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		<title>Mongabay India</title>
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		<description>India&#039;s environmental science and conservation news</description>
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					<title>Global REDD+ standards fail local forests [Commentary]</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/08/indias-redd-dilemma-as-global-carbon-standards-fail-local-forests-commentary/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/08/indias-redd-dilemma-as-global-carbon-standards-fail-local-forests-commentary/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>20 Aug 2025 14:20:02 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Jitendra Vir SharmaSayanta Ghosh]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Kundan Pandey]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Carbon Credit]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Carbon Market]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[carbon sink]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[deforestation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[forest]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Indian Carbon Market]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[REDD+]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/08/20102250/Ground-truthing-exercises-for-forest-degradation-mapping-integrating-field-data-with-satellite-based-analysis-768x512.jpeg" type="image/jpeg" />
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											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Climate Finance]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India, Maharashtra, and Uttarakhand]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Carbon Finance, Forest Carbon, and Forestry]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[India’s forests, spanning over 80 million hectares, are one of the richest repositories of biodiversity and ecological services in the world. From the rain-drenched Western Ghats to the deciduous tracts of central India and the alpine ecosystems of the Himalayas, these forests are more than green expanses — they are carbon sinks, climate buffers, and [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[India’s forests, spanning over 80 million hectares, are one of the richest repositories of biodiversity and ecological services in the world. From the rain-drenched Western Ghats to the deciduous tracts of central India and the alpine ecosystems of the Himalayas, these forests are more than green expanses — they are carbon sinks, climate buffers, and life-support systems for over 300 million people, especially tribal and forest-dependent communities. As India reaffirms its global climate commitments, aiming to restore 26 million hectares of degraded land by 2030 under the Bonn Challenge, and enhance carbon sinks by 2.5-3 billion tonnes of CO₂-equivalent under its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), the spotlight is firmly on REDD+ (Reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation, plus conservation and sustainable management of forests). It is a framework developed under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). REDD+ promises a financial mechanism to reward countries for avoiding forest loss and enhancing forest carbon. Yet, despite strong domestic momentum and political will, India’s REDD+ potential remains largely untapped in global carbon markets. The reasons are systemic: the international carbon credit methodologies that govern REDD+ were designed with tropical deforestation hotspots such as the Amazon and Congo Basin in mind, not India’s fragmented, degradation-prone, publicly owned forests. As a result, even scientifically sound and community-supported REDD+ proposals from India often fail to qualify under prevailing standards. Global REDD+ vs. India’s uniqueness In much of Latin America or parts of sub-Saharan Africa, forest loss is drastic and detectable; satellites capture&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2025/08/indias-redd-dilemma-as-global-carbon-standards-fail-local-forests-commentary/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>[Commentary] Green Credit Rules: Death by trees?</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2024/07/commentary-the-green-credit-rules-death-by-trees/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2024/07/commentary-the-green-credit-rules-death-by-trees/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>15 Jul 2024 14:33:37 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Pia Sethi]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Kundan Pandey]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[compensatory afforestation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[grasslands]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Green Credit Programme]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Green Credit Rules]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[wasteland]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2024/07/15085428/Indian-wolf-Gujarat-grassland-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=28545</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Conserving Agro-biodiversity]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity and Forest Carbon]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[As the rain clouds gather darkly over the grasslands and fields of Shokaliya village in Rajasthan, throngs of birders congregate. In the monsoon of 2014, I joined the annual pilgrimage to witness the fabled jumping-jack breeding display of the lesser florican. With the rain angling down, we watched a slender black, white, and gold-sequinned male [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[As the rain clouds gather darkly over the grasslands and fields of Shokaliya village in Rajasthan, throngs of birders congregate. In the monsoon of 2014, I joined the annual pilgrimage to witness the fabled jumping-jack breeding display of the lesser florican. With the rain angling down, we watched a slender black, white, and gold-sequinned male float up into the sky, arch his head with fluttery ribbons curling upwards, and let loose a volley of rattling calls to attract the female. This endemic nomad, about which little is known, makes a guest appearance to pirouette for the female in the rains before it rather mysteriously vanishes for the rest of the year. However, receding grassland habitats and seasonal variations in rainfall have caused its numbers to decline, leaving it critically endangered. But implementing the recently passed Green Credit Rules might contribute to wiping out the lesser florican, along with the great Indian bustard and other iconic species already on the brink. The amendment of the 1980 Forest (Conservation) Act (FCA) in 2023 sent shock waves through the country. It was met with widespread protests and citizens have since challenged it in court. But the amendment also set in motion a concatenation of notifications and rules. These supposedly green epistles, especially the Green Credit Rules, could prove lethal to many of our natural ecosystems, turning them into tree-lined ecological graveyards. The Centre issued the Green Credit Rules (GCR) in October 2023 under the Green Credit Programme (GCP), aimed at using market-based mechanisms&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2024/07/commentary-the-green-credit-rules-death-by-trees/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Unpacking how cyclones impact mangroves’ ability to soak up carbon dioxide</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2021/10/unpacking-how-cyclones-impact-mangroves-ability-to-soak-up-carbon-dioxide/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2021/10/unpacking-how-cyclones-impact-mangroves-ability-to-soak-up-carbon-dioxide/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>14 Oct 2021 11:56:02 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Sahana Ghosh]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Nandithachandraprakash]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2021/10/14110948/Tourist_boats_in_Sundarban_area_13-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=15851</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Arabian Sea, Bay of Bengal, and India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity, Carbon Sequestration, Climate Change, Coast, Conservation, Environment, Floods, Forest Carbon, Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Mangroves, Nature-based Climate Solutions, Oceans, Trees, and Water]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Tropical storms, in the last 21 years, have had an overall positive impact on the ability of mangroves in India to fix carbon dioxide, a key climate-warming greenhouse gas, says a study. Researchers at the department of geography at the University of Georgia in the United States, looked at how mangrove productivity or carbon assimilation [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Tropical storms, in the last 21 years, have had an overall positive impact on the ability of mangroves in India to fix carbon dioxide, a key climate-warming greenhouse gas, says a study. Researchers at the department of geography at the University of Georgia in the United States, looked at how mangrove productivity or carbon assimilation (indicated by Gross Primary Productivity or GPP) had changed over 21 years and if tropical cyclone frequency or intensity played a role in this trend. The driving motivation was to explore the resilience of mangroves in India by looking at how storms have impacted GPP in the past. They examined satellite-datasets of GPP for seven mangrove sites along the east and west coasts of India, from January 2000 to July 2020, finding that there is a net increase in GPP for all mangrove sites, and especially for the east coast mangroves which are more frequently hit by cyclones compared to the west coast. “It (cyclone) make conditions suitable for growth and carbon uptake if recovery time is adequate post a cyclone event. For example, if dry conditions persist, a cyclone can temporarily provide relief from the drought stress, replenish soil moisture levels, bring in nutrients and enhance photosynthetic rates. So, tropical cyclones can increase freshwater input and bring in more nutrients along the way which can ultimately enhance mangrove growth,” study co-author and Ph.D. candidate Dina Nethisa Rasquinha, told Mongabay-India. The seven mangrove sites from the east to the west coast explored in the study&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2021/10/unpacking-how-cyclones-impact-mangroves-ability-to-soak-up-carbon-dioxide/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Bamboo forest regeneration efforts planned in Chhattisgarh</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2021/06/bamboo-forest-regeneration-efforts-planned-in-chhattisgarh/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2021/06/bamboo-forest-regeneration-efforts-planned-in-chhattisgarh/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>17 Jun 2021 14:49:01 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Deepanwita Gita Niyogi]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Nandithachandraprakash]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2021/06/16192025/Chhattisgarh-bamboo-header2-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=14534</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Chhattisgarh