Compensatory Afforestation

In News:  The Delhi Development Authority (DDA) is currently facing a shortage in land for compensatory afforestation.

• This issue of shortage of land for compensatory afforestation was raised by the agency in a letter to the Union Environment Ministry in March
• The DDA, in its letter to the Union Environment Ministry, cited paragraph 2.3 (v) of chapter 2 of the Handbook of Forest Conservation Act, which states: “In exceptional cases where non-forest land for CA is not available in the same State/UT in which the diversion of forest land is proposed, land for CA can be identified in any other State/UTs, preferably in neighboring State/UTs.”

Forest Conservation Act 1980

• Alarmed at India’s rapid deforestation and resulting environmental degradation, the Centre Government enacted the Forest (Conservation) Act in 1980.
• The Forest Conservation Act, 1980 stipulated that central permission is necessary to practice sustainable agro-forestry in forest areas. Violation or lack of permit was treated as a criminal offense.
• An Advisory Committee constituted under the Act advises the Centre on these approvals.
• The Act deals with the four categories of forests, namely reserved forests, village forests, protected forests, and private forests.

Features

• Section 2 of the act lists four criteria where permission of the Central Government is required for any action of State regarding –
• Declaring that any reserved forest ceases to be reserved.
• Use of forestland for non-forest purposes.
• Leasing forest to any private person.
• Declaring that any forest land may be cleared of trees that have grown naturally in that land, for the purpose of using it for reforestation.
• Removing self-regenerating forest for the creation of plantation is also the non-forest purpose.
• Under the act compensatory afforestation has to be carried out for the diversion of forest land, or deemed forest land, for non-forest purposes.
• Agencies carrying out development works are required to compensate for the loss of “land by land” and loss of “trees by trees”.
• The land for CA has to be free of encroachments and legal tussles

Source: The Hindu