Compensatory Afforestation

Compensatory afforestation is a program initiated by the Government of India to ensure the balance between development and the environment. India is a country with diverse natural resources, including forests, wildlife, and biodiversity. However, India also has a growing need for infrastructure development and industrialization, leading to forest land diversion for non-forest purposes. To address this issue, the government has introduced the compensatory afforestation program. This program mandates that the development of non-forest land should be accompanied by afforestation on an equal area of land. The program has been implemented to ensure the sustainable development of the country while maintaining the balance between development and the environment.

Compensatory Afforestation Program in India

Under the compensatory afforestation program, project developers are required to fund afforestation activities on new lands and pay for the Net Present Value (NPV) of the forests being cleared. The funds collected from the project developers are then used to finance afforestation projects in areas that need to be developed as forests. The newly afforested land may not immediately provide the range of goods and services that the diverted forests were providing. However, this program ensures that newer parcels of land are earmarked for developing them as forests, contributing to the country’s forest cover.

The program is implemented by the Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA), a statutory body set up by the Government of India in 2001. The body’s main function is to ensure the proper utilization of funds collected under the compensatory afforestation program. The CAMPA collects funds from project developers and allocates them to the states for afforestation activities. The program has led to the afforestation of several thousand hectares of land, contributing to the country’s forest cover.

Challenges faced by the Compensatory Afforestation Program

Although the compensatory afforestation program is aimed at balancing development and the environment, it has faced several challenges. One of the significant challenges is the lack of monitoring and evaluation of afforestation activities. There is a need for an effective monitoring mechanism to ensure that the funds allocated for afforestation activities are used effectively. The government needs to establish an independent monitoring and evaluation mechanism to ensure that the afforestation activities are carried out as per the plan.

Another challenge is the lack of transparency in the allocation of funds. The government needs to make the allocation of funds more transparent, and the public needs to be made aware of the utilization of funds for afforestation activities. There is also a need for increased public participation in the afforestation activities to ensure their success.

Kerala’s Situation

According to the Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA), 45 percent of the fund allocated by the Central Government for compulsory afforestation between 2017 and 2022 have not been utilized by Kerala. The state government’s target for each year’s plantation has also not been met. The unutilized funds have caused a delay in the afforestation activities in the state. The state government should ensure that the funds allocated for afforestation activities are utilized effectively.