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Land restoration was carried out for about 21.76 million hectares of land in India between 2011 and 2020, resulting in creation of employment worth 1.22 billion person-days, Union Minister of State for Environment Bhupender Yadav said at COP17 to the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), held in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. Delivering his address at the IUCN side event, Bhupender Yadav said that restoration of land is an existing national policy priority related to sustainable land management, biodiversity conservation, climate change mitigation, and rural development.
India’s Restoration Efforts Under Bonn Challenge
India is one of the largest pledgers of Bonn Challenge, an international initiative aimed at restoring degraded and deforested landscapes.
India had made its first commitment towards restoration of degraded and deforested land in 2015. The pledge was later raised to 26 million hectares till 2030 due to the enormity of its ambition towards land restoration.
As per India’s second progress report on Bonn Challenge from 2011-2020, 21.76 million hectares have been restored till date.
Restoration Creates 1.22 Billion Person-Days of Employment
The restoration programme not only helped restore the environment but created economic benefits as well. The restoration activities during the 2011-2020 period created approximately 1.22 billion person-days of employment opportunities.
The calculation includes restoration carried out in multiple land-use systems such as forests, agricultural lands, soil and water conservation. Such an approach is needed as it implies that restoration activities have to be implemented depending on the specific ecological and socio-economic conditions of each landscape.
This example shows how environmental restoration can help create employment for rural populations at the same time recovering the ecosystems.
India Improves Restoration Monitoring for 2021-2025
Currently, India is getting ready for the next restoration reporting cycle for 2021-2025 together with the ICFRE Centre of Excellence on Sustainable Land Management and IUCN.
The reporting cycle will mainly include three important indicators,
- Areas of restoration
- Financial flows
- Employment creation
Land Restoration – Key Initiatives
For India, land restoration involves a range of initiatives and not just one approach alone.
The Green India Mission seeks to improve forest and tree cover, enhance ecosystem services and develop climate resilience. Funding is available from Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA) for compensatory afforestation and restoration activities.
Nagar Van Yojana is an initiative aimed at taking restoration efforts further by developing urban forests in India.
Why is Land Restoration Important to India?
Minister Bhupender Yadav stressed that land restoration will require coordination and collaboration among various sectors at various levels of governance. Communities, state governments and the central government all need to be involved.
Beyond 2030, India plans to do more not just in terms of restoring land but also in better financing of restoration, delivering results. Innovative financing, international cooperation, technology sharing and sustained community engagement were some of the issues raised by the Minister.
