India has highlighted its forest and landscape restoration initiatives and reaffirmed its commitment to sustainable forest management, climate action and resilient forest landscapes at the 28th Session of the FAO Committee on Forestry (COFO 28) in Rome.
The session, being held from September 28 to October 2, brings together countries to discuss global forestry issues. In its statement, India welcomed the Food and Agriculture Organization’s focus on Forest and Landscape Restoration and emphasised sustainable forest management as an integrated approach to restoration while taking into account national circumstances and the needs of local communities.
India highlighted the progress made in expanding its forest and tree cover, which currently stands at 82.74 million hectares, accounting for 25.17 per cent of the country’s geographical area.
According to the FAO Global Forest Resources Assessment 2025, India ranks ninth globally in forest area and third in terms of net annual forest area gain.
India also highlighted the role of forests and trees in meeting its climate commitments. The country has created an additional carbon sink of 2.29 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent by 2021 and has enhanced its target to create an additional carbon sink of 3.5 to 4 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent by 2035, compared with 2005 levels.
Under its Bonn Challenge commitment, India aims to restore 26 million hectares of degraded and deforested land by 2030. So far, 21.76 million hectares have been brought under restoration, according to the government.
India also showcased several landscape restoration initiatives at the forestry meet.
Under the Aravalli Green Wall initiative, around 6.45 million hectares of degraded land have been identified for restoration. In coastal areas, the MISHTI initiative is focused on mangrove restoration, while also strengthening climate resilience and supporting local livelihoods.
India also highlighted the expansion of its network of Ramsar Sites, which has reached 101.
The country presented the ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam – Plant4Mother’ initiative, a whole-of-government and whole-of-society campaign under which more than 3.5 billion saplings have been planted.
India emphasised that international cooperation on forest restoration should focus on country-driven implementation, capacity development, technology transfer and measurable outcomes on the ground.
It also called for effective and sustainable financing, particularly for developing countries, and urged the FAO to strengthen support for accessing climate, biodiversity and blended finance for long-term restoration programmes.
India further called for greater coordination between the FAO’s forestry work, the Global Forest Goals and other international forest-related processes.
It also stressed the importance of strengthening South-South and triangular cooperation to facilitate the exchange of knowledge, best practices and scalable solutions.
India reaffirmed its commitment to working with the FAO and other member states in shaping the proposed UN Decade for Afforestation and Reforestation in line with Sustainable Forest Management for 2027-2036.
The initiative aims to establish a coherent approach ranging from the restoration of degraded ecosystems to the development of resilient, productive and inclusive forest landscapes.
