These commitments collectively highlight India’s obligation to monitor, report, and
take action on the state of its forests in the context of global efforts towards climate
change mitigation, landscape restoration, biodiversity conservation, and sustainable
development. These underscore India’s role as a responsible stakeholder in the
international community’s efforts towards environmental conservation and sustainable
development.
India has made significant commitments to various global treaties and initiatives
related to forests, climate change, sustainable development, biodiversity, mangroves,
and landscape restoration. These commitments necessitate reporting of the state of
country’s forests on a periodic basis. Some of the relevant commitments include the
following:
- United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)
The UNFCCC is an international treaty aimed at addressing climate change and its
impacts. India is a party to this convention, which requires member countries to
report on their greenhouse gas emissions, as well as activities related to land use,
land-use change, and forestry (LULUCF). - Kyoto Protocol
The Kyoto Protocol operationalizes the UNFCCC by committing industrialized
countries and economies in transition to limit and reduce greenhouse gases
(GHG) emissions in accordance with agreed individual targets. - Paris Agreement
Paris Agreement, under the UNFCCC, sets out ambitious goals to limit global
warming well below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, and to pursue
efforts to limit it to 1.5 degrees Celsius. It emphasizes the importance of forests
in climate mitigation and adaptation strategies. - Sustainable Development Goals (SDG)
The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted by all United Nations
members in 2015, created 17 world Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The
SDG 15: “Life on Land”, specifically targets the conservation, restoration, and
sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, including forests. The SDG 14 “Life
below Water” seeks to conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine
resources for sustainable development. Targets 14.2.1, 14.5.2, 15.1.1, 15.1.2.,
15.2.1, 15.2.3, 15.3.2, and 15.4.1 are directly relevant to Forest Statistics. Besides,
SDG 1 (No Poverty), SDG 2 (Zero Hunger), SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-Being),
SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation), and SDG 13 (Climate Action) are also relevant
to the Forestry sector
- Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)
The CBD aims to conserve biological diversity, ensure sustainable use of its
components, and promote fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from genetic
resources. India, being a party to the CBD, is obligated to report on its efforts in
conserving biodiversity, which includes forest ecosystems. The Aichi Biodiversity
Targets have been established under the CBD to guide international efforts in
biodiversity conservation. Aichi Target 5 specifically addresses the conservation of
habitats, including forests. - New York Declaration on Forests (NYDF)
NYDF is a voluntary international declaration that aims to halve deforestation by
2020 and end it by 2030, while also restoring forests and enhancing sustainable
management. - United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD)
Established in 1994, UNCCD is a legally binding convention that links development
and environment to sustainable land management. The convention aims to combat
desertification and the ill effects of drought. - Bonn Challenge
Bonn Challenge is a global effort to bring under restoration 150 million hectares
of the world’s deforested and degraded lands by 2020, and 350 million hectares by - India has made commitment of bringing 26 million ha under this initiative to
restore degraded landscapes. UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (2021-2030)
calls for the scaling up of efforts to restore ecosystems and combat climate change,
and India is a participant in this global initiative also. - Asia Pacific Forestry Commission (APFC)
India, as a member of APFC, is part of a regional body that aims to promote sustainable
forest management in the Asia-Pacific region. Reporting on the state of forests is an
integral part of this endeavour. - Ramsar Convention on Wetlands
India is a party to the Ramsar Convention, which recognizes the importance of
wetlands, including mangroves, and commits to their conservation and sustainable
use
