Himachal Pradesh govt. sets goal of 31% forest cover by 2030

Amid growing environmental concerns, the Himachal Pradesh government is working on a detailed plan to boost its forest cover to 31% from the existing 29.5% by 2030.

During a review meeting with the Forest department in Shimla on Monday, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu directed the department to prepare a comprehensive roadmap through careful and sustainable planning to increase the State’s forest cover, which is currently 29.5%.

The Chief Minister said that global warming has emerged as a major challenge worldwide and its adverse effects are clearly visible. “Keeping this in view, the State government was giving high priority to environmental conservation. About 16,376 square kilometres of area in Himachal were snow-covered, barren or mountainous, where plantation was not feasible. Therefore, the Forest department should identify potential areas in each district suitable for plantation and prepare a phased plantation plan accordingly,” he said, adding that focus should be kept on the plantation of native species, fruit-bearing plants and plants with medicinal value.

Involving local communities

Mr. Sukhu emphasised that the department should not just focus on planting new forests, it also needs to protect the ones already there. He stressed the importance of getting local people and communities actively involved in these efforts.

“To promote community participation in forest plantation and conservation in the State, the government has launched a scheme — ‘Rajiv Gandhi Van Samvardhan Yojana’. Under this, plantation was carried out over 924.9 hectares during the previous year. A total of 285 Mahila Mandals, 70 Yuvak Mandals, 59 Self-Help Groups and 13 community-based organisations actively contributed to this initiative. He added that under the scheme, the State government was providing financial assistance of ₹2.40 lakh for plantation over two hectares to these groups, along with annual incentives linked to survival rates of plantations. The scheme has received an encouraging response from the targeted groups,” he said.

The Chief Minister added that a target has been set to undertake plantation covering 5,000 hectares in the next financial year under the scheme.