India has scored an important environmental achievement by rising to ninth place internationally in the total forest cover, from tenth place earlier, while holding its third rank in annual net gain of forest, as per the Global Forest Resources Assessment (GFRA) 2025 published by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).
The broad-brush survey, released in Bali this week, presents a guardedly positive picture of the trends in global forests. Deforestation has indeed crested in most parts of the globe, but the world continues to lose close to 4.12 million hectares of forests each year. This is the context within which India’s steady increase in forest cover is a rare success story, fuelled by massive afforestation initiatives, policy consistency, and local support.
India’s Green Leap on the Global Stage
India’s forest cover now covers 72.7 million hectares, which is about 2 percent of the total forest cover in the world, as per the FAO report. This turnaround puts India at ninth position globally, ahead of Peru and just behind Indonesia and Australia.
Between 2015 and 2025, India achieved a robust annual net forest gain, ranking in third position, with an increase of approximately 191,000 hectares of forest annually. The first two remain China, at 1.69 million hectares per year, and Russia, at 942,000 hectares per year.
Forests occupy 4.14 billion hectares globally, or approximately 32 percent of the land area on Earth, half a hectare per human. Almost half of these forests are found in tropical areas, with the highest concentrations in Russia (832.6 million hectares), Brazil (486 million hectares), Canada (368.8 million hectares), the United States (308.8 million hectares), China (227 million hectares), Democratic Republic of Congo (139 million hectares), Australia (133.5 million hectares), Indonesia (96 million hectares), India (72.7 million hectares), and Peru (67 million hectares). Together, the top five nations, Russia, Brazil, Canada, the U.S., and China, account for more than 54 percent of the world’s forest cover.
Government Celebrates the Success
In response to India’s better ranking, Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav appreciated the success as evidence of “India’s continued commitment to environmental protection and the green vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.”
The success comes on the heels of the Modi government’s policies and planning to conserve and augment forests and huge plantation drives by state governments,” Yadav posted on X.
He credited it mainly to the national campaign of planting trees ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam’ (A Tree in Honour of Mother), initiated on June 5, 2024, which invites people to plant a tree in respect of their mothers. “This appeal has struck a chord with millions,” Yadav said, pointing out that India’s quest for environmental awareness is generating awareness and motivating people to take part in a greener tomorrow for future generations.
Asia’s Green Leadership
The FAO evaluation recognises Asia as the sole continent with a gain in forest cover during the period from 1990 to 2025, largely due to the reforestation programs on a massive scale in India and China.
Although deforestation is still widespread in South America and Africa, Asia’s forest expansion provides evidence of how policy intervention, along with technological tracking and grass-roots involvement, can turn around the degradation of the environment.
FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu stated in the foreword to the report that FRAs are “the most comprehensive and transparent global assessments of forest resources and their management.” He pointed out that these datasets drive global and national policy, determine climate policies, and inform sustainable land-use strategies.
From Policy Vision to Ground Reality
India’s performance in the FAO report represents decades of policy development and continued government-initiated interventions. The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has implemented a set of interlinked programmes aimed at afforestation, reforestation, and conservation of biodiversity.
A recent Lok Sabha response (Question No. 2397, Dated- August 4, 2025) mentions that the Ministry has an array of flagship schemes that include:
National Mission for a Green India (GIM) – A key element of the National Action Plan on Climate Change, aimed at enhancing forest and tree cover and augmenting ecosystem services.
Nagar Van Yojana (NVY) – An initiative supporting urban forestry through the development of “city forests” in Indian towns to enhance air quality and local biodiversity.
Mangrove Initiative for Shoreline Habitat and Tangible Benefits (MISHTI) – Aims to restore and increase mangrove cover along India’s coast to improve carbon sequestration and coastal resilience.
Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA) – The process by which diverted forest land is compensated through afforestation elsewhere.
‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam’ Campaign – A mass drive inviting each citizen to plant and care for a minimum of one tree, initiated on World Environment Day 2024.
Massive tree-planting drives are encouraged by the Ministry on national occasions like World Environment Day, Van Mahotsav, International Day of Forests, and Wildlife Week.
Scale of Plantation Drives
The same Lok Sabha report lays bare the magnitude of India’s work of reforestation. In the last three years and this year together, Indian states and union territories have raised nearly 36,949 lakh (3.69 billion) of seedlings on an area of over 53.7 lakh hectares (5.37 million hectares).
Some of the highlights of the state-wise figures are:
· Uttar Pradesh is taking the lead with 1.48 million hectares of plantations and more than 108 crore (1,084.6 million) of seedlings.
· Telangana, through its Haritha Haram initiative, at 0.85 million hectares and 573.8 million saplings.
· Madhya Pradesh, being the largest contributor of India’s green cover, accounted for 2.54 lakh hectares of plantation with 165 million saplings.
· Odisha, Rajasthan, and Gujarat added over 1 lakh hectares each of plantation area.
· Maharashtra claimed to have planted 2.6 million saplings under the ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam’ campaign alone in 2025.
These large-scale efforts show the extent of India’s grassroots environmental movement and the coordination between state and central priorities.
Monitoring and Accountability Mechanisms
Guaranteeing that saplings live beyond the ceremonial planting phase is still one of the most difficult challenges in afforestation. To overcome this, the MoEFCC uses a multi-level monitoring system that has both state-level and central evaluation.
· State Forest Departments conduct physical verification and third-party audits annually in plantation sites.
· Every planting location is geo-tagged, and photographic proof is submitted to the database of the ministry.
