India adds 3 mn hectares of forest area to achieve land degradation neutrality

New Delhi: India in order to restore the global ecosystem embarked upon land conservation measures, adding 3 million hectares of forest area in the past decade to achieve its national commitment of land degradation neutrality.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently said that India is on track to achieve its national commitment to land degradation neutrality. He made the remarks during a keynote address at the UN "High-Level Dialogue on Desertification, Land degradation and Drought", reported Saudi Gazette.

"Affecting about 40 percent of the global population, countless livelihoods are today endangered because of land degradation," PM Modi remarked. He said that the thrust on rejuvenating barren land and sustained afforestation has caught many in the world by surprise.

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However, for Indians, it is merely the performance of duty of a child toward the mother since Earth is referred to as such in the nation`s cultural traditions.

Given the rapid pace at which afforestation has taken roots in India, the new target for rejuvenation of barren land by the year 2030 is to the tune of 26 million hectares, reported Saudi Gazette.

Such mitigation measures would play a significant role in the process of ensuring carbon neutrality for India in the times to come.

"Towards that end, a multi-pronged approach has been undertaken. These include focusing on the areas that are most susceptible to turning barren such as the Kutch region in Gujarat or the areas adjacent to the Thar in Rajasthan. Planting a specific grass variety to boost the fertility of the land has proven to be a very effective natural method at afforestation," PM Modi added.

In most countries, India`s mantra has been crystal clear: the need to act on the matter is immediate so that society is able to pass on a healthier planet for the generations to come.

In furtherance of that idea, a Centre of Excellence has also been set up to promote and analyze a scientific approach towards the issue of land degradation, he pointed out.

According to PM Modi, a well-thought strategy towards monitoring the progress different states are making in real-time along with consistent feedback towards improving the implementation of such policies would ensure that India is able to meet the set target well in advance as it did with the Paris Climate Agreement standards for emissions.

He also said that in addition to abiding by its own targets, India has time and again proceeded ahead with the spirit of cooperation.

"It is not surprising then that due to such valued commitments towards our holy mother Earth, India has managed to stand by its principles of managing the soil well without exploiting it. In fact, apart from being on track to meet the national commitments towards land degradation neutrality, India has managed to achieve an additional carbon sink of 3 billion tons of CO2 equivalent," PM Modi remarked.

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