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Forest Conservation Guidelines 2026
January 23 , 2026
8 hrs 0 min
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- The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) amended forest conservation guidelines under the Van (Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan) Adhiniyam, 1980.
- It aims to allow non-government participation in restoring degraded forest land.
- Plantation and afforestation activities on forest land are now treated as “forestry activities” and do not require Compensatory Afforestation or Net Present Value (NPV) payments.
- The non-government entities can participate in restoration work under approved Working or Management Plans of State Forest Departments.
- States have discretion over the utilisation of plantations and revenue sharing, but forest ownership remains with the government.
- The amendment aims to restore about 2.08 lakh sq. km of degraded forest, achieve India’s 33% green cover target, and reduce import dependence on paper and timber.
- Risks include monoculture plantations, reduced biodiversity, and potential marginalisation of forest-dependent communities.
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