FOREST CONSERVATION RULE 2022

Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has issued the Forest (Conservation) Rules, 2022.

It is conferred by Section 4 of the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980, and in supersession of the Forest (Conservation) Rules, 2003.

Provision of forest (conservation) rule 2022

Formation of Committees:

It set up an Advisory Committee, a regional empowered committee at each of the integrated regional offices, and a project screening committee at the State/Union Territory (UT) government level.

• Advisory Committee:

The function of the Advisory Committee is restricted to advise or recommending with regards to grants of approval under relevant sections in respect of proposals referred to it and any matter related to the conservation of forests referred to it by the Central government.

• Project Screening Committee:

The environment ministry has directed the constitution of a project screening committee in each State/UT for an initial review of proposals involving the diversion of the forest land.

The five-member committee has to meet at least twice every month and will advise the state governments on projects in a time-bound manner.

All non-mining projects between 5-40 hectares must be reviewed within 60 days and all such mining projects must be reviewed within the time limit of 75 days.

• Regional Empowered Committees:

All linear projects such as roads, highways, etc involving forest land up to 40 hectares and those that have projected use of forest land having a canopy density up to 0.7 — irrespective of their extent for a survey — shall be scrutinized in the Integrated Regional Office.

• Compensatory Afforestation:

The applicants for diverting forest land in a hilly or mountainous state with green cover covering more than two-thirds of its geographical area, or in a state and UT with forest cover covering more than one-third of its geographical area, will be able to take up compensatory afforestation in other states and UTs where the cover is less than 20%.

India forest policy 1952

• It was an extension of colonial forest policy. It became important to enhance the forest cover to one-third of the total land area, as at that time maximum annual revenue from the forests was needed for funding defence, developmental projects such as river valley projects, industries like pulp, paper, and plywood, and communication highly depended on forest produce for national interest, as a result, vital areas of forests were cleared to raise revenue for the State.

Forest conservation act 1980

• It highlighted that Central permission is necessary to practice sustainable agro-forestry in forest areas. Violation of any law or lack of permit was treated as a criminal offence.
• It is targeted mainly to limit deforestation, conserve biodiversity and save wildlife. Though this Act provides greater hope for forest conservation, it was not successful in its target and implementation.

National Forest Policy 1988

• The main objective of this policy was to maintain environmental stability and ecological balance through the conservation of forests as a natural heritage.
• It made a very important and categorical shift from commercial concerns to focus on the ecological role of the forests and participatory management.
• It frames a goal of achieving 33% of the geographical area of the country under forest and tree cover.

National Afforestation Programme

• This has been implemented by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change since 2000 for the afforestation of degraded forest lands which could increase the green cover.

Forest in India

• According to the Indian State of Forest Report 2021, the total Forest and Tree cover is now 7,13,789 square km which is 21.71% of the country’s geographical area, an increase from 21.67% in 2019.

Forest Cover state-wise: Madhya Pradesh> Arunachal Pradesh> Chhattisgarh> Odisha> Maharashtra