India to undertake 'Forest Plus' program developed by U.S. Agency for International Development to mostly reduce emissions from deforestation and forest degradation, increase value of forest ecosystems, involve communities

Wendy Lisney

LOS ANGELES , August 14, 2012 (Industry Intelligence Inc.) –

India plans to undertake a forestry program that will mostly cut emissions from deforestation and forest degradation, increase the value of forest and forest carbon ecosystems, and involve communities in these programs, reported The Pioneer on Aug. 11.

The program, called Forest Plus, was developed by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), said Varghese Paul from USAID. The organization recently participated in  a delegation to the Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE) that also included representatives of New Delhi and the U.S. Forest Service.

 ICFRE has developed an All India Coordinated Program on Climate Change that is directly connected with the population, The Pioneer reported.

The USAID program for India’s forests is one of the collaborative programs between the two countries directed at forest, climate change and biodiversity, which were discussed by the delegation.

India’s forests cover about 32 million hectares (79.1 million acres) of land; half of this is protected and includes national parks and wildlife sanctuaries, said Dr. VK Bahuguna, director general of ICFRE in a welcome to the delegation, reported The Pioneer.

Although the Indian government controls 95% of the country's forests, about 300 million people rely on the forests for their livelihood and more than 170,000 villages are located along the outskirts of the forest, he said.

 Bahuguna said the council was focusing its research on such things as “models for sustaining livelihood, helping farmers with superior clones, genetics and tree improvement, biodiversity conservation and climate change,” The Pioneer reported.

The primary source of this article is The Pioneer, India, on Aug. 11, 2012.
 

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