India reports major progress in Forest Conservation to UN Forum on Forests

India showcased its forest conservation efforts at a major United Nations meeting, claiming significant progress in in forest conservation and management over the last decade and a half.

Speaking at the 19th Session of the UN Forum on Forests in New York last week, Indian officials said the country has bucked global deforestation trends. They cited data showing India ranked third worldwide in average annual forest area gains from 2010-2020.

The delegation touted an expanding network of protected areas now spanning over 1,000 parks, reserves and wildlife habitats. Long-running conservation programs like Project Tiger and Project Elephant were held up as driving forces behind preserving iconic species.

India also announced the formation of the International Big Cat Alliance, a new global partnership aimed at safeguarding the world's seven big cat species through multinational cooperation.

One domestic initiative highlighted was the "Green Credit Program" - a market-based system incentivising environmental stewardship by individuals, communities and businesses.  

Ahead of the UN meeting last October, India hosted 60 countries and organisations in Dehradun for discussions on forest fire prevention and sustainable forestry certification. Recommendations from that "Country Led Initiative" were presented in New York.

The Indian environment ministry co-sponsored a side event on landscape-level wildfire management strategies involving officials from Portugal, South Korea and the International Tropical Timber Organisation.