Committee on Forestry (COFO): India’s Forest Restoration and Climate Action

Subject: GS 03: Environment

Context: India highlighted its progress in forest and landscape restoration, sustainable forest management, and climate action at the 28th Session of the FAO Committee on Forestry (COFO 28) held in Rome.

UPSC Online Preparation

About the Committee on Forestry (COFO)

• About: The Committee on Forestry (COFO) is the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)’s highest global intergovernmental body on forestry.
• Members: 128 FAO Members
• Frequency: Meets once every two years.
• Functions: Provide strategic direction to FAO’s forestry program, promote international cooperation, and facilitate policy dialogue and technical guidance on forest-related issues.
• Reporting: Reports to the FAO Council on program and budget matters and to the FAO Conference on policy and regulatory matters.

India’s Forest And Tree Cover

• Forest and Tree Cover: 82.74 million hectares, constituting 25.17% of India’s geographical area.
• Global Ranking: According to FAO Global Forest Resources Assessment (FRA) 2025, India ranks:
  • 9th globally in forest area.
  • 3rd globally in net annual forest area gain.
• Climate Commitments: India has created an additional carbon sink of 2.29 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalent by 2021.
  • India has enhanced its ambition to create an additional 3.5–4.0 billion tonnes of CO₂-equivalent carbon sink by 2035, compared with 2005 levels.

Click to Know UPSC OnlyIAS Coaching Centres

Major Forest And Landscape Restoration Initiatives

• Bonn Challenge: A global initiative led by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the Government of Germany. 
  • India has committed to restoring 26 million hectares of degraded and deforested land by 2030, with 21.76 million hectares already brought under restoration.
• Aravalli Green Wall: An initiative of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) to restore degraded land across the Aravalli landscape. 
  • Around 6.45 million hectares have been identified for restoration.
• MISHTI: Mangrove Initiative for Shoreline Habitats & Tangible Incomes focuses on mangrove restoration along India’s coast through collaboration with coastal States/UTs and local communities, while enhancing climate resilience and livelihoods.
• Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam – Plant4Mother: A Government of India initiative implemented through a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach, involving governments, institutions, organisations and citizens. 
  • More than 3.5 billion saplings have been planted.
• Ramsar Sites: India has 101 Ramsar Sites, designated under the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands for the conservation and sustainable use of wetlands. 

News Source: PIB

Check Out UPSC CSE Books

Visit PW Store