and India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Carbon Sequestration, Community based conservation, Conservation, Environment, Forest Carbon, Forestry, Forests, Non-Timber Forest Produce, People, Plantations, Plants, Reforestation, and Villages]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[For the past 14 years, artisan Deepak Dewangan has been weaving magic out of bamboo. Based in Kondagaon district of Chhattisgarh which falls under the Bastar division, Dewangan has been making bamboo lamps, wind chimes and planters. But lately, it is becoming difficult to procure the quantity of bamboo needed to manufacture his handicraft items, [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[For the past 14 years, artisan Deepak Dewangan has been weaving magic out of bamboo. Based in Kondagaon district of Chhattisgarh which falls under the Bastar division, Dewangan has been making bamboo lamps, wind chimes and planters. But lately, it is becoming difficult to procure the quantity of bamboo needed to manufacture his handicraft items, the artisan said. “When it comes to crafts, the idea of using old bamboo is great. But bamboo takes time to give yields as harvesting starts from the fifth year. Moreover, it is not available in every village in the district. These days, it is becoming difficult to procure bamboo through the forest department as well. Besides, the department has mostly thin bamboo and I need thicker ones for my work; at times bamboo is simply not available at all, and even if available, it finishes fast,” Dewangan rued. The artisan informed Mongabay-India that he had always made it a point to collect bamboo in the villages where it is mostly found in backyards. “I cut the bamboo myself and the time spent on it depends on the variety. To get the one with kanta or thorns is difficult and time consuming but my work needs this variety only. It is tougher than other varieties.” Bamboo is a major species on which local people depend for livelihood. Photo by Chhattisgarh Forest Department. Chhattisgarh’s total forest cover stands at 44 percent, out of which bamboo forest amounts to 17 percent, according to the forest department’s bamboo&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2021/06/bamboo-forest-regeneration-efforts-planned-in-chhattisgarh/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>The risks of tree plantation in grassland and non-forest areas</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2021/05/the-risks-of-tree-plantation-in-grassland-and-non-forest-areas/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2021/05/the-risks-of-tree-plantation-in-grassland-and-non-forest-areas/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>25 May 2021 11:25:41 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Shreya Dasgupta]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Nandithachandraprakash]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2021/05/18195715/banner4-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=14189</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Global and India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Agriculture, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change Adaptation, Conservation, Deforestation, Ecology, Endangered species, Environment, Forest Carbon, Forestry, Forests, Grasslands, Habitat Fragmentation, Habitat Loss, Impacts of Climate Change, Plantations, Protected Areas, Reforestation, Shola-grasslands, and Trees]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[A tree-planting frenzy has taken over many countries to counter climate change. In July 2019, Ethiopia announced that they planted more than 350 million trees in one day. A month later in India, the Uttar Pradesh government announced that more than a million people planted 220 million trees on a single day to increase the [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[A tree-planting frenzy has taken over many countries to counter climate change. In July 2019, Ethiopia announced that they planted more than 350 million trees in one day. A month later in India, the Uttar Pradesh government announced that more than a million people planted 220 million trees on a single day to increase the state&#8217;s forest cover. “Always be suspicious of such big claims,” says William Bond, a grasslands researcher and emeritus professor at the University of Cape Town in South Africa. “It&#8217;s taken for granted that tree planting is good. But look at what they’re planting, where they’re planting.” Intuitively, planting trees makes sense, especially given the high levels of forest loss and fires around the world. Even in 2020, when it was in the throes of the COVID-19 pandemic, the world lost 4.2 million hectares (10.4 million acres) of old-growth tropical forest in places such as the Brazilian Amazon — 12% higher compared to the previous year, according to data from the University of Maryland and Global Forest Watch. Carbon emissions from fossil fuel burning and forest clearing are also at an all-time high. Where pre-industrial levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide were about 278 parts per million (ppm), contemporary levels exceeded 420 ppm in April 2021, according to data from the Mauna Loa observatory in Hawai‘i. Planting trees, then, can seem like the easiest way to battle both problems — it has the potential to create “forests” and soak up excess carbon dioxide from the air. This&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2021/05/the-risks-of-tree-plantation-in-grassland-and-non-forest-areas/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>The evolving story of India&#8217;s forests</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2020/02/the-evolving-story-of-indias-forests/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2020/02/the-evolving-story-of-indias-forests/?noamp=mobile#comments</comments>
