India Urges Global Collaboration for Big Cat Conservation at UN Forest Forum
- India promoted the International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA) at the UNFF20, calling for global cooperation in conserving seven big cat species through research and capacity-building.
- India showcased progress in forest cover (now 25.17%), mangrove growth, and afforestation under national initiatives like the Green India Mission and Plant4Mother campaign.
- India emphasized integrating ecosystem service valuation (like carbon and water) into national planning using SEEA and MEA frameworks for better forest governance.
India has invited nations to join the International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA) during the current session of the United Nations Forum on Forests (UNFF20), the government stated on Friday.
IBCA is an international platform initiated by India to facilitate cooperation in the conservation of the seven major cat species through collaborative research, sharing of knowledge, and capacity development. India highlighted its notable achievements in the conservation of forests and sustainable forest management at the 20th session of the UNFF20, which took place during May 5-9 at the United Nations Headquarters in New York.
The nation reaffirmed its readiness to achieve the Voluntary National Contributions (VNCs) of the UN Strategic Plan for Forests 2017-2030. India recorded a consistent rise in forest and tree cover, now covering 25.17 per cent of its geographic area according to the recent India State of Forest Report due to important national initiatives such as the restoration of land under the Aravalli Green Wall, an increase in mangrove cover by 7.86 per cent over the last decade, afforestation of more than 1.55 lakh hectares under the Green India Mission, and plantation of 1.4 billion saplings under the Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam (Plant4Mother) campaign", the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) added.
The Indian delegation, facilitated by Sushil Kumar Awasthi, Director General of Forests and Special Secretary, MoEFCC, invited action globally on the deliverables of the Country-Led Initiative (CLI), which was organized by India in Dehradun during October 2023 and centered on forest fire management and forest certification.
The nation also recognized and valued CLI efforts initiated by the Republic of Congo, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, and Austria, and highlighted the necessity of merging CLI results with formal global structures in order to serve priority forestry challenges. India also participated in a high-level panel on "Valuing Forest Ecosystems in National Policy and Strategy", in which the delegation presented research results from pilot studies conducted in Uttarakhand, Rajasthan, and tiger reserves.
These quantified ecosystem services like carbon sequestration, water provisioning, and biodiversity conservation through frameworks like the System of Environmental-Economic Accounting (SEEA) and the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MEA). Acknowledging that valuing non-market services is challenging, India highlighted the importance of incorporating ecosystem valuation into national planning to ensure informed forest governance and long-term ecological sustainability, the ministry added.
