Lok Sabha Question No. 1200 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2021-12-06
Subject: Conservation of Wildlife and Forests
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT,  FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: Vijay Baghel, Arun Sao

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.1200

## TO BE ANSWERED ON 06.12.2021

## Conservation of Wildlife and Forests

## 1200.   SHRI VIJAY BAGHEL: SHRI ARUN SAO:

Will the Minister of ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE be pleased to state:

- (a) the  role  of  the  National  Board  for  Wildlife(NBWL)in  conservation,  promotion  and development of wild lives and forests;
- (b) the total forest cover in the country at present and its percentage as compared to total geographical area;
- (c) The area of notified forest in Chhattisgarh; and
- (d) the  details  of  the  measures  being  taken  by  the  Government  for  the  development, promotion and conservation of forest areas and wild lives in the State?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE

(SHRI ASHWINI KUMAR CHOUBEY)

- (a) The  functions  of  the  National  Board  for  Wild  Life  include  framing  policies  and advising the Central Government and the State Governments on the ways and means of  promoting  wildlife  conservation  and  effectively  controlling  poaching  and  illegal trade  of  wildlife  and  its  products;  making  recommendations  on  setting  up  of  and management of national parks, sanctuaries  and  other protected  areas  and  on  matters relating to restriction of activities in those areas; reviewing the progress in the field of wild life conservation in the country and suggesting measures for improvement.
- (b) The  total  forest  cover  of  the  country  as  per  the  India  State  of  Forest  Report-2019 published by the Forest Survey of India is 7,12,249 sq. km which is 21.67 percent of the  country's  geographical  area.  The  total  forest  and  tree  cover  in  the  country  is 8,07,276 sq.km which is 24.56 percent of the geographical area of the country.
- (c) As per the information received from the Government of Chhattisgarh, the area of notified  forest  in  Chhattisgarh  is  59,816  sq.km.  This  includes  reserved  forest, protected forest and unclassed forest.
- (d) The important steps taken by the Government fordevelopment,promotionandconservationofforestareasandwildlife in the country, including Chhattisgarh are as follows:
- i. Providing  financial  assistance  to  States/Union  Territories  under  the Centrally  Sponsored  Schemes  of  'Development  of  Wildlife  Habitats', 'Project Tiger' and 'Project Elephant' for development of wildlife and its habitat,  recovery  programmes  for  saving  critically  endangered species,  implementation of activities  like  creation  and  maintenance  of water  holes  for  wild  animals  in  Protected  Areas,  soil  and  moisture conservation measures, establishment of anti-poaching camps, strengthening  wildlife  veterinary  care,  eradication  of  weeds,  creation and maintenance of fire lines etc;
- ii. The  Ministry  implements  two  major  afforestation  schemes,  namely, National Mission for a Green India (GIM) for plantation on landscape basis and National Afforestation Programme (NAP) for tree plantation in  degraded  forests  through  Joint  Forest  Management  Committees (JFMCs) at village level.
- iii. The  funds  under  Compensatory  Afforestation  Fund  Management  and Planning  Authority  (CAMPA),  inter-alia,  are  used  for  forest  and wildlife management related activities including compensatory afforestation.
- iv. The  Ministry  also  promotes  tree  plantation  as  people's  movement  in urban  areas  through  Nagar  Van  Yojana  and  sensitizes  students  in greening programmes through School Nursery Yojana.
- v. Ministry supplements the efforts of State/Union Territories in prevention  and  control  of  forest  fire  by  providing  financial  assistance under the Centrally Sponsored Forest Fire Prevention and Management Scheme  for  creation  of  infrastructure  viz.  communication  system, development of Management Information System, watch towers,  water  storage  structures,  control  rooms  at  Division  &  Range level, FG barracks and inspection huts etc..
- vi. Creation of Eco-Sensitive Zones around National Parks and Sanctuaries;
- vii. Implementation of guidelines named, ' Eco-friendly Measures to Mitigate Impacts of Linear Infrastructure on Wild Life ';
- viii. Adoption of National Wildlife Action Plan (2017-2031);
- ix. Issuing advisory to States/Union Territories on Human  Wildlife Conflict Mitigation;
- x. Directions to States/Union Territories to comply with Sustainable Sand Mining Management Guidelines, 2016 and Enforcement and Monitoring Guidelines for Sand Mining, 2020;
- xi. Issuing advisories to States/Union Territories for expansion of protected area network.

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