Strengthening capacities in Forest Landscape Restoration in India

The workshop was designed to enhance the capacities of government officials from various departments that contribute to FLR, and to foster collaboration among different stakeholders. It also offered a venue for participants to exchange their experiences with FLR approaches. The event saw the participation of over 40 representatives from different line departments and agencies, including the Haryana State Forest Department, Haryana Space Applications Centre, Agriculture Department, and National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD).

The workshop's first day featured interactive technical sessions. Experts from organisations such as the World Resources Institute, IORA Ecological Solutions, and the Indian Environmental Law Organisation, took part in the technical sessions led by the senior officials from the Haryana Forest Department. Key insights from the workshop's interactive sessions include the importance of collaborative efforts involving all stakeholders, raising awareness on broadly relevant issues, and implementing plantation, agroforestry, and soil moisture conservation measures to combat land degradation in the State. Additionally, it was noted that managing the variety of land uses within a landscape is crucial for preserving ecological integrity, biodiversity and sustaining human livelihoods. 

On the second day, a field visit to Mangar Bani was organised to understand the challenges faced by the Mangar forest area and the current restoration initiatives. Mangar Bani, a sacred grove hill forest and Palaeolithic archaeological site, sits adjacent to Mangar village on the Delhi-Haryana border. The participants witnessed soil and moisture conservation practices and explored the area's significant biodiversity, with guidance from the forest department, researchers and a local conservationist. The visit underscored the ecological importance of the area and the contribution of sacred groves to conservation endeavours. 

The participants departed with a revitalised commitment to the restoration and conservation of forest landscapes in Haryana, having been enriched by the varied experiences and knowledge exchanged during the workshop. 

About the project and FLR:

IUCN is implementing a project titled “Enhanced Capacity Building of Stakeholders and State Governments on Forest Landscape Restoration and Reporting Mechanism on Bonn Challenge”, initiated by the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change. This project is centred on the Forest Landscape Restoration (FLR) approach, which is the underlying approach of the Bonn Challenge pledge. FLR is an ongoing process of restoring ecological functionality and improving human wellbeing in deforested or degraded forest landscapes. The Bonn Challenge is a worldwide initiative started in 2011 with the goal of restoring 150 million hectares of the world's deforested and degraded land by 2020, and 350 million hectares by 2030. The Government of India has pledged its commitment to the Bonn Challenge, aiming to restore 13 million hectares of degraded land by 2020 and 26 million hectares by 2030. 

About IUCN: IUCN is a membership Union uniquely composed of both government and civil society organisations. It provides public, private and non-governmental organisations with the knowledge and tools that enable human progress, economic development and nature conservation to take place together. The Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change (MoEFCC) represents India as a State Member of IUCN. IUCN India has implemented several programmes and projects related to biodiversity conservation and the wise use of natural resources, working in cross-cutting areas such as Nature-based Solutions, engaging businesses to harmonise conservation and economic development, and addressing challenges related to poverty alleviation and climate change.