The evolution of forest restoration in India: The journey from precolonial to India's 75^th year of Independence

Abstract

This paper examines the history of forest restoration in India. While contemporary literature often emphasizes the novelty of forest restoration programmes as exemplified in large‐scale global pledges such as the Bonn Challenge or the Trillion Trees initiative, we show that forest restoration has thousands of years of history in India. Furthermore, this history plays an important role in shaping current restoration efforts, in ways that often undermine restoration goals. We find four themes in this history: the definitions of forests changed as the national administration metamorphosed, the philosophy behind the afforestation practices transitioned from commercial to a focus on forest cover that still underemphasizes ecological and subsistence values of forests, the involvement of forest‐dependent people in forest restoration has been limited by government policies through much of this period, and current restoration practice draws more from the history of commercial timber production than from contemporary restoration science. Drawing on these insights, we argue that restoration programmes need to be reconsidered in India.

Grassland conservation and restoration in India: a governance crisis

“…Along that time, Jardinage (French word for gardening) forestry derived from European thought was also introduced in the Indian grasslands (Roy & Fleischman 2022). This practice‐maintained uniformity in tree structures and distribution just the way a garden looks (Davis & Robbins 2018).…”

Impact of coal mining on land use dynamics and soil quality: Assessment of land degradation vulnerability through conjunctive use of analytical hierarchy process and geospatial techniques

“…Such areas falling in proximity of mined areas and its surroundings need special attention, while the degraded zones in western and northern aspects in gentle slopes needs to be restored, as the human interventions are quite expected. The least vulnerable zones are located in dense forests away from habitation, roads and mined collieries, the possible anthropogenic disturbances are negligible, and therefore these areas should be placed under least priority zones for eco‐restoration and such strategies were also advocated by earlier workers (Vega et al, 2005; Roy & Fleischman, 2022; Thakur et al, 2022). The topography mainly slopes and aspect had strong influence on vegetation and land degradation (Hong et al, 2015).…”

“…The very high and high vulnerability zones are given top priority from the perspectives of immediate eco-restoration followed by moderately vulnerable zones. Such areas falling in proximity of mined areas and its surroundings need special attention, while the degraded zones ble, and therefore these areas should be placed under least priority zones for eco-restoration and such strategies were also advocated by earlier workers (Vega et al, 2005;Roy & Fleischman, 2022;Thakur et al, 2022). The topography mainly slopes and aspect had strong influence on vegetation and land degradation (Hong et al, 2015).…”

Regulatory Mechanisms for the Conservation of Endangered Plant Species, Chlorophytum tuberosum—Potential Medicinal Plant Species

“…We can encourage garden conservation of medicinal plants in small apartments, flats, and bungalows, although people may not know how to grow medicinal plants, such as fruits and vegetables. Parafrost conservation is another way to deal with conservation [73]. A national policy for the conservation of endangered medicinal plant species may make our program stronger by identifying protected areas of such plant species.…”