Guwahati: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has instructed the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) to consider introducing nationwide guidelines or rules for tree protection, regarding how trees are managed.
The tribunal flagged the need for all states and Union Territories to collaborate on a unified framework, warning that inconsistent state regulations and weak enforcement are putting the country’s tree cover at risk.
The order was issued on January 27 during hearings on multiple petitions, including Chander Prakash vs Haryana State Pollution Control Board. The case has gained attention partly because Haryana lacks a dedicated law for tree protection.
The NGT recommended that the ministry organize a joint meeting with all states and UTs to draft rules in three main areas: regulating tree felling, including compulsory afforestation, plantation, or transplantation; overseeing tree pruning and preventing unauthorized cutting; and carrying out a comprehensive tree census across the country.
The tribunal referred to a joint committee report submitted in compliance with its April 5, 2024, order.
The report urged states and UTs without a legal framework to begin establishing one, while those with existing laws should update them to align with national forest conservation goals, closing gaps related to felling, pruning, transplantation, and compensatory afforestation.
The committee also emphasized the importance of better enforcement, suggesting the use of technology, community-led plantation initiatives, and addressing staff shortages.
States were advised to review vacancies in departments responsible for tree protection and ensure adequate funding and personnel.
Other proposals included empowering local tree officials to approve felling, protecting ecologically valuable plantations in both urban and rural areas, boosting tree stocks in line with the National Forest Policy, 1988, and safeguarding heritage trees.
The report also recommended establishing tree authorities that include government representatives, experts, and civil society members.
To support states, the committee suggested that the Centre provide updated model policies, GIS and remote-sensing tools to monitor tree cover, capacity-building programs, funding through schemes like Green India Mission and Nagar Van, and promote inter-state coordination.
The NGT has given the environment ministry four weeks to present its stance. “Learned counsel appearing for MoEF&CC seeks four weeks to obtain instructions and place the stand of the ministry on record,” the order stated. The next hearing is scheduled for April 24.
The bench, chaired by Prakash Shrivastava with expert member A Senthil Vel, also allowed an adjournment requested by the applicant’s counsel for personal reasons.
Haryana continues to struggle with low tree cover, which stands at just 3.6% of the state’s area, among the lowest in India.
Forest Survey of India (FSI) data shows Gurgaon lost nearly 2.5 sq km of forest between 2019 and 2020, while tree cover outside forests across the state declined by 140 sq km during the same period.
The 2023 FSI report recorded a further 14 sq km decrease in Haryana’s forest cover from 2021 to 2023, with Gurgaon’s tree cover representing only 12.9% of its total geographical area.