India has successfully restored 21.76 million hectares of degraded land during the period 2011-2020, generating approximately 1.22 billion person-days of employment according to the country's Second Progress Report on the Bonn Challenge. Union Environment Minister Shri Bhupender Yadav announced these achievements at the UNCCD COP17 in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, emphasizing that land restoration is an established national priority integral to India's sustainable land management, biodiversity conservation, climate action and rural development efforts.
India made an initial commitment to restore degraded and deforested land in 2015 as part of the Bonn Challenge, which was subsequently enhanced to 26 million hectares by 2030. The restoration assessment captured efforts across multiple land-use systems including forests, agriculture, soil and water conservation, recognizing the need to respond to ecological and socio-economic characteristics of each landscape. The reporting process highlighted the need to strengthen systems for monitoring restoration outcomes, financial flows and livelihood impacts.
India is now undertaking the next reporting cycle for 2021-2025 in collaboration with the ICFRE Centre of Excellence on Sustainable Land Management and IUCN, focusing on three key dimensions: area restored, financial flows and employment generated. The country has developed a multi-sectoral and landscape-based approach that includes the Green India Mission for strengthening forest and tree cover, the Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority for directing resources toward compensatory afforestation, and the Nagar Van Yojana for urban greening through urban forestry and green spaces. These efforts are complemented by watershed development, agroforestry, soil and water conservation and community-based restoration across the country.
The Minister emphasized that restoration requires convergence across landscapes, sectors and levels of governance—from local communities and States to the Union Government. Looking beyond 2030, India's objective is to not only restore more land but to restore better, finance better and deliver measurable and lasting outcomes through innovative financing mechanisms, stronger regional and international partnerships, and sustained participation of local communities.