Forest Committee Approves Green Credit Scheme

The Forest Advisory Committee, an apex body tasked with adjudicating requests by the industry to divert forest land for commercial ends, has approved a scheme that could allow “forests” to be traded as a commodity. If implemented, it allows the Forest Department to outsource one of its responsibilities of reforesting to non-government agencies.

Need for the Scheme

• In the current system, industry needs to make good the loss of forest by finding appropriate non-forest land — equal to that which would be razed.
• It also must pay the State Forest Department the current economic equivalent — called Net ....