· Survival evaluations make the introduction of corrective maintenance drives a necessity to replant dead saplings.
At the national stage, the government has set up the National Afforestation Monitoring System (NAMS), employing geospatial technology and remote sensing to establish a clear, real-time database of plantation performance.
Besides, the Forest Survey of India (FSI), a high-level agency of the MoEFCC, carries out biennial forest cover surveys to estimate changes in the country. These surveys are integrated into both national reports, such as the India State of Forest Report (ISFR) as well as international datasets like the FAO’s GFRA.
The Ecological Approach by Prioritising Native Species
The afforestation policy of the government is based on ecological compatibility. Plantation species differ from location to location and are determined by site conditions and climatic factors.
According to the Lok Sabha reply, the ministry promotes the indigenous species strongly, which are more adapted to local ecosystems and ensure the conservation of biodiversity, soil health, and recharge of groundwater. Exotic species are sparingly adopted and only where they offer particular ecological or socio-economic advantages.
This method is key to making afforestation real, workable forests and not monoculture plantations. Indigenous tree species like Neem, Banyan, Peepal, Arjun, and Sal not only harbour local wildlife but also play a strong role in carbon sequestration and water holding.
Forest Expansion and Agroforestry
The FAO report further mentions agroforestry as an increasing global contributor to forest gain. In 2025, 91 nations documented a total of 55.4 million hectares under agroforestry systems. Of these, 39.3 million hectares were in Asia, primarily in South and Southeast Asia, with India and Indonesia contributing close to 70 percent to the global total.
This highlights India’s leadership in not only forest cover growth but also in bringing trees into agricultural landscapes, a strategy benefiting both nature and rural livelihoods.
Economic and Climate Implications
Forests play a pivotal role in achieving India’s Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement, particularly the commitment to create an additional carbon sink capable of absorbing 2.5 to 3 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent through expanded forest and tree cover by 2030.
Its spread of forests and tree-based systems promotes several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): climate action, clean water, biodiversity, and sustainable livelihoods. Rural job programs associated with plantation campaigns also infuse funds into forest-fringe communities.
Second, programs such as MISHTI (mangrove restoration) enhance coastal protection and blue-carbon sequestration, adding a new layer to India’s climate-resilience strategy.
India’s Forest Policy Legacy
India’s achievement did not happen overnight. Its roots of forest governance go back decades, influenced by seminal policies and institutional change:
· The National Forest Policy 1988 was a breakaway from commercialisation to ecological protection.
· Follow-up programs like Joint Forest Management (JFM) gave power to local people in forest management.
· The past few years have seen compensatory afforestation institutionalised through the Green India Mission and CAMPA funding mechanism.
Collectively, these have created a policy regime that balances ecological renewal with economic growth, a balance achieved by few developing countries.
A Region-Wise Perspective
India’s gains are regionally uneven but cumulatively revolutionary. Northern states like Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh have made improvements in forest density, while southern states like Tamil Nadu and Telangana have performed well in urban and community forestry.
The eastern and central belts, which include Odisha, Chhattisgarh, and Madhya Pradesh, have increased green cover by reclaiming large areas of degraded land. Coastal states are also reclaiming mangroves and wetlands and developing new layers of ecological security.
One of the unique aspects of India’s success in afforestation is the extent of people’s participation. The ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam’ campaign has converted tree planting into a people’s movement, connecting emotional attachment with environmental responsibility.
State governments, schools, NGOs, and citizens groups have conducted mass drives, planting crores of saplings in parks, schools, and wasteland. Several states have connected plantation targets with local jobs under MGNREGA, offering both ecological and economic returns.
Digital drives and mobile apps now enable citizens to register their planted saplings, monitor their progress, and post geo-tagged photos, creating an open, people-friendly green database.
India’s Growing Reputation in Global Environmental Governance
India’s climb in the FAO ranking reinforces its image as a good environmental steward in the international community. The nation’s consistent rise in forest cover occurs even as most industrialised economies are finding it difficult to balance deforestation and carbon emissions.
At global platforms like the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), India has always championed equity in climate action, putting forth the argument that developing countries need to be enabled in their green transitions.
Through integrating large-scale afforestation with socio-economic co-benefits, India presents an emulable template for other emerging economies looking to balance growth and sustainability.
Sustaining the Green Momentum
As India celebrates its improved FAO ranking, caution that sustaining forest gains requires long-term commitment beyond headline campaigns. Challenges such as urban expansion, infrastructure projects, mining, and agricultural pressures continue to threaten forest ecosystems.
Making sure plantations grow into resilient forests will rely on post-plantation management, good monitoring, and the incorporation of climate-resilient indigenous species. The investment by the government in NAMS and geospatial monitoring is a key measure towards accountability, but decentralisation of governance and community ownership will finally determine the outcome.
Green Vision to Global Leadership
India’s climb to the ninth place in the world in terms of forest cover is not a numbers game victory alone; it is a reflection of a transformation in national environmental awareness. By the use of proactive policy, technology-based monitoring, and public engagement, the nation has achieved increases in forest cover while continuing to meet development targets.
As aptly put by Minister Bhupender Yadav, India’s green journey is based on cultural respect for nature and informed by scientific stewardship. With sustained effort, India is set not only to solidify its place among the world’s most forest-endowed countries but also to take the world ahead with its expertise on sustainable management of forests.
For a planet toiling with climate worry and environmental disconnection, India’s story is a powerful message: that policy, people, and perseverance combined can reverse the course to a greener world.
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