Recent government records reveal that over 8,500 hectares of forest land were approved for clearing in the first half of 2025. This clearance occurred despite a Supreme Court order restricting forest land diversion without proper safeguards. The approvals span various projects including infrastructure, mining, and defence. Concerns have been raised about the misuse of compensatory afforestation (CA) practices, especially on legally protected forest categories.
Forest Land Diversion Approvals in 2025
Between February and June 2025, three statutory bodies approved forest land diversion totalling 8,518.23 hectares. The Regional Empowered Committees (REC) cleared 348.96 hectares, the Forest Advisory Committee (FAC) approved 4,711.91 hectares, and the Standing Committee of the National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) sanctioned 3,457.37 hectares. These approvals included protected areas such as national parks and eco-sensitive zones.
Categories of Forests Affected
Clearances were granted for reserved forests, protected forests, degraded forests, unclassed forests, and revenue forests. Many of these areas have legal protection under the 1996 Godavarman Supreme Court order. However, the 2023 amendment to the Forest Conservation Act exempted unrecorded and deemed forests from protection, enabling easier diversion. This has raised concerns about weakening forest safeguards.
Compensatory Afforestation Controversies
Compensatory afforestation is intended to offset forest loss by planting trees on equivalent non-forest land. However, CA is increasingly allowed on degraded and unclassed forests, which are themselves forest lands. This practice contradicts Supreme Court directives and undermines the ecological value of natural forests. CA plantations often consist of commercial or agro-forestry species with limited biodiversity benefits.
Impact on Forest Cover and Ecology
India’s forest cover increased by 16,630 sq km from 2013 to 2023, but 97% of this gain occurred outside recorded forest areas. Meanwhile, nearly 93,000 sq km of forest degraded during the same period. Much of the afforestation involves monoculture plantations rather than restoring natural ecosystems. This shift threatens biodiversity and ecological balance.
Legal and Policy Challenges
The 2023 amendment to the Forest Conservation Act regularised past illegal diversions and narrowed the scope of protected forests. This move has been criticised as diluting forest protection laws. The Supreme Court’s 2025 order prohibits reducing forest land without prior identification of compensatory land, yet clearances continue on forest land itself. This legal ambiguity fuels petitions challenging government actions.
Role of Government Committees
The REC, FAC, and NBWL play key roles in forest diversion approvals. RECs handle small projects up to 40 hectares, while FAC and NBWL assess larger and ecologically sensitive proposals. Recently, many projects approved involve infrastructure like roads, railways, transmission lines, and defence installations. These approvals reflect competing development and conservation priorities.
Financial and Institutional Aspects
Funds for compensatory afforestation come from project proponents, not fully utilised government schemes like CAMPA or the Green India Mission. Critics argue that government reliance on developer funds encourages forest diversion. There is ample funding available to support genuine afforestation without sacrificing natural forests.
Environmental Concerns and Future Outlook
Permitting CA on forest land risks double destruction – clearing natural forests and degrading other forest areas for plantations. This practice fails to preserve biodiversity or maintain forest ecosystem services. Sustainable forest management requires strict adherence to legal safeguards, transparent monitoring, and prioritising ecological restoration over commercial plantations.
Questions for UPSC:
- Critically analyse the impact of the Forest Conservation Act amendments on forest protection in India with suitable examples.
- Explain the role of compensatory afforestation in forest management and discuss its ecological limitations.
- What are the challenges in balancing infrastructure development and forest conservation in India? How can policy frameworks address these challenges?
- Underline the significance of judicial interventions like the Godavarman case in shaping environmental governance in India and comment on their effectiveness.
