Aravallis with 40% Tree Cover Eligible for Green Credits, Says Minister

40% Canopy Cover in Aravallis Can Earn Green Credits, Says Environment Minister

Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav on Wednesday said organisations can earn green credits by undertaking afforestation in the Aravalli range. “If an organisation achieves 40% canopy cover on degraded forest land within four to five years, it can obtain green credits,” Yadav said, adding that the programme is already underway across 1,000 acres in Gurugram and Manesar.

He clarified that mining is strictly prohibited in Delhi’s Aravallis and most districts of Haryana. About 97 sq km of Aravalli land in Haryana, from Naurangpur to Nuh, has been declared a Protected Forest and earmarked for afforestation.

Green Credit Scheme & Policy Shift

Under a recent environment ministry directive, private and government entities can lease forest land for afforestation and timber projects without paying mandatory environmental compensation or net present value fees. Activities approved under state forestry plans are now classified as “forestry activities,” exempting them from previous financial mandates.

Eco-Restoration Framework

Yadav also released a new eco-restoration framework for the Aravalli landscape, developed by Sankala Foundation after field studies in four Gurugram villages. The plan focuses on forest and biodiversity management, controlling invasive species, water resource management, livelihood diversification, and adaptive monitoring.

The study highlights severe degradation across the 670-km Aravalli range, including invasive species like Prosopis juliflora and Lantana camara, groundwater depletion, and heavy reliance of local communities on forests for fuel and fodder. Forest cover has declined over 40% since 1970, with Rajasthan and Haryana seeing major losses due to illegal construction, mining, and urbanisation.

The framework aims to restore degraded patches while balancing ecological, social, and economic priorities, offering a model that can be replicated across 29 districts in Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, and Gujarat.