India Restores 21.7 Million Hectares of Degraded Land Through Bonn Challenge

India has successfully restored 21.7 million hectares of degraded and deforested land between 2011 and 2020, according to the latest progress report on the Bonn Challenge. The report, released by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change in collaboration with the IUCN, credits this achievement to a blend of natural regeneration, silviculture, agroforestry, and extensive mangrove restoration projects.

This progress stems from the strategic implementation of major national schemes including the Green India Mission, the Compensatory Afforestation Fund, and the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme. State-level initiatives also played a pivotal role, with Telangana leading the nation by restoring 4.18 million hectares, largely driven by significant agroforestry efforts, alongside notable contributions from Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Gujarat, and Andhra Pradesh.

India currently maintains an ambitious commitment to restore 26 million hectares by 2030, a goal articulated by the Prime Minister at the 14th UN Convention to Combat Desertification. With 97.85 million hectares of the country's geographical area still affected by land degradation, continued focus on these restoration avenues remains vital for both biodiversity preservation and carbon sequestration efforts, which are estimated to have sequestered 461.14 million tonnes of carbon to date.