					<pubDate>27 Feb 2020 14:41:37 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Mayank Aggarwal]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Mayank Aggarwal]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2020/02/27132645/Banner-5-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=8795</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[The Indian Forest Story]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Climate Change, Forest Carbon, Forest Fires, Forestry, Forests, Indigenous Peoples, Mining, and Non-Timber Forest Produce]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[From covering 640,819 square kilometres (19.49 percent) of India’s total land area in 1987 to covering 712,249 sq. km.  (21.67 percent) of the country’s geographical area in 2019, India’s forest sector has had a roller coaster journey with many twists and turns.  The 32-year-long journey witnessed the rise of little over two percent of forest [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[From covering 640,819 square kilometres (19.49 percent) of India’s total land area in 1987 to covering 712,249 sq. km.  (21.67 percent) of the country’s geographical area in 2019, India’s forest sector has had a roller coaster journey with many twists and turns.  The 32-year-long journey witnessed the rise of little over two percent of forest cover despite an increase in the population of the country, rapid urbanisation and tremendous pressure on resources like forests.  Perhaps one of the best chroniclers of the change in the forests and their importance has been India’s State of Forest Report (ISFR), which has been released every two years since its first edition in 1987. However, there have been constant queries raised about India’s forest data &#8211; either due to constant revision of the official data due to factors like “better interpretation”, or because of questions raised by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).  One fact consistently noted by the ISFR reports is that there has been a constant pressure on forests in north-eastern India and in the tribal districts. According to the report, northeast India includes eight states &#8211; Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura and Sikkim. Though the data in the ISFRs since 1987 may show an actual increase in the forests in the region in the last 32 years, nearly every ISFR noted a decrease of forest compared to the previous one leaving aside a couple of examples. The forest department officials of the government explain the&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2020/02/the-evolving-story-of-indias-forests/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>4</slash:comments>
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					<title>Green cover of many Indian states rises but carbon stock declines</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2020/01/green-cover-of-many-indian-states-rises-but-carbon-stock-declines/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2020/01/green-cover-of-many-indian-states-rises-but-carbon-stock-declines/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>29 Jan 2020 14:36:02 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Kanchan Srivastava]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Mayank Aggarwal]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2020/01/28210541/Banner-768x512.jpeg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=8410</guid>

					
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Carbon Sequestration, Deforestation, Forest Carbon, Forests, Plantations, Rainforests, Temperate Forests, and Tropical Forests]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[In December 2019, the Indian government released its biennial state of forest report highlighting how the country’s forest and tree cover is rising. But a fact that got lost amidst the celebrations was that carbon stock of many states declined over the past two years although they reported a significant increase in their green cover.  [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
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							<![CDATA[In December 2019, the Indian government released its biennial state of forest report highlighting how the country’s forest and tree cover is rising. But a fact that got lost amidst the celebrations was that carbon stock of many states declined over the past two years although they reported a significant increase in their green cover.  A detailed analysis of the Indian State of Forest Report (ISFR) 2019 revealed that several states have reported an overall increase in green cover but their carbon stock has surprisingly dropped substantially over the past two years.  The report showed that states like Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Karnataka, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Kerala, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand have lost a significant portion of crucial carbon stock within the last two years.  The biggest decline, when compared to the ISFR 2017 report, was registered in Karnataka (20 percent) followed by Madhya Pradesh which lost 15 percent carbon stock. Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, and Gujarat noted a 10 to 14 percent less carbon stock in their forests compared to what they had in 2017.  What is intriguing is that almost all of these states have reported a significant gain in green cover this time &#8211;  Karnataka (1,025 square kilometres), Andhra Pradesh (990 sq. km.), Kerala (823 sq. km.), Uttar Pradesh (127 sq. km.), Chhattisgarh (64 sq. km.), Madhya Pradesh (68 sq. km.) and Gujarat (100 sq. km.).  The states where carbon stock has gone up are Assam (53 percent), Himachal (43&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2020/01/green-cover-of-many-indian-states-rises-but-carbon-stock-declines/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
