Forest Governance, JFM, CAMPA & India's Forest Cover

India's Forest Cover — India State of Forest Report (ISFR) 2023

The 18th India State of Forest Report (ISFR) 2023, released by the Forest Survey of India (FSI), provides the latest national assessment:

• Total forest and tree cover: 8,27,357 sq km — 25.17% of India's geographical area
• Forest cover (canopy density ≥10%): 7,15,343 sq km — 21.76% of geographical area
• Tree cover (outside recorded forest areas): 1,12,014 sq km — 3.41%
• Change from 2021: Net increase of 1,445 sq km (forest cover +156 sq km; tree cover +1,289 sq km)
• Mangrove cover: 4,992 sq km
• Total carbon stock in forests: 7,285.5 million tonnes

States showing maximum increase in forest and tree cover: Chhattisgarh (684 sq km), Uttar Pradesh (559 sq km), Odisha (559 sq km), and Rajasthan (394 sq km).

India aims to achieve 33% of its land area under forest and tree cover, as stated in the National Forest Policy, 1988. Current coverage of 25.17% indicates a significant gap.

Forest Classification — Champion & Seth System

India follows the Champion and Seth (1968) classification of forest types based on climate, precipitation, and altitude:

Forest Governance Framework

Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980

The Forest Conservation Act (FCA), 1980 requires prior approval of the Central Government before any forest land is diverted for non-forest purposes. It created a strong regulatory framework that significantly reduced deforestation from infrastructure and industrial projects.

The Act applies to "deemed forests" as interpreted by the Supreme Court in the T.N. Godavarman Thirumulpad v. Union of India (1996) case, which extended protection to all land recorded as forest, irrespective of ownership or classification.

Forest (Conservation) Amendment Act, 2023

The Forest (Conservation) Amendment Act, 2023 (No. 15 of 2023), which came into force on 1 December 2023, made significant changes — and generated considerable controversy:

Key changes:

• Renamed to the Van (Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan) Adhiniyam (Forest Conservation and Augmentation Act).
• Clarified the Act's scope applies to land recorded as forest on or after 25 October 1980, effectively excluding land not recorded as forest before that date from FCA protection.
• Exemptions for strategic/security projects: Land within 100 km of India's international borders is exempt for linear projects related to national security and defence — a major controversy given that much of the North East and Himalayan biodiversity lies within this zone.
• Exempts roadside amenities, zoos, safaris, and eco-tourism infrastructure.

Concerns raised:

• The exemption of pre-1980 "deemed forests" may go against the 1996 Supreme Court judgment.
• Border area exemptions could adversely impact forest cover and wildlife in ecologically sensitive North Eastern states.
• Tribal communities' Gram Sabha consent requirements under the Forest Rights Act (FRA) may be bypassed in exempted zones.
• A group of petitioners including retired civil servants has challenged the amendment in the Supreme Court.

Joint Forest Management (JFM)

Joint Forest Management is a participatory approach to forest conservation involving local communities and the forest department as co-managers. Introduced through a 1990 MoEF circular, JFM operates through:

• Van Suraksha Samitis (VSS) or Forest Protection Committees — village-level bodies given stewardship over adjacent forests.
• Communities receive a share of forest produce (timber, NTFP) and benefits from forest improvement in return for protection.
• Over 1.18 lakh JFM committees managing approximately 24 million hectares are estimated to exist across India.

Intersection with Forest Rights Act, 2006: The FRA (Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers Act) grants forest-dwelling communities legal rights over forest land they have occupied and customarily used. JFM committees' authority can sometimes conflict with FRA gram sabhas' rights.

CAMPA — Compensatory Afforestation

Background

When forest land is diverted for non-forest use (mining, roads, dams), the project proponent must fund compensatory afforestation over an equivalent or double the area of non-forest land. Funds collected for this purpose historically accumulated without being spent, prompting Parliament to legislate a dedicated mechanism.

Compensatory Afforestation Fund Act, 2016

The CAF Act, 2016 (enacted 3 August 2016; rules notified 10 August 2018; effective 30 September 2018) established:

• National Compensatory Afforestation Fund (NCAF): Under the Consolidated Fund of India (public account), administered by CAMPA at the national level.
• State CAMPA Funds: 90% of the funds flow to state governments; 10% is retained at the national level — reversing the earlier 10:90 Centre-to-State ratio.
• The accumulated corpus when the Act was enacted was approximately ₹95,000 crore, previously lying idle in nationalised banks under ad hoc CAMPA.

Fund utilisation includes: Compensatory afforestation, assisted natural regeneration, enrichment planting, biodiversity improvement, wildlife habitat enhancement, forest fire control, and soil and water conservation.

National Afforestation Programme & Green India Mission

• National Afforestation Programme (NAP): Implemented through Forest Development Agencies (FDAs) and Van Suraksha Samitis for degraded forest land regeneration.
• Green India Mission (GIM): One of the eight missions under the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC). Target: increase forest and tree cover by 5 million hectares (5 Mha) and improve quality of another 5 Mha over 10 years.

Van Dhan Vikas Kendras — Tribal Forest Economy

Van Dhan Vikas Kendras (VDVKs) are tribal cooperative enterprises set up under the Ministry of Tribal Affairs/TRIFED to aggregate, process, and add value to Minor Forest Produce (MFP) — a critical livelihood for forest-dwelling tribes. Key features:

• Each VDVK comprises ~300 tribal beneficiaries from ~15 Self Help Groups.
• Products include mahua, tamarind, honey, bamboo craft, herbal extracts.
• Add value through primary processing — drying, cleaning, packaging — before market sale.

Deforestation Drivers & Challenges

• Infrastructure expansion: Roads, railways, power lines through forested areas.
• Mining: India's mineral-rich forests (Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Odisha) face diversion pressures.
• Agriculture encroachment: Shifting cultivation in North East; illegal clearing elsewhere.
• Forest fires: Increasing in frequency with climate change, particularly in Uttarakhand and North East.
• Invasive species: Lantana camara, Prosopis juliflora degrade forest understorey biodiversity.

REDD+ and Forest Carbon Credits

REDD+ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation, plus conservation and sustainable management) is a UN Framework Convention on Climate Change mechanism allowing developing countries to receive payments for preserving forests as carbon sinks. India has formulated a National REDD+ Strategy and is eligible for results-based payments. India's forests sequester a significant carbon stock (7,285.5 million tonnes as per ISFR 2023).

Exam Strategy & Key Terms

For Prelims: ISFR 2023 figures (25.17% total forest + tree cover; 21.76% forest cover); CAMPA Act enactment date (2016); FCA 1980; Forest Conservation Amendment Act 2023 came into force 1 December 2023; FRA 2006; Green India Mission (5 Mha target).

For Mains (GS3 — Environment and Biodiversity): Tensions between development and forest conservation (FCA Amendment 2023 border exemptions); JFM and community forest governance; tribal rights under FRA vs. CAMPA; India's REDD+ potential; deforestation drivers and policy responses.

Key Terms: ISFR, FSI, FCA 1980, FCA Amendment 2023, JFM, VSS, CAMPA, CAF Act 2016, NCAF, FRA 2006, Green India Mission, REDD+, Van Dhan Vikas Kendra, Champion & Seth classification.