State PCS - Uttarakhand (UKPSC)

• 29 Nov 2025

Uttarakhand Identifies Degraded Land for Restoration

Why in News? 

The Uttarakhand Forest Department has identified 30,000 hectares of degraded forest land for ecological restoration, and the initiative is being linked with national climate commitments and the RECAP4NDC Project. 

Key Points 

• About the Restoration Drive: 
  • The Forest Department has mapped 30,000 ha of degraded forest land across districts such as Pauri, Tehri, Almora, Champawat, Pithoragarh, and parts of Kumaon where forest quality has significantly declined due to grazing pressure, recurring forest fires, invasive species and soil erosion. 
  • The restoration plan will combine assisted natural regeneration (ANR), enrichment plantations, soil–moisture conservation structures, and removal of invasives like Lantana camara and Parthenium. 
  • Priority sites include ridge zones, catchment areas, and wildlife corridors, particularly those influencing the Ganga and Yamuna river basins. 
  • The programme contributes to India’s commitment under the UNFCCC Bonn Challenge, where India pledged to restore 26 million ha of degraded land by 2030. 
  • Uttarakhand is among states piloting LiDAR-based forest mapping, helping identify degraded landscape patches using 3D terrain and vegetation data. 
• RECAP4NDC Project: 
  • RECAP4NDC – Restore, Conserve and Protect Forest & Tree Cover for NDC Implementation is a national climate-forestry programme supporting India’s forest restoration goals. 
  • It assists India in meeting its NDC target of creating an additional 2.5–3 billion tonnes of CO₂-equivalent carbon sink through expanded forest and tree cover. 
  • It is implemented by MoEFCC with GIZ India (a German government-owned enterprise) under Indo-German development cooperation. 
  • Its key areas of work include landscape restoration planning, community-based forest management, agroforestry promotion, assisted natural regeneration and ecosystem-based restoration.