Maarg Manthan · Topic 10.8

Government Programmes for Forest Conservation

Environment & Ecology › Land, Forest and Soil Resources · Topic 10.8

India runs several laws, missions and schemes for forest conservation. The legal base includes the Indian Forest Act, 1927, the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980 (renamed the Van (Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan) Adhiniyam in 2023), the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, and the Forest Rights Act, 2006. Key programmes are the National Afforestation Programme (started 2000), the National Mission for a Green India (2014, one of eight missions under the National Action Plan on Climate Change), Joint Forest Management (1990), the Compensatory Afforestation Fund Act, 2016 with the CAMPA authorities, the Nagar Van Yojana (2020) for urban forests, the Sub-Mission on Agroforestry, the Forest Fire Prevention and Management scheme, and the Green Credit Programme (2023). Van Mahotsav, begun in 1950 by K M Munshi, promotes tree planting each July. India has also pledged under the Bonn Challenge to restore 26 million hectares of degraded land by 2030.

5 min read · UPSC Prelims · Environment & Ecology · Land, Forest and Soil Resources

At a Glance

Green India Mission 2014, under NAPCC
NAP Started 2000
CAF Act 2016
Nagar Van 2020
Van Mahotsav 1950, K M Munshi
Exam link UPSC Prelims, Environment & Ecology: Land, Forest and Soil Resources

Where Does It Fit?

This topic completes the forest part of the macro. It lists the schemes that put the strategies into action, before the macro turns to soil. Previous topic: Strategies for Reducing Deforestation. Next topic: Soil Characteristics and Soil Formation Process.

Which Programmes Protect and Expand Forests?

Programme	Key features
National Afforestation Programme	From 2000; funds afforestation of degraded forest through Forest Development Agencies and village committees
National Mission for a Green India	2014; one of eight missions under NAPCC; aims to increase forest and tree cover, improve quality and boost livelihoods
Joint Forest Management	1990 order; villagers and forest department share protection duties and benefits
Compensatory Afforestation Fund Act, 2016	Funds collected for forest land diverted are managed by CAMPA, national and state authorities, for afforestation
Nagar Van Yojana	2020; develop urban forests in towns and cities, with a goal of several hundred Nagar Vans
Sub-Mission on Agroforestry	Supports tree planting on farms, with a National Agroforestry Policy from 2014
Green Credit Programme	2023; a market-based incentive for voluntary environmental actions, including tree planting on degraded land

What Other Efforts Support Forests?

Van Mahotsav: week of tree planting every July, begun in 1950
Forest Fire Prevention and Management scheme: supports fire lines, equipment and alerts
Integrated Development of Wildlife Habitats: central scheme for protected areas and species recovery
Project Tiger and Project Elephant: species programmes protect forests too
Forest Rights Act, 2006: rights of forest dwellers and community forest resource rights
Eco-sensitive zones: buffers around protected areas
National Mission for a Green India targets: improve cover on millions of hectares
Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam: a 2024 tree plantation campaign launched on World Environment Day

What Else Should You Remember?

Indian Forest Act, 1927: classifies reserved, protected and village forests
Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980: requires central approval before forest land is used for non-forest purposes
Van Adhiniyam, 2023: amended and renamed the 1980 Act; the changes exempted some categories from approval and drew debate
Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972: protects species and protected areas
National Forest Policy, 1988: the guiding policy for forest management
Biological Diversity Act, 2002: conservation and benefit sharing
Eight missions: the National Mission for a Green India is among the eight NAPCC missions
Green India Mission goals: increase forest and tree cover by 5 million hectares and improve cover on another 5 million hectares
Forest Development Agency: a federation of joint forest management committees at the division level
CAMPA: Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority
Net present value: a charge for lost forest services that goes into the compensatory fund
Ad hoc CAMPA: the court-ordered body that managed funds before the 2016 Act
Compensatory afforestation criticism: survival rates and quality of planted forest are questioned
Urban forests: Miyawaki-style dense plantations are used in some cities
Agroforestry policy: world’s first national agroforestry policy, 2014
Bamboo Mission: National Bamboo Mission supports bamboo growing
Green Credit: the programme allows credits to be earned for tree planting on degraded forest land and sold to those with obligations
FSI role: FSI runs the forest fire alert system and assesses forest cover
Funding: many schemes share costs between the Centre and states
Concerns: delays in releasing funds, planting without care and lack of local involvement
Link to previous: see Strategies for Reducing Deforestation
Link to next: see Soil Characteristics and Soil Formation Process
Link to law: see National Forest Policy
Caution: scheme targets, funds and names are revised often, so check official sources
Exam hint: learn year, ministry and objective for each scheme and relate it to a strategy
Forest fire alerts: FSI sends satellite fire alerts to forest staff by SMS and email
Tree planting drives: states hold large plantation campaigns during monsoon
Monitoring of plantations: geo-tagging and third party checks are used to track survival
Community role: Forest Development Agencies and village committees plan and carry out planting

