Daily Mains Answer Writing –12 November 2025

Model Answer

Introduction

India’s forest policy is undergoing a significant transformation. The emphasis is shifting from simply planting trees to restoring ecosystems, enhancing biodiversity, and contributing to climate resilience. This evolution reflects the growing realisation that forests are not just carbon sinks but complex living systems whose health is crucial for people, livelihoods and the planet.

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Key drivers of the shift:

• Climate-change and carbon-sink commitments: The official India State of Forest Report 2023 (ISFR 2023) shows total forest and tree cover at 8,27,357 km² (25.17 % of the geographical area) and an increase since 2021.
• Data and monitoring: ISFR 2023 is published by the Forest Survey of India under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC).
• Ecological awareness: Recognition that afforestation alone is insufficient — issues of biodiversity loss, soil degradation, invasive species and habitat fragmentation push restoration and resilience into policy focus.
• Technology & governance: Use of geospatial monitoring, real-time fire alerts, citizen participation campaigns signal a modern approach to forest management.

Effectiveness of national missions:

• The Green India Mission (GIM): is an upgrade of earlier programmes; it targets restoring 25 million hectares of degraded land by 2030 (as stated in policy documents).
• Progress: ISFR shows increase of 1,445 km² in forest + tree cover since 2021.
• Best practice states: For example, Chhattisgarh recorded one of the largest increases (684 km²).
• Uneven effectiveness: Increase in area does not always translate into gains in ecological health or biodiversity. Critics note that the definition of “forest cover” includes plantations and trees outside forests, potentially inflating apparent gains.
• Institutional bottlenecks: Funding, species-selection, community engagement, native-species restoration remain gaps.

Conclusion

The evolution of India’s forest policy—from mass tree-planting to ecosystem restoration and resilience—is a positive and necessary shift. While national missions like GIM have made measurable progress, their success must be judged not only on area statistics but on ecological health, biodiversity conservation, community livelihoods and long-term resilience. For sustainable forest management, India must deepen its focus on forest quality, native ecosystems, inclusive governance and robust monitoring.

Model Answer

Introduction

India’s forest governance has advanced with policy initiatives and missions. Yet significant gaps remain in community rights realisation, ecological integrity and inclusive management. These governance-centric challenges undermine the long-term sustainability of forest ecosystems and the livelihoods of forest-dependent populations.

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Challenges in governance:

• Community rights and empowerment: The Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006 (FRA) intended to empower forest-dwelling communities remains partially implemented; few states have completed recognition of Community Forest Resource (CFR) rights.
• Habitat fragmentation and wildlife corridors: Diversion of forest land continues for non-forest use, compromising connectivity and raising human–wildlife conflict.
• Monoculture plantations and biodiversity loss: Large-scale planting of non-native species (e.g., eucalyptus, teak) has improved cover numbers but compromised ecological resilience; invasive species like Lantana camara threaten core zones.

Suggested reforms:

• Empower forest communities: Fully implement FRA, devolve governance to local bodies, link livelihoods to ecosystem stewardship.
• Restore native ecosystems: Prioritise mixed-species restoration, phase out monocultures, control invasives, enhance biodiversity and resilience.
• Integrate land-use & policy linkages: Ensure forest policy aligns with mining, infrastructure, agriculture and land-use planning; strengthen corridor protection and conflict mitigation.

Conclusion

Forest governance in India must move beyond quantitative cover targets and top-down models. By placing communities at the centre and embracing ecological nuance—such as habitat connectivity and native biodiversity—India can achieve inclusive, resilient, and sustainable forest management.

Model Answer

Introduction

Forest degradation in India is shaped by rapid infrastructure development, land diversion, climate variability and ecological imbalance. In this context, the integration of advanced technologies with sound policy frameworks offers potential to monitor forests in real-time, restore ecosystems proactively and accurately account for carbon sinks. Harnessing this synergy is critical to address both degradation and climate commitments.

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Technology in surveillance and monitoring:

• Forest Survey of India (FSI): uses satellite and geospatial data to map forest cover and alert in real time. For instance, ISFR 2023 reports special thematic information on forest fire monitoring and near-real-time alerts.
• Advanced technologies: Artificial Intelligence (AI), drones, LiDAR and remote sensing can provide three-dimensional canopy and biomass assessments, enabling precise detection of degradation, encroachment and illegal logging.
• Example: Some states are piloting AI-based Forest Alert Systems (RTFAS) to detect and respond to forest fires and deforestation activities.

Policy frameworks for restoration and carbon accounting:

• Green India Mission (GIM): targets restoring 25 million hectares by 2030, linking restoration with carbon sink enhancement and policy emphasis on ecosystem services.
• Carbon accounting: ISFR 2023 shows India’s forests sequester significant CO₂-equivalent, underscoring the need for rigorous monitoring and reporting.
• Integration: Policies need to align surveillance data with restoration initiatives, ecosystem-service valuation and incentive mechanisms (e.g., payment for ecosystem services, green finance).

Challenges and integration strategy:

• Challenges: High cost of advanced tech, disparity across states in capacity, lack of data standardisation and community engagement in tech use.
• Integration strategy: Create a national forest observatory, establish open-data platforms linking satellite data, state forest departments and local communities. Leverage private-public partnerships for forest-finance innovation. Align monitoring with outcomes (biodiversity, ecosystem services, livelihoods) not just cover metrics.

Conclusion

In a scenario where forest degradation is driven by climate stress and development pressure, technology-policy integration offers a powerful tool for surveillance, restoration and carbon accounting. However, without institutional capacity, community inclusion and outcome-oriented frameworks, the full potential of these tools will remain unrealised. India must therefore institutionalise tech-enabled governance, align restoration with climate and livelihood goals, and build transparent, data-driven systems for ecological resilience and reporting.