Forest and Environment Planning in India

Forest and environment planning in India began in the 1970s, after the Human Environment Conference at Stockholm which was held by the United Nations. It was after attending this conference that the government of India became aware of issues relating to environment.

As a result, the National Committee on Environmental Planning and Co-ordination (NCEPC) had been set up by the government. Forest and environment planning in India includes survey and conservation of the fauna, flora, forests, afforestation, and control and prevention of pollution.

Unplanned urbanization, industrialization, and deforestation have resulted in the degradation of the soil, forests, and water resources. These have also led to environmental pollution. It was to check all these phenomena that the Indian government felt the need for planning of forest and environment in India. The Indian Planning Commission emphasized environmental issues in the fourth and fifth five year plans. In the mid 1980s, the Ministry of environment and Forests (MoEF) was established by the government of India in order to plan the environment and forests in India. This agency plans, promotes, and implements programs which are related to forestry and environmental conservation.

The government has set up various offices, independent agencies, and institutions in order to implement forest and environment planning in India. There are over 1 lakh forest management committees (FMC) at the village level. These committees aim at regenerating 22 million hectares of forests. The National Forest Policy has also been formulated by the India government to encourage the planning of environment and forest in India. This policy encourages people to involve themselves in the regeneration, protection, management, and development of the degraded forests of India.

Last updated on 4/28/2011