International Day of Forest 2025: What is India’s Role in the Conservation of Forest?

Forests act as the lungs of our planet, providing oxygen, food, medicine and livelihoods to millions of dollars. In addition to the importance of ecological importance, forests are indispensable for global food security, providing a basic resource for maintaining fruits, seeds, roots and wild meat in indigenous and rural communities.

To recognize the importance of forests and promote their conservation, March 21 is International Forest Day (IDF). Founded by the United Nations in 2012, this annual event emphasizes the importance of trees and forests while encouraging efforts to protect them.

International Forest Day🌲🌲2025

India’s integrated vision for forests, food and sustainability

Every March 21, the world celebrates #internationaldayofforests Celebrate forests of various forests, recognize the importance of trees and forests, and… pic.twitter.com/e5igh0npmg

– Indian PIB (@pib_india) March 20, 2025

The significance and theme of International Forest Day 2025

The theme of the International Forest Age in 2025, Forests and Foods, emphasizes the important link between forests and global food security, nutrition and sustainable livelihoods. Forests are not only a direct source of food, but also contribute to economic well-being by providing fuel, employment and income. Furthermore, they play a vital role in maintaining soil fertility, preserving water resources and supporting biodiversity, including maintaining important pollinators for ecosystems.

For millions of people around the world, especially in indigenous communities, forests represent not only food sources, but also a way of life. In addition to their ecological and cultural significance, forests act as carbon sinks, absorbing and storing atmospheric carbon dioxide, thus helping mitigate climate change.

2025 also marks the 80th anniversary of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). To mark this milestone, FAO will hold a special event with International Forest Day to showcase innovative strategies and best practices aimed at building sustainable, inclusive and resilient global food systems.

In India, forests play a crucial role in cultural heritage, economic development and biodiversity conservation. Recognizing its importance, the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MOEFCC) and other government agencies have implemented several initiatives to link forests to food security, nutrition and livelihoods.

National Agricultural and Forestry Policy

Agroforestry integrates trees and crops to increase agricultural productivity, improve soil fertility and provide farmers with additional income sources. The National Agriculture and Forestry Policy (2014) was introduced to promote forest plantations on farmlands to ensure sustainability and economic benefits.

Planned goals

  • Promote agroforestry as a strategy for climate resilience and environmental protection.
  • Enhance farmers’ income through a tree-based agricultural system.
  • Strengthen rural livelihoods and reduce dependence on conventional agriculture.

Implementation Strategy

  • Establish high-quality planting materials (QPM) production units through nurseries and tissue culture facilities.
  • Technical support, certification and training are provided by the ICAR Center Agriculture and Forestry Research Institute (CAFRI).
  • Research and training in collaboration with ICFRE, CSIR, ICRAF and National Agricultural University.

Market and economic support

  • Price guarantee and buyback options for agroforestry products ensure profitability.
  • Encourage private sector participation in marketing and processing.
  • The integration with Xiaomi promotion has grown with Xiaomi in the agricultural financial forest system.

Funding and support

  • Financial assistance for nurseries and research projects.
  • Support farmers in adopting agricultural and forestry technologies.

Green India Mission (GIM)

The Green India Mission (GIM) is part of India’s National Climate Change Action Plan (NAPCC) and was launched in 2015-16 to protect, restore and enhance forest coverage while addressing climate change.

Mission objectives

  • The forest/tree coverage increased by 5 million hectares and improved by 5 million hectares of degraded land.
  • Enhance ecosystem services such as carbon storage, water conservation and biodiversity conservation.
  • Improve the livelihoods of 3 million households by increasing income from forest-based activities.

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Focus area

Enhance forest cover

Improve forest quality and ecosystem services.

Ecosystem restoration

Afforestation and increase forest cover.

Urban greening

Expand tree cover in the city.

Agroforestry and social forestry

Increase biomass and generate carbon sinks.

Wetland Restoration

Reviving the key wetlands.

Ecosystem Service Improvement Project (ESIP)

GIM collaborates with the World Bank, the Ecosystem Service Improvement Project (ESIP) in Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh to promote ecological restoration.

Funds and Expenditures

  • rupee. Rs 909.82 crore was allocated to 17 states and a trade union territory for plantation activities, covering an area of ​​155,130 hectares.
  • In the Palgar district of Maharashtra, 464.20 hectares were restored under the leadership of Gim.

Forest Fire Prevention and Management Plan

The centrally sponsored program provides financial assistance to state and trade union territories that prevent and manage forest fires.

Target

  • Reduce forest fire events and restore affected areas.
  • Engage local communities in fire prevention.
  • Develop fire hazard level systems and prediction methods.
  • Early fire detection is performed using modern technology (remote sensing, GPS, GIS).

implement

  • The National Forest Fire Action Plan (NAPFF) was developed based on recommendations from the Parliamentary Committee and NGT.
  • The Forest Investigation in India (FSI) manages satellite-based forest fire monitoring and alarm systems to provide real-time alerts.
  • Alarms are sent via text messages and emails to ensure timely response.

van dhan yojana (PMVDY)

Pradhan Mantri Van Dhan Yojana (PMVDY) was initiated by the Department of Tribal Affairs and Trifed in 2018 to enhance tribal livelihoods by adding value to secondary forest agricultural products (MFP).

The formation of Van Dhan Vikas Kendras (VDVKS)

Element

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VDVK formation

Each Kendra consists of 300 members from 15 self-help groups (SHGs).

Role

MFP processing, value-added and marketing.

Financial support

Rs 1.5 lakh was allocated according to Kendra.

Tribal contribution

Ownership of each member contributed Rs 1,000.

Two-stage implementation

  1. Phase 1: Establish 6,000 Kendras with basic facilities.
  2. Phase 2: Scaling the successful Kendras with improved infrastructure.

Impacts and benefits

  • Enhance tribal revenue through sustainable forest operations.
  • Encourage the protection of forest resources.
  • Reduce migration by creating local jobs.
  • Strengthen tribal economy and promote self-reliance.

in conclusion

India’s commitment to forest conservation and sustainable development is reflected in key initiatives such as the National Agroforestry Policy, Green India Mission, Forest Fire Protection and Management Programme and Van Dan Yojana. These programs not only help restore and protect forest ecosystems, but also help promote livelihood security, climate resilience and food security.

On International Forest Day 2025, we must reiterate our commitment to protecting forests for future generations. By combining conservation efforts with community engagement and sustainable policies, India continues to lead the way towards a greener, healthier and prosperous future.