30% Green Cover By 2012

The Union Ministry of Forests is considering joining hands with private parties for growing trees on their land to achieve 30 per cent green cover by 2012, Minister of State for Forest and Wildlife S. Raghupathy said on Monday. The objective was to have green cover in one-third of the land area. Nationwide the green cover averaged out at 23.60 per cent recently, and it should have reached the 25 per cent mark by now. Originally it was planned to achieve 33 per cent by 2012, but now efforts were being made to target 30 per cent.

With afforestation having taken place on almost all forest land, the Ministry was planning to increase the green cover by planting trees on private land. Now modalities were being worked out for sharing the revenue earned through such trees. The project would help to enhance the green cover by encouraging the practice of growing trees outside the forests. The Government of India was embarking on a project for afforestation drives under the Compensatory Afforestation Project. The Bill placed in Parliament might be passed shortly, and the project might take off soon.

To a question on the afforestation drives and the survival rate of the saplings planted, Mr. Raghupathy said that reaching 23.60 per cent green cover in 2008 from the mere 16 per cent in 1985 itself spoke volumes for the survival rate of the saplings. As for the lack of career prospects for Indian Forest Service (IFS) officers in certain States such as Tamil Nadu, Mr. Raghupathy said the Ministry had taken note of the grievance of the officers, and certain measures were being worked out to clear the anomalies.

The aim would be to ensure that the officers had the same career prospects as their counterparts in other States and other services. Mr. Raghupathy said efforts were being made to resolve man-animal conflict by getting the support of the local population. The compensation for relocation had been enhanced from Rs.1 lakh to Rs.10 lakh. Many States had been asked to fill vacancies for the field staff.

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