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					<title>Restore fragmented forests to help them recover</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2019/11/restore-fragmented-forests-to-help-them-recover/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2019/11/restore-fragmented-forests-to-help-them-recover/?noamp=mobile#comments</comments>
					<pubDate>13 Nov 2019 10:41:18 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Aathira Perinchery]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2019/11/13102331/aathira-rainforest-Image_2-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=7558</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Tamil Nadu]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Carbon Offset, Carbon Sequestration, Forest Carbon, Forests, Rainforests, Reforestation, and Western Ghats]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[A helping hand goes a long way, especially for fragmented and disturbed forests. According to a recent study published in Ecosphere, removing weeds and planting native trees in such patches can help forests recover in numerous ways (including increasing their carbon storage or sequestration levels) than when compared to just protecting them. However, there&#8217;s a [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[A helping hand goes a long way, especially for fragmented and disturbed forests. According to a recent study published in Ecosphere, removing weeds and planting native trees in such patches can help forests recover in numerous ways (including increasing their carbon storage or sequestration levels) than when compared to just protecting them. However, there&#8217;s a critical caveat: though such restoration is important, it is no substitute for undisturbed, naturally intact forests, as the study found. Undisturbed forests are few in the tropics due to increasing deforestation and human-caused degradation of forest tracts. Impacts include species declines (of not only large mammals and birds, but insects and even soil bacteria) as well as the release of ancient, stored carbon. When forests are logged, carbon stored in wood and other biomass above the ground over millions of years is lost to the atmosphere. This aggravates ongoing climate change. Though forest protection, a “passive” strategy, wherein existing forest patches are afforded protection from deforestation and other disturbances, helps, numerous countries are now taking additional steps to mitigate deforestation-linked climate change. This includes active restoration, the process of removing weeds and planting native, often nursery-raised tree species to help forests recover faster. For instance, the Bonn Challenge initiated in 2011 – a global effort endorsed by more than 100 governments (including India), NGOs and private enterprises – aims to restore 150 million hectares of the world’s deforested and degraded land by 2020. India has committed to restoring 21 million hectares by 2030 as per&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2019/11/restore-fragmented-forests-to-help-them-recover/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>Family plants over 6000 trees in Mumbai and inspires communities</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2019/08/family-plants-over-6000-trees-in-mumbai-and-inspires-communities/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2019/08/family-plants-over-6000-trees-in-mumbai-and-inspires-communities/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>15 Aug 2019 13:00:54 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Kartik Chandramouli]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Kartik Chandramouli]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2019/08/14225931/Aarey-tree-banner-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=6373</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Maharashtra]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Carbon Sequestration, Cities and Towns, Climate Change, Climate Change Adaptation, Climate Change Mitigation, Community based conservation, and Forest Carbon]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The high noon sun makes it tough to inspect the shrubs and plants in the butterfly park without squinting. Despite the harsh conditions, the Athalye family &#8211; Sandeep, his wife, son, and mother &#8211; arrived at the two-acre park for their regular visit, not just to have a leisurely time, but to survey the thriving [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[The high noon sun makes it tough to inspect the shrubs and plants in the butterfly park without squinting. Despite the harsh conditions, the Athalye family &#8211; Sandeep, his wife, son, and mother &#8211; arrived at the two-acre park for their regular visit, not just to have a leisurely time, but to survey the thriving Eden they helped establish inside Mumbai’s green lung: the roughly 3000-acre Aarey Milk Colony. The Athalye family’s weekend trip to Aarey, adjacent to a congested highway in the heart of the city, is sacrosanct. It is unique because they were continuing a deeply rooted tree-planting family tradition. It all started when Sandeep’s father, Vinay Athalye, who used to take regular leisurely walks at Aarey, decided to plant around 100 saplings in 2000. Driven by passion and support from his fellow walkers and family, the elder Athalye managed to plant around 5500 saplings in Aarey over 15 years. But it isn’t just any kind