Rome: India on Monday highlighted its significant achievement in forest and landscape restoration and reaffirmed its commitment to sustainable forest management, climate action and resilient forest landscapes at the Twenty-eighth Session of the FAO (Food and Agriculture Organisation) Committee on Forestry (COFO 28), being held in Rome from September 28 to October 2, said the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.
“India highlighted the consistent progress made in enhancing its forest resources. The country’s forest and tree cover stands at 82.74 million hectares, accounting for 25.17 per cent of its geographical area. The FAO Global Forest Resources Assessment 2025 ranks India 9th globally in forest area and 3rd in net annual forest area gain. Forests and trees also remain central to India’s climate commitments,” highlighted the ministry.
It said that India has created an additional carbon sink of 2.29 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent by 2021 and has enhanced its ambition to create an additional carbon sink of 3.5–4.0 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent by 2035, compared with 2005 levels.
“The Statement further highlighted its commitment under the Bonn Challenge to restore 26 million hectares of degraded and deforested land by 2030, of which 21.76 million hectares have already been brought under restoration. Further, major landscape restoration initiatives being undertaken were showcased,” said the Ministry.
It noted that under the Aravalli Green Wall, approximately 6.45 million hectares of degraded land have been identified for restoration.
“In coastal landscapes, the MISHTI initiative is advancing mangrove restoration while strengthening climate resilience and supporting local livelihoods. India also highlighted that the number of Ramsar Sites in the country has reached 101,” the Ministry said.
It said India also showcased Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam – Plant4Mother, a whole-of-government and whole-of-society initiative under which more than 3.5 billion saplings have been planted.
“It underlined the need for effective and sustainable financing, particularly for developing countries, and encouraged FAO to strengthen support for accessing climate, biodiversity and blended finance and for developing long-term restoration programmes,” noted the Ministry.
India also called for stronger coherence between FAO’s forestry work, the Global Forest Goals, and other forest-related international processes, along with enhanced South-South and triangular cooperation to share knowledge, best practices, and scalable solutions.
“The country reaffirmed its commitment to working with FAO and Member States in shaping the proposed UN Decade for Afforestation and Reforestation in line with Sustainable Forest Management, 2027–2036, to build a coherent continuum from restoration of degraded ecosystems to resilient, productive and inclusive forest landscapes,” the Ministry emphasised.
(IANS)
