PIB Summary- 12th May, 2024 - UPSC

India highlights Forest Conservation and Sustainable Forest Management initiatives at the 19th Session of the United Nations Forum on Forests

India’s Participation at UNFF 19:

• India participated in the 19th Session of the United Nations Forum on Forests (UNFF), held at the UN Headquarters in New York from May 6th to 10th May 2024.
• Shri Jitendra Kumar, Director General of Forests and Special Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of India, led the Indian delegation.

Achievements in Forest Conservation and Management:

• India highlighted its significant advancements in forest conservation and sustainable forest management, leading to a consistent increase in forest cover over the past fifteen years.
• Globally, India ranks third in the net gain in average annual forest area between 2010 and 2020.
• India shared its high priority towards biodiversity and wildlife conservation, expanding the network of protected areas to over a thousand wildlife sanctuaries, national parks, tiger reserves, biosphere reserves, and other wildlife habitats.
• Celebrations marking 50 years of Project Tiger and 30 years of Project Elephant showcased India’s commitment to species conservation and habitat protection.
• India emphasized the creation of the International Big Cat Alliance, aimed at protecting and conserving the seven big cat species worldwide through collaborative international efforts.

Initiatives and Programs:

• India introduced the ‘Green Credit Program’ to incentivize entities to undertake tree plantation and restoration of degraded forest lands, strengthening climate action initiatives.
• In October 2023, India hosted the Country Led Initiative under UNFF at Dehradun, where discussions on forest fire management and forest certification were held. Recommendations from this initiative were presented during UNFF 19.
• A side event on ‘Principles and Strategies for Landscape Integrated Fire Management through Collaborative Governance’ was hosted by the Ministry in partnership with the Agency for Integrated Rural Fire Management, Portugal, the Korea Forest Service, and the International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO) at UNFF 19 in New York.

Outcome and Declaration:

• UNFF 19 culminated in a declaration urging urgent and accelerated actions to halt deforestation and forest degradation and prevent land degradation.
• Implementation of the United Nations Strategic Plan for Forests and the achievement of the Global Forest Goals were emphasized as crucial steps towards addressing these challenges.