Centre to revive 6.45 million hectares of degraded land in Aravalli range

New Delhi: In a major push to revive one of India’s most ecologically fragile mountain ranges, the governemnt has identified 6.45 million hectares of degraded land for restoration across four states and already initiating greening work on over 2.7 million hectares, Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav said, underscoring India’s commitment to restore 26 million hectares of land under the UN Convention to Combat Desertification.

Inaugurated the National Conference on Eco-restoration of the Aravalli Landscape: Strengthening the Aravalli Green Wall in New Delhi, Divisional Forest Officers from 29 Aravalli districts are implementing the project, focusing on plantations of native species suited to arid and semi-arid conditions

“The government launched the Aravalli Green Wall Project as part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision and India’s commitment under the UNCCD to restore 26 million hectares of degraded land” he said.

Under this initiative, 6.45 million hectares of degraded land in the Aravalli region has been identified, with greening work initiated over 2.7 million hectares across Gujarat, Delhi, Haryana and Rajasthan.

Recalling a landmark conservation decision, Mr Yadav said that around 97 square kilometres of Aravalli revenue land, stretching from Naurangpur to Nuh in Haryana and heavily degraded, has been identified for afforestation and has also been declared a Protected Forest by the State of Haryana for better protection and management.

He said the Aravalli ecosystem is protected by four tiger reserves and 18 protected areas, while additional green interventions are being undertaken wherever required.

The Minister said India has taken global leadership in wildlife conservation, noting that the country is home to five of the world’s seven big cat species and nearly 70 per cent of the global tiger population, which continues to grow.

Mr Yadav said thousands of hectares in the Aravalli region have been restored in the last two to three years and the government remains committed to continuing this work with ecology at the centre of development.

“India today has a strong and well-balanced approach to striking a balance between ecological stability and economic aspirations …emphasising that the government is committed to the restoration and conservation of the Aravallis and similar ecosystems across the country.

The inaugural session was addressed by Rao Narbir Singh, Environment Minister of Haryana; Tanmay Kumar, Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change; Sushil Kumar Awasthi, Director General of Forests; Rasmus Abildgaard Kristensen, Ambassador of Denmark to India; and representatives of the Sankala Foundation.

The conference brought together policymakers, forest officials, experts, practitioners and civil society representatives to deliberate on the ecological significance of the Aravalli range and pathways for its restoration.

The Minister also released a report titled “Eco-restoration of the Aravalli Landscape”, prepared by the Sankala Foundation, during the inaugural session.

The report provides a scientific, community-driven and scalable framework to strengthen the ‘Aravalli Green Wall Project’ of the ministry under the National Action Plan to Combat Desertification and Land Degradation.

It emphasises that restoration efforts must be landscape-scale, data-driven, community-anchored and multidisciplinary, noting that isolated interventions are no longer adequate given the scale of degradation and ecological pressures in the region.