of tree saplings that he planted. Based on traditional knowledge, Athalye purposefully planted five native tree species: peepal (sacred fig/Ficus religiosa), vad (banyan/Ficus benghalensis), amla (Indian gooseberry/Phyllanthus emblica), bael (Aegle marmelos) and ashoka (Saraca asoca) that are collectively called panchavati (grove of five trees). Through the years, he also added 550 saplings of these native trees to a patch of land that grew into a densely wooded area and was later publicly known as Panchavati as well. “These tree species, planted together in specific directions, are believed to increase oxygen in the&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2019/08/family-plants-over-6000-trees-in-mumbai-and-inspires-communities/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>A forest to my name</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2019/07/a-forest-to-my-name/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2019/07/a-forest-to-my-name/?noamp=mobile#comments</comments>
					<pubDate>19 Jul 2019 13:27:55 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Manu Moudgil]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Mayank Aggarwal]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2019/07/19111301/Private-forest-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=6054</guid>

					
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Carbon Sequestration, Conservation, Forest Carbon, Forestry, Forests, Plantations, and Pollution]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[When Taimur Ali Khan, the son of Bollywood celebrities and Indian paparazzi’s favourite muse, was gifted a mini forest on his first birthday, it made headlines. Ordering a full-fledged forest is a more expensive, Instagram-friendly rehash of the ancient Indian tradition of planting a tree to mark an occasion. Taimur’s 1,000 square feet forest of [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[When Taimur Ali Khan, the son of Bollywood celebrities and Indian paparazzi’s favourite muse, was gifted a mini forest on his first birthday, it made headlines. Ordering a full-fledged forest is a more expensive, Instagram-friendly rehash of the ancient Indian tradition of planting a tree to mark an occasion. Taimur’s 1,000 square feet forest of around 100 trees was projected as a haven for birds, bees and butterflies, underscoring the need to have such green isles in the urban sea of concrete, glass and metal. There’s nothing exclusive about Taimur’s forest, however. Several families, corporates and non-profit organisations now have such oases in today’s increasingly hot and dusty, world both for their own relief and to support nature. Can these private forests &#8212; groves spanning hundreds of hectares and startup-driven mini greens &#8212; be our answer to deforestation, wildlife loss and environmental pollution? What kind of social complexities and sustainability aspects do these spaces bring along? India has lost over 1.6 million hectares of tree cover between 2001 and 2018, according to an analysis by non-profit World Resources Institute using datasets collated by the University of Maryland, Google, U.S. Geological Survey and NASA, besides satellite images. This is in contrast to the report of the Forest Survey of India (FSI) which claims an increase of 2,152 square kilometres in forest and tree cover between 2005 and 2017. The FSI data, however, also counts transient commercial plantations as forests. India has pledged to create an additional carbon sink of 2.5 to&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2019/07/a-forest-to-my-name/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>2</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>With forest rights in focus ahead of elections, proposed changes to Forest Act draw attention</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2019/03/with-forest-rights-in-focus-ahead-of-elections-proposed-changes-to-forest-act-draw-attention/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2019/03/with-forest-rights-in-focus-ahead-of-elections-proposed-changes-to-forest-act-draw-attention/?noamp=mobile#comments</comments>
					<pubDate>27 Mar 2019 11:54:09 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Mayank Aggarwal]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Mayank Aggarwal]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2019/03/27025550/Banner-9-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=4610</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Environment and Elections]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Forest Carbon, Forest Fires, Forest Rights Act, Forestry, Forests, Indigenous Peoples, Indigenous Rights, Reforestation, and Reserved Forest]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Over 90 years after the enactment of the Indian Forest Act (IFA) 1927, a proposed amendment now plans to give more powers to the forest authorities, encourages large scale afforestation for carbon sequestration and enhances penalties for stronger protection of the forests. However, this amendment could also lead to an increase in injustice to forest [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Over 90 years after the enactment of the Indian Forest Act (IFA) 1927, a proposed amendment now plans to give more powers to the forest authorities, encourages large scale afforestation for carbon sequestration and enhances penalties for stronger protection of the forests. However, this amendment could also lead to an increase in injustice to forest dwellers. Environmentalists, experts and organisations working on issues related to the rights of forest dwellers are already up in arms and plan to protest against the controversial amendment at all forums before the amendments