26 million hectare restoration target puts focus on Himalayan land recovery
Shimla: India has set a target of restoring 26 million hectares of degraded land by 2030, but in the fragile Himalayan region the challenge is translating this national ambition into practical restoration on the ground.
The Himalayan Forest Research Institute (HFRI), Shimla has now begun a three-day programme aimed at building the scientific and field-level capacity needed for this task.
HFRI Director Dr Manisha Thapliyal said around 96.4 million hectares, nearly 29 per cent of India’s geographical area, is currently affected by land degradation and desertification.
She said the Himalayan region faces a particularly serious challenge because of its fragile ecology and increasing climate variability.
HFRI’s immediate approach is to bring different departments and local stakeholders onto a common platform for ecological restoration and sustainable land management.
The training programme involves officials from forests, agriculture, horticulture, animal husbandry, public works and water management, besides local bodies, environmental groups, NGOs and progressive farmers.
The institute intends to promote forestry, biodiversity and soil conservation measures, while involving local communities in restoration efforts.
Thapliyal also stressed the need for different departments to share scientific data, field experience and available knowledge rather than treating land restoration as the responsibility of a single department.
The three-day programme, being held from September 16 to 18 in collaboration with the Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Land Management, ICFRE Dehradun, is designed to familiarise participants with both the scientific and practical aspects of ecological restoration.
HFRI will also use field-based learning as part of the programme. On the second day, participants are scheduled to visit ecological restoration sites developed under an integrated development project near Vakhnaghat, giving them practical exposure to restoration interventions and their implementation.
Dr Sanjeev Kumar, Scientist-F and Head of CoE-SLM, said the centre is promoting land restoration and sustainable land management across different landscapes, with emphasis on capacity building and sharing successful restoration models.
With 21 participants taking part, HFRI is seeking to use the programme to build coordination among departments and stakeholders and create a stronger practical understanding of how degraded Himalayan landscapes can be restored and managed sustainably.
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