Haryana's New Green Strategy: Big Plots Only?

Haryana's government has introduced a new afforestation strategy, directing all districts to identify contiguous land parcels of at least five hectares for monsoon plantations. This approach marks a significant departure from the previous method of planting across multiple smaller, dispersed sites. The intention behind this new policy is to establish larger green blocks that are more manageable for monitoring, protection, and maintenance.

This directive has sparked concerns among environmental experts, particularly in districts like Gurgaon and Faridabad. These areas face challenges due to rapid urbanization and the Aravali landscape, making it difficult to find such extensive, contiguous land parcels. Experts suggest that in these regions, efforts should prioritize the protection and rejuvenation of existing forests rather than new plantations.

Furthermore, some experts question whether new plantations should be the primary focus in ecologically sensitive zones like the Aravalis. They highlight the urgent threat posed by invasive species and forest degradation. The focus, they argue, should be on removing invasive plants like lantana and subabul to restore native biodiversity and existing forest health, which could yield better ecological outcomes than simply planting more saplings.

The state of Haryana already struggles with low forest cover, estimated at around 3.5%, and has seen a decline of 14 sq km between 2021 and 2023. An ambitious target of raising tree cover to 20% by 2020 remains unmet. Critics of annual plantation drives argue that they often prioritize targets over sapling survival, ecological restoration, and the protection of existing green spaces. They advocate for a greater emphasis on natural regeneration, invasive species removal, water conservation, and on-ground protection measures in forest management.