are finalised. They also plan to go to court if the amendment is passed without addressing their concerns. The issue could gain significance in India’s parliamentary elections scheduled for April-May 2019 as political parties are trying to attract the voters who are dependent on forests and of the tribal communities. Read more: Political parties compete for vote of India’s tribal community On March 7, 2019, the central government’s Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) sent the draft of the proposed amendment to the IFA 1927, to all the states. It asked the state governments to hold state level consultations with all stakeholders including NGOs and civil society organisations on the proposed amendment within 90 days and send a consolidated reply based on the feedback and consultations. This time period of 90 days overlaps with the timing of the national elections which indicates that the proposed amendments in the IFA 1927 would be finalised by the government formed after the&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2019/03/with-forest-rights-in-focus-ahead-of-elections-proposed-changes-to-forest-act-draw-attention/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>3</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>Climate change increases India’s vulnerability to extreme weather events: Report</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2018/12/climate-change-increases-indias-vulnerability-to-extreme-weather-events-report/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2018/12/climate-change-increases-indias-vulnerability-to-extreme-weather-events-report/?noamp=mobile#comments</comments>
					<pubDate>04 Dec 2018 12:56:53 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Mayank Aggarwal]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Mayank Aggarwal]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[agriculture]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[climate change]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[climate change impact]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[extreme weather events]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[floods]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Greenhouse gas emissions]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2018/12/04011637/Banner-Image-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=3336</guid>

					
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Clean Energy, Climate Change, Climate Change Adaptation, Climate Change Mitigation, Forest Carbon, Forests, Green Energy, Greenhouse Gas Emissions, and Renewable Energy]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[In just four years, over 5,800 people and thousands of animals in India have lost their lives to “extremes of temperature, rainfall and tropical cyclones.&#8221; Increase in frequency and intensity of such disasters related to climate change impacts on the weather systems is a serious concern, notes the draft of India’s report to United Nations [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[In just four years, over 5,800 people and thousands of animals in India have lost their lives to “extremes of temperature, rainfall and tropical cyclones.&#8221; Increase in frequency and intensity of such disasters related to climate change impacts on the weather systems is a serious concern, notes the draft of India’s report to United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).   A final version of the report, ‘Second biennial update report (BUR) to the UNFCCC’, which is to be submitted during the ongoing 24th meeting of the Conference of Parties (COP-24) to the UNFCCC at Katowice, Poland. The meeting from December 2-14 is significant as it is expected to finalise the guidelines for implementation of the Paris Climate Agreement. At Paris Agreement in 2015, the world agreed to aim to limit the rise in global average temperature to well below two degree Celsius above pre-industrial levels and pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5 degree Celsius above pre-industrial levels. India’s 17-member delegation to CoP 24 is led by environment minister Harsh Vardhan, said that India expects that COP-24 should be able to frame guidelines, which are pragmatic and gives due consideration to challenges and priorities of developing countries inter alia different starting points as compared to developed countries, their vulnerabilities, development priorities like eradication of poverty, food security, energy access and providing health infrastructure. “COP-24 should give equal focus to all agenda items, and the outcome of COP-24 should be balanced, inclusive, comprehensive and consistent with the principles&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2018/12/climate-change-increases-indias-vulnerability-to-extreme-weather-events-report/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>Is the new forest policy draft missing the wood for the trees?</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2018/04/is-the-new-forest-policy-draft-missing-the-wood-for-the-trees/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2018/04/is-the-new-forest-policy-draft-missing-the-wood-for-the-trees/?noamp=mobile#comments</comments>
