{"id":60393,"date":"2025-08-22T11:06:47","date_gmt":"2025-08-22T05:36:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/?p=60393"},"modified":"2025-08-22T11:08:39","modified_gmt":"2025-08-22T05:38:39","slug":"haryanas-new-forest-definition-raises-environmental-concerns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/haryanas-new-forest-definition-raises-environmental-concerns\/","title":{"rendered":"Haryana\u2019s New Forest Definition Raises Environmental Concerns"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2><b>Haryana Forest Definition Latest News<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Recently, the Haryana government officially defined the \u201cdictionary meaning of forest.\u201d Officials stated that the definition draws on <\/span><b>Supreme Court precedents<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and aligns with <\/span><b>judicial expectations<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, <\/span><b>environmentalists have raised strong concerns<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, arguing that the definition is too <\/span><b>narrow<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and could exclude the <\/span><b>Aravalli ridge<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, an ecologically fragile region.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Such exclusion may leave it vulnerable to unchecked urbanisation, illegal mining, and real estate encroachments, threatening biodiversity and groundwater recharge in one of North India\u2019s most critical ecosystems.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Haryana\u2019s Definition of Forests<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-60408\" src=\"https:\/\/d35xcwcl37xo08.cloudfront.net\/current-affairs-wp-uploads\/2025\/08\/unnamed-3.webp\" alt=\"\" width=\"512\" height=\"412\" \/><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Recently, Haryana\u2019s Environment, Forest and Wildlife Department issued a notification officially defining forests under the \u201cdictionary meaning.\u201d<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">According to the notification:<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A patch of land will qualify as a forest if it has:<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A minimum area of five hectares in isolation, or<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A minimum area of two hectares if contiguous with government-notified forests.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It must also have a canopy density of at least 0.4 (40%).<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>Exclusions from Definition<\/b><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The notification <\/span><b>excludes<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> the following from being treated as forests:<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Linear, compact, or agro-forestry plantations<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Orchards<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> outside government-notified forests.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These exclusions cover tree plantations along <\/span><b>roads, canals, and railway tracks<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, which, though ecologically beneficial, will not be classified as forests under this definition.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Supreme Court\u2019s Directives on Forest Definition<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In its March 2025 ruling, the Supreme Court directed all States and Union Territories to formally define what constitutes a forest and begin comprehensive surveys to identify forest areas within their jurisdictions.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>Key Instructions from the Court<\/b><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Expert Committees<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Each State\/UT was required to set up a committee within one month to identify: Forest-like areas; Unclassified Forest lands; Community Forest lands.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Survey and Mapping<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: The committees must map forest lands and submit their reports to the Centre within six months.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Use of 2011 Guidelines<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: The process must strictly follow the <\/span><b>2011 Lafarge Umiam Mining guidelines<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, which mandate:<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">GIS-based decision-support database.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">District-wise mapping of plots that may qualify as forests under the <\/span><b>Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980 (FCA)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Inclusion of <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">core, buffer, and eco-sensitive zones<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> of protected areas.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Identification of <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">wildlife corridors<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">lands diverted from forest use<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, and supporting maps such as TOPO-sheets and Forest Survey of India maps<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Court made it clear that <\/span><b>Chief Secretaries of States and Administrators of UTs<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> would be held <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">personally accountable<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for non-compliance with its directives.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Godavarman Case, FCA and the 2023 Amendment<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">At the centre of the current Supreme Court hearings on the <\/span><b>2023 amendment to the Forest (Conservation) Act (FCA), 1980<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> lies the core question: <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cWhat constitutes a forest?\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>FCA, 1980 \u2013 Original Scope<\/b><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The <\/span><b>FCA of 1980<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> restricted the dereservation of forests or the use of forest land for non-forest purposes.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">No diversion of forest land was permitted without <\/span><b>prior approval from the Centre<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>Godavarman Ruling, 1996<\/b><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In a landmark judgment (<\/span><b>T N Godavarman Thirumulpad v Union of India<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">), the Supreme Court expanded the meaning of \u2018forest\u2019.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It held that the term must be understood in its <\/span><b>dictionary meaning<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, covering <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">all statutorily recognised forests<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u2014 whether reserved, protected, or otherwise.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This effectively meant that <\/span><b>any forested parcel of land<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, regardless of size, ownership, or official classification, could fall under the FCA.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>The 2023 Amendment and Subsequent Legal Battle<\/b><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">According to the government, the <\/span><b>wide applicability<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> of the FCA following <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Godavarman<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> was restraining development and utility-related works, even minor projects like building toilets in tribal schools.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To address this, the <\/span><b>2023 amendment restricted FCA applicability<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> only to:<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Notified forests, and<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Lands identified as forests in government records.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Challenge to the Amendment<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Retired IFS officers and NGOs such as <\/span><b>Vanashakti<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and <\/span><b>Goa Foundation<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> challenged the amendment, arguing that it <\/span><b>substantially diluted protections<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> under the FCA.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In <\/span><b>February 2024<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, the Supreme Court directed all States and UTs to continue following <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Godavarman\u2019s broader definition<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> of forests while it considered the case (<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ashok Kumar Sharma, IFS (Retd) &amp; Ors. vs. Union of India<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">).<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>Court\u2019s March 2025 Directives<\/b><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Court then issued detailed instructions requiring States\/UTs to define forests, conduct surveys, and submit reports to the Centre, aligning with 2011 Lafarge Umiam Mining guidelines.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The matter is ongoing, with the next Supreme Court hearing scheduled in September 2025.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Reactions to Haryana\u2019s Forest Definition<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Environmentalists have strongly criticised the definition, calling it too restrictive.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Forest analysts argue that the <\/span><b>minimum canopy cover threshold of 40% is unrealistic for the Aravalli region<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, which is naturally arid, with low rainfall and rocky terrain.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The region\u2019s vegetation \u2014 thorny, dry deciduous vegetation due to low rainfall and rocky terrain.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">According to them, this narrow definition contradicts the 1996 Supreme Court Godavarman judgment, which required a broader, dictionary-based interpretation of forests.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">They further pointed out that the minimum area requirement of 2 to 5 hectares is unreasonably high for a dry state like Haryana.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In their view, a more practical threshold would have been 1 to 2 hectares, ensuring that smaller but ecologically vital forest patches are not left unprotected.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Source:<\/b> <a href=\"https:\/\/indianexpress.com\/article\/explained\/how-haryanas-dictionary-meaning-of-forest-will-affect-the-aravallis-10202954\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">IE<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> | <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/timesofindia.indiatimes.com\/city\/gurgaon\/haryana-defines-forests-for-first-time-but-will-it-leave-out-more-of-aravalis-than-it-includes\/articleshowprint\/123394917.cms\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">ToI<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Haryana\u2019s official forest definition sets high canopy and area thresholds, sparking criticism for excluding ecologically vital Aravalli patches from protection.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":60407,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[2298,60,22,59],"class_list":{"0":"post-60393","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-upsc-mains-current-affairs","8":"tag-haryana-forest-definition","9":"tag-mains-articles","10":"tag-upsc-current-affairs","11":"tag-upsc-mains-current-affairs","12":"no-featured-image-padding"},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60393","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/18"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=60393"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60393\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/60407"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=60393"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=60393"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=60393"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}