People who stood to be displaced from the project, demanded a fair
compensation not just to those who owned land but all those who lived there. They
also demanded proper rehabilitation with land in return for the land lost and also
afforestation to compensate for the loss of forests under the dam) interpretation of this paragraph
Answers
Answer:
The Forest Advisory Committee (FAC) has recommended that private players be allowed to raise plantations to be later used for compensatory afforestation (CA). This has raised concerns among green activists.
Whenever forest land is diverted for non-forestry purposes like mining or infrastructure development under the provisions of the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980, an equal area of non-forest land or twice the area of degraded forest land has to be planted over as CA. The idea is to offset the loss of diverted forest cover.
The process starts with the project proponent identifying land for CA and proposing the same to the state forest department. If the department approves the proposal, the project proponent pays for the land, which is transferred to the forest department. The forest department then undertakes plantation work on that land.
The FAC discussed the ‘Green Credit Scheme’ in a December 19, 2019 meeting. It was first developed by the Gujarat state government and was pending for approval from the MoEF&CC since 2013.
The scheme, as recommended by FAC in it meeting, will allow private agencies to create tree plantations on private / non-forest land, to be used as CA for projects involving forest diversion.
“After a thorough deliberation and discussion, FAC recommended that such plantations shall be accepted on non-forest area. FAC believes that such schemes will encourage plantation by individuals outside the traditional forest area and will help in contributing towards meeting the international commitments of the country such as Sustainable Development Goals and Nationally Determined Contributions,” the minutes of the FAC meeting noted.
The decision was based on the problems faced in undertaking CA like the flow of funds causing delay in setting up plantations which further lead to encroachment on land identified for CA. The issue of CA lands being isolated patches, therefore difficult to protect, was also discussed.
The FAC is a body under the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) and is responsible for regulating forest diversion.
The FAC was of the opinion that setting up plantations in advance will take care of these issues.