					<pubDate>09 Apr 2018 08:48:45 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[S. Gopikrishna Warrier]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[S. Gopikrishna Warrier]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2018/04/08095644/Pic-4-768x512.jpeg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=802</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Hewing The Regulatory Tree]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Maharashtra]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Community based conservation, Deforestation, Ecosystem services, Forest Carbon, Forest Rights Act, Forestry, Forests, Indigenous Peoples, Industry, Non-Timber Forest Produce, People, Reforestation, and Timber]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The national government has initiated the process of revamping the National Forest Policy. The policy that is in place currently was announced 30 years ago and is known as the National Forest Policy 1988 (NFP-1988). The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has published for public comments the Draft National Forest Policy 2018 [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[The national government has initiated the process of revamping the National Forest Policy. The policy that is in place currently was announced 30 years ago and is known as the National Forest Policy 1988 (NFP-1988). The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has published for public comments the Draft National Forest Policy 2018 (DNFP-2018). The DNFP-2018 aims to “safeguard the ecological and livelihood security of people, of the present and future generations, based on sustainable management of the forests for the flow of ecosystem services. In order to achieve the national goal for eco-security, the country should have a minimum of one-third of the total land area under forest and tree cover. In the hills and mountainous regions, the aim will be to maintain two-third of the area under forest &amp; tree cover in order to prevent soil erosion and land degradation and also to ensure the stability of the fragile eco-systems.” The objectives include the maintenance of environmental stability and conservation of biodiversity; reversal of the degradation of forests; improvement of the livelihoods of people through the sustainable use of ecosystem services; and also help in meeting India’s greening goals under its Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs). Further, it talks about maintaining soil quality; safeguarding forestlands; managing protected areas and other wildlife rich areas; protecting watersheds; and increasing tree cover outside forests. There is much livelihood support from forests for the poor communities living close by. Photo by S. Gopikrishna Warrier / Mongabay. There is also mention&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2018/04/is-the-new-forest-policy-draft-missing-the-wood-for-the-trees/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>5</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>State of Forest Report says that India’s forest and tree cover has increased by 1 percent</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2018/02/state-of-forest-report-says-that-indias-forest-and-tree-cover-has-increased-by-1-percent/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2018/02/state-of-forest-report-says-that-indias-forest-and-tree-cover-has-increased-by-1-percent/?noamp=mobile#comments</comments>
					<pubDate>16 Feb 2018 11:14:01 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Sahana Ghosh]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[S. Gopikrishna Warrier]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2018/02/16104146/The-beauty-of-Valparai-forests-Kerala-Tamil-Nadu-border_Photo-by-Pradeep-Kumar-N.-Wikimedia-Commons-768x512.jpeg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=514</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Karnataka, Kerala, Manipur, Meghalaya, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, and Tripura]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Agriculture, Biodiversity, Forest Carbon, Forests, Rivers, and Trees]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[India has recorded a one percent jump (8,021 square km) in overall forest and tree cover between 2015 and 2017 despite population and livestock pressures, even as the green footprint in the northeast region shrunk by 630 square km, according to the latest India State of Forest Report (ISFR). Based on satellite data analysis, the [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[India has recorded a one percent jump (8,021 square km) in overall forest and tree cover between 2015 and 2017 despite population and livestock pressures, even as the green footprint in the northeast region shrunk by 630 square km, according to the latest India State of Forest Report (ISFR). Based on satellite data analysis, the biennial assessment – conducted by the Forest Survey of India (FSI) and released by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) – has put the total forest and tree cover at 802,088 square km, which is 24.39 percent of the geographical area of the country. The total forest cover is 708,273 square km, which is 21.54 percent of the total area of the country. Between 2015 and 2017, India has added 6,778 square km of forest cover and extended 1, 243 square km of tree cover. The 2017 report, which is the 15th State of Forest survey, maps green cover across 633 districts in place of 589 districts that were considered for the previous edition.  According to the Ministry, India has shown an increasing trend in the forest and tree cover, in comparison to the global trend of decreasing forest cover during the last decade. It highlighted that the country is “ranked 10th in the world, with 24.4 percent of land area under forest and tree cover, even though it accounts for 2.4 percent of the world surface area and sustains the needs of 17 percent of human and 18 percent livestock population.”&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2018/02/state-of-forest-report-says-that-indias-forest-and-tree-cover-has-increased-by-1-percent/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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