Why Does It Matter for the Exam?

Mission year: Green India 2014
Fund law: CAF Act 2016
Urban scheme: Nagar Van 2020
Current affairs link: Van Adhiniyam and Green Credit
Common errors: mixing CAMPA with NAP or placing Green India under the wrong mission

As an analytical point, India has many forest schemes, but outcomes depend on survival of planting, quality of species and community care. Funds work best when linked to long-term monitoring rather than counting saplings planted.

Why Is This Topic Important?

Laws Base
Schemes Delivery
Check Survival

What Came Next?

The next topic covers soil characteristics and the soil formation process. Next topic: Soil Characteristics and Soil Formation Process.

Key People and Terms

NAP National Afforestation Programme
GIM Green India Mission
CAMPA Compensatory fund authority
NPV Net present value
Nagar Van Urban forest
Green Credit Incentive for green action

Exam Corner

Points to Remember

NAP started in 2000.
Green India: 2014.
CAF Act: 2016.
Nagar Van: 2020.
Van Mahotsav: 1950.

Do Not Confuse With

NAP and Green India Mission Afforestation scheme versus climate mission
CAMPA and NPV Authority versus payment
Van Mahotsav and Nagar Van Planting festival versus urban forests

Memory Hook

Two thousand NAP, fourteen Green India, sixteen funds, twenty cities.

Mains Angle

Questions ask for schemes and dates. These points help.

Laws Base
Schemes Cover
Gaps Survival

A Question You May Face

An original practice question, not a past paper question.

“Examine the major government programmes for forest conservation in India. What are their limitations?”

How to Answer

Laws Base.
Schemes List.
Gaps Survival.
Way Monitor.

GS Relevance

Prelims: names, years, objectives. GS Paper 3: forest conservation schemes.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the National Mission for a Green India?

The National Mission for a Green India, launched in 2014, is one of the eight missions under the National Action Plan on Climate Change. It aims to protect, restore and enhance India's forest cover and respond to climate change through afforestation, improved quality of forests, ecosystem services and livelihoods for forest-dependent communities.

What is the Compensatory Afforestation Fund?

The Compensatory Afforestation Fund Act, 2016 provides for managing money paid by project developers when forest land is diverted to other uses. The funds, including net present value of the forest, are managed by national and state CAMPA authorities and used for compensatory afforestation, forest protection and wildlife work.

What is the Nagar Van Yojana?

The Nagar Van Yojana, launched in 2020, supports the creation of urban forests in towns and cities, mostly on land given by local bodies. It aims to improve air quality, biodiversity and public spaces, and to connect city residents with nature, with local people and institutions involved in planning.

When is Van Mahotsav celebrated?

Van Mahotsav is a tree planting festival celebrated across India in the first week of July. It was started in 1950 by K M Munshi, then Union Minister for Agriculture and Food, and encourages people to plant trees and protect forests.

What changed in the Forest Conservation Act in 2023?

The Forest (Conservation) Amendment Act, 2023 renamed the 1980 law the Van (Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan) Adhiniyam and limited its scope mainly to land notified or recorded as forest, while exempting certain categories, such as some border and security-related land and linear projects, from prior approval. It drew debate over forest protection.

PYQ Practice — Statement Analysis

1 The National Mission for a Green India is under NAPCC.

True

One of eight missions.

2 Van Mahotsav began in 2000.

False

It began in 1950.

3 CAMPA manages compensatory afforestation funds.