Citola Blog
Reforestation ‘fast-tracked’ in India as part of National Action Plan on Climate Change
India initiated climate change mitigation activities in 2002 by ratifying the Kyoto Protocol and, though exempt from Kyoto emissions targets as a developing country, becoming a host to Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) projects which promote technology transfer, clean investments and a reduction in atmospheric carbon emissions. Currently, India hosts 490 Registered CDM Projects, the second largest after China, and is expected to issue over 41 million carbon offsets annually.
In India, forests cover ~ 20% of the country’s landmass with certain forests increasing in size. And in response to India’s Copenhagen commitment following COP15, the Ministry of Environment and Forests has announced 24 initiatives in five areas including: science and research, policy development, policy implementation, international cooperation and forestry.
The National Forestry Action Programme (NFAP) for sustainable forest development aims to re-vegetate one-third of India’s geographical area as forest as mandated in the National Forest Policy. NFAP relies on both government sponsored projects and funding from the World Bank, the Japan Bank for International Cooperation and AusAid among others.
India’s recent initiatives on forestry include the Green India Mission which is a US $2.5 billion project under the National Action Plan on Climate Change to fast-track reforestation and capacity building for improved forest management. Forestry related activities have also been included in India’s employment scheme and a national policy on bio-fuels has been approved to promote cultivation, production and use of bio-fuels for transport and other applications.
The progress and initiative shown by India is exciting for the carbon forestry sector and something welcomed at Citola.
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