India Restored 21.76 Mn Ha Land During 2011–2020, Generating 1.22 Bn Person-Days of Employment: Shri Bhupender Yadav at UNCCD COP17 in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

Key Highlights:

• India restored 21.76 million hectares of land between 2011 and 2020.
• This restoration generated approximately 1.22 billion person-days of employment.
• Union Minister Shri Bhupender Yadav presented India's progress at UNCCD COP17 in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.
• India is a major pledger to the Bonn Challenge, committing to restore 26 million hectares of degraded and deforested land by 2030.
• Land restoration is a national priority, integral to sustainable land management, biodiversity conservation, and climate action.

Detailed Insights:

• India's commitment to the Bonn Challenge was enhanced from an initial pledge in 2015 to 26 million hectares by 2030.
• The Second Progress Report (2011-2020) highlights restoration across forests, agriculture, soil, and water conservation.
• The next reporting cycle (2021-2025) will focus on area restored, financial flows, and employment generated, in collaboration with ICFRE Centre of Excellence on Sustainable Land Management and IUCN.
• Key initiatives supporting restoration include the Green India Mission, Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA), and Nagar Van Yojana.
• India emphasizes a multi-sectoral, landscape-based approach, requiring convergence across sectors and levels of governance.
• Future objectives include restoring more land, restoring better, financing better, and delivering measurable, lasting outcomes through innovative financing and partnerships.

Key Concepts Involved:

• Bonn Challenge: A global effort to bring 150 million hectares of the world’s deforested and degraded land into restoration by 2020, and 350 million hectares by 2030.
• UNCCD (United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification): An international agreement linking environment and development to sustainable land management, focusing on combating desertification and land degradation.
• Green India Mission: A national program aimed at protecting, restoring, and enhancing India's forest cover and responding to climate change.
• Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA): An authority established to manage funds for compensatory afforestation and other forest conservation activities.
• Nagar Van Yojana: A scheme to create urban forests in cities across India, enhancing green cover and biodiversity in urban areas.