term indicators such as survival rate, native species diversity, natural regeneration, soil carbon, groundwater recharge and biodiversity recovery.
Way Forward
A. Shift from Tree Plantation to Ecosystem Restoration
- India should move beyond plantation targets and focus on restoring the ecological functions of degraded forests and landscapes.
- Restoration should aim to improve biodiversity, soil health, water regulation, carbon sequestration and ecosystem resilience, rather than merely increasing tree numbers.
B. Adopt a Landscape-Level Approach
- Forest restoration should be planned at the level of entire landscapes, watersheds and ecological regions, instead of treating plantation plots as isolated units.
- Such an approach can simultaneously restore ecological corridors, river catchments, degraded hills, wetlands, grasslands and fragmented forest patches.
C. Prioritise Native and Ecologically Appropriate Species
- Plantation programmes should prioritise native species suited to local soil, climate and ecological conditions.
- The objective should be ecological compatibility and biodiversity restoration, rather than rapid biomass accumulation through fast-growing species.
D. Promote Natural Regeneration
- Wherever ecological conditions permit, natural regeneration and assisted natural regeneration should be preferred over large-scale artificial plantations.
- Natural regeneration can preserve native species composition, genetic diversity and ecological interactions that may be difficult to recreate through plantations.
Strengthen Convergence among Government Schemes
- Programmes such as Green India Mission (GIM), CAMPA, MGNREGA, watershed development programmes, biodiversity conservation initiatives and tribal livelihood schemes should be integrated.
- A common landscape-level planning mechanism can reduce duplication, improve resource utilisation and ensure that different schemes contribute towards common ecological objectives.
Conclusion
- India must move from a “plantation economy” of counting saplings to an “ecological economy” of restoring ecosystems.
- The real measure of success should not be the number of trees planted but whether forests regain their biodiversity, carbon-storage capacity, water-regulation functions, soil health and resilience.
| Important CTC covered ubder this article Green India Mission (GIM) |