How India pushes for ecological restoration

Indian Express

2 days ago

— Renuka
India will mark World Environment Day by launching the ambitious Aravalli Green Wall project – a large-scale land restoration project to combat the degradation of the country's longest mountain range. Stretching 700 km across four states, the Aravalli mountain range acts as a natural barrier against the incursion of sand and dust from the Thar desert.
But the range has suffered extensive degradation due to deforestation, mining, urbanisation, agriculture practices and development. Notably, the degradation of the Aravallis is not an isolated phenomenon, rather a broader part of extensive ecological damage largely driven by human-induced factors such as deforestation, habitat loss, and climate change.
Earth is experiencing biodiversity loss at an alarming rate. Studies have estimated that species are now going extinct at rates 10 to 100 times higher than the natural rate. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), over one-third of the world's tree species are now threatened with extinction. Around 40 per cent of the world's population is already adversely affected by land degradation, while up to $577 billion in annual crop production is at risk due to the loss of pollinators.
A recent report by IPBES (Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services) warns that continued biodiversity decline will directly undermine the progress of Sustainable Development Goals related to Poverty, Hunger, Health, Water, etc. The degradation of rivers, forests, wetlands, and coastal zones is not only accelerating ecological collapse but also widening social and economic inequities, particularly in the global south, including India.
Amidst this, a shift towards ecological restoration – one that actively revives degraded land and diminishing biodiversity – is the need of the hour to support well-being and climate resilience. This imperative is especially relevant for India, where the combined pressures of rapid development and climate change are accelerating the degradation of forests, wetlands, rivers, and other fragile ecosystems.
Currently, about 30 per cent of the land in India is degraded, and 25 per cent is undergoing desertification. Although the National Forest Policy mandates a minimum of 33 per cent forest cover, the country's current forest cover stands at only 24.62 per cent.
Considering these problems, India has steadily recognised the significance of environmental conservation and restoration. The Aravalli Green Wall project is a case in point. In addition, it enacted laws such as the Wildlife Protection Act 1972, Van (Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan) Adhiniyam, 1980, and the Biological Diversity Act 2002 to protect its diminishing forest cover and biodiversity. The Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974, aims to prevent and control water pollution and restore the wholesomeness of water.
In 1990-1991, the National Watershed Development Project for Rainfed Areas (NWDPRA) was launched, which aimed to restore the ecological balance in degraded rainfed regions by promoting green cover. Other programmes like the National Afforestation Programme (2000) and the National Mission for a Green India (2014) were launched to protect and restore the diminishing forest cover of India.
In 2016, the Compensatory Afforestation Act (CAMPA) was enacted to ensure that forestland diverted for non-forest purposes is compensated through afforestation and ecological regeneration. To restore the degraded land and promote sustainable land management practices, the National Action Plan to Combat Desertification, 2022, was launched, which aims to restore 26 million hectares of degraded land by 2030 through forestry interventions.
Furthermore, flagship programmes like Namami Gange, Yamuna Action Plan, and National Plan for Conservation of Aquatic Ecosystems (NPCA) were put into effect to protect and revive aquatic and wetland ecosystems. Additionally, the polluter pays principle under Indian Environmental Jurisprudence mandates ecological restoration by the defaulting entity in case of industrial degradation.
In this context, the European Union's Nature Restoration Law merits attention, which is a key part of its biodiversity strategy and broader European Green Deal.
European Union's Nature Restoration Law
The European Union's Nature Restoration Law, which entered into force on June 17, 2024, aims to reverse biodiversity loss and build resilient ecosystems. It seeks to contribute to the broader goals related to climate change mitigation and adaptation, land degradation neutrality and enhancing food security.
To achieve these objectives, the regulation sets out qualitative and quantitative targets to restore terrestrial, coastal, marine, and freshwater ecosystems. It covers forests, wetlands, grasslands, rivers, and lakes for improving and restoring biodiverse habitats.
The regulation also aims to reverse biodiversity loss by halting the decline of pollinators like bees and butterflies by 2030. It seeks to enhance biodiversity in agricultural ecosystems through measures such as boosting grassland butterfly populations and increasing high-diversity landscape features.
To increase the green cover, member states are expected to plant at least three billion additional trees by 2030 and to ensure no net loss of green urban space by 2030. On the implementation front, the regulation requires the Member States to submit National Restoration Plans by September 1, 2026. It will cover the period up to 2050, with intermediate deadlines, and will be monitored by the European Commission, which will report progress to the European Parliament.
In addition to this regional initiative, considerable efforts at the global level are also being invested towards the cause. Over the past few decades, various international initiatives have been taken to address environmental degradation, particularly biodiversity loss. One of the earliest global efforts was the establishment of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in 1948, which has played a pivotal role in the conservation and restoration of nature.
Since 1964, the IUCN has been maintaining the Red List of Threatened Species as a key tool for monitoring ecosystem health and identifying restoration priorities. Global emphasis on restoration inclination is also evident in key international agreements like the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), and the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).
Principle 5 of the Earth Charter, 2000, also underscores the need to protect and restore the integrity of Earth's ecosystems, emphasising biodiversity. It may be noted here that the idea of restoration gained prominence with the Aichi Biodiversity Target, which had called for restoring at least 15% of degraded ecosystems by 2020. The ambition was further expanded in the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, adopted in 2022 at COP15, which set a new global target to restore 30% of degraded ecosystems by 2030.
In support of these efforts, the United Nations declared 2021-2030 as the Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, aiming to drive global, coordinated action to restore ecosystems. While these initiatives have significantly advanced the cause of nature restoration, the absence of a cohesive, enforceable global framework along with the lack of binding targets remains a significant issue.
In the face of accelerating environmental degradation, nature restoration needs to become the new norm, going beyond protection alone. While conservation efforts have historically focused on preserving what remains, today's ecological crisis demands proactive regeneration of what has been lost. To achieve this, a global model legal framework on ecosystem restoration with binding obligations, a funding mechanism and knowledge-sharing platforms, akin to climate treaties, perhaps would be a step in the right direction.
For a country like India, nature restoration is critical. However, most of the restoration laws, programmes and policies in the country seem to be either conservation-centric or fragmented in their approach. In light of this, there appears to be a need for a comprehensive National Framework on Ecosystem Restoration. Such a framework may be based on ecological baseline and biodiversity mapping and mandated across all levels of government – from centre to states and districts. As nature also holds socio-economic and cultural value, restoration efforts can also be based on a bottom-top approach with active community involvement. In this regard, the EU restoration law offers a blueprint.
Lastly, while ecological restoration offers undeniable socio-economic benefits, it may not be reduced to a utilitarian exercise that serves just human needs but needs to be guided by the recognition of nature's intrinsic value and the principle of biocentrism, which places all forms of life at the centre of moral concerns.
Examine the status and challenges of land degradation and desertification in India. How do national policies address these issues?
How does the European Union's Nature Restoration Law serve as a model for global ecosystem restoration efforts? What lessons can India draw from it?
Given that India's forest cover stands below the mandated 33%, how can restoration strategies be integrated into national development plans without compromising ecological integrity?
Why is ecological restoration emerging as a global imperative in the face of accelerating environmental degradation? Illustrate with examples.
What is the concept of 'rights of nature' and how does it challenge traditional anthropocentric environmentalism?
(Renuka is a Doctoral researcher at Himachal Pradesh National law university, Shimla.)
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