Context:
Rajasthan Rajya Vidyut Utpadan Nigam Limited (RVUNL) has sought permission to divert forest land in the ecologically sensitive Hasdeo-Arand region of Chhattisgarh for coal mining and proposed compensatory afforestation elsewhere. The proposal has revived debates regarding biodiversity conservation, tribal livelihoods and the effectiveness of compensatory afforestation.
- Hasdeo-Arand is a dense forest region spread across Korba, Surguja and Surajpur districts of Chhattisgarh and is considered one of central India’s largest contiguous forest landscapes.
- The region is ecologically important due to rich biodiversity including elephants, leopards, sloth bears and several Schedule-I species under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.
- Hasdeo forests also function as a major catchment area for the Hasdeo River and support tribal communities dependent on forest resources.
- Forest diversion for mining requires approval under the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980 and environmental clearance under the Environment Protection Act, 1986.
- Compensatory afforestation refers to planting forests on non-forest or degraded land when forest land is diverted for non-forest purposes.
- CAMPA stands for Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority, created to manage funds collected from user agencies for afforestation and ecological restoration.
- The Compensatory Afforestation Fund Act, 2016 institutionalised utilisation of these funds by Centre and States.
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