Union Environment Minister inaugurates National Workshop on ‘Leveraging Latest Technologies in Assessment of Forest and Tree Resources’, in New Delhi
India must leverage Latest Technologies while strengthening Indigenous Capabilities for Forest Assessment: Shri Bhupender Yadav
Sound SOPs and Standardised Parameters essential for Quality Green Cover and Effective Forest Conservation: Union Environment Minister
The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change organised a national workshop on ‘Leveraging Latest Technologies in Assessment of Forest and Tree Resources’ in New Delhi today. The inaugural session was presided over by Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Shri Bhupender Yadav. The occasion was also graced by the presence of Union MoS (EFCC), Shri Kirti Vardhan Singh.
The Workshop brought together State Forest Departments, scientific institutions, scientists, technology experts and other stakeholders to explore technology-led approaches for strengthening assessment, monitoring and management of forest and tree resources. It witnessed three technical sessions on the topics - Digitization of Forest Boundaries; Forest and Tree Cover assessment; and Estimation of Carbon Stock.
In his address, Shri Yadav emphasised that humans are not above Nature and must respect it by working towards coexistence with it. He stressed the need to harness technology to strengthen data on natural resources, improve decision-making and accelerate India’s climate commitments, particularly through nature-based solutions.
The Minister highlighted that increasing carbon sink through forest and tree cover is the third NDC (Nationally Determined Contributions) target under the UNFCCC and underscored the important role of the Forest Survey of India (FSI) as a premier institution for forest conservation and documentation of green cover. India has undertaken regular biennial assessment of forest and tree resources through FSI since 1987, with the India State of Forest Report (ISFR) serving as an important scientific basis for monitoring changes and supporting national and international reporting.
Shri Yadav called for standardisation of parameters across institutions to enable coordinated action on forest conservation and stressed that the purpose of compensatory afforestation must be clearly aligned with preserving plantations and improving the quality of green cover. He also emphasised the need to classify forest fire-prone regions according to the frequency of incidents and identify hotspots for targeted prevention strategies. He noted that wetlands are critical ecosystems for conserving biodiversity and maintaining ecological balance, and called for maintaining an appropriate balance of wetlands, woodlands and grasslands.
The Minister encouraged innovation and adoption of the latest technologies while stressing the importance of indigenous technologies and capacity building of forest staff. He called for improved quality of data and integration of field experience into a robust Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for preparation of the ISFR, so that the report can serve as a stronger base document for forest conservation and management. He emphasised that achieving India’s enhanced ambition of creating a 3.5–4.0 billion tonne CO₂-equivalent carbon sink by 2035 will require technological innovation alongside strong institutional capacities, effective policies and active participation of people and communities.
The Ministry continues to provide technical and financial support to States and UTs for enhancing forest and tree cover through initiatives including Green India Mission, MISHTI, Nagar Van Yojana, Namo Van and Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam. During the Workshop, deliberations were carried out on technologies and strategies that can be adopted and scaled up through strengthened institutional capacities, with the objective of bolstering forest governance, supporting climate action and ensuring sustainable management of India’s natural resources.
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