The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) is implementing plantation/afforestation schemes in the forest areas with participatory approach.
The conservation and development of forest primarily involves three strategies – afforestation through natural/artificial regeneration, protection and management.
The ministry is implementing three major schemes for development of forest areas-
- National Afforestation Programme (NAP) scheme
- National Mission for a Green India (GIM)
- Forest Fire Prevention & Management Scheme (FFPM)
While NAP is being implemented for afforestation of degraded forest lands, GIM aims at improving the quality of forest and increase in forest cover besides cross sector activities on landscape basis. The FFPM takes care of forest fire prevention and management measures.
For scientific management of forests, the States prepare management plan called Working Plan which highlights various activities to be undertaken in a forest division for effective management of forest. The working plan is approved by the Ministry.
Besides, the funds collected under Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA), as compensatory levies from states inter-alia, is also used in plantation activity including compensatory afforestation by States/UTs.
NAP aims to support and accelerate the on-going process of devolving forest conservation, protection, management and development functions through the Joint Forest Management Committees (JFMCs) at the village level, which are registered societies.
The major components of the scheme includes-
- afforestation under Seven plantation models,
- maintenance of previous years plantations and Ancillary Activities like soil and moisture conservation activities (SMC),
- fencing,
- overheads,
- monitoring and evaluation (M&E),
- micro-planning,
- awareness raising,
- Entry Point Activities (EPA)
Since inception of the NAP (2000-2002) an amount of Rs.3874.02 crores has been released till 2018-19 to various States and is being utilized for treatment/afforestation over 21 lakh hectare sanctioned area.
This is a Press Information Bureau Feed; edited by Clean-Future Team