Ministry of Environment Workshop on Forest Assessment Technologies
The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change organized a national workshop on 'Leveraging Latest Technologies in Assessment of Forest and Tree Resources' in New Delhi on September 10, 2026. The inaugural session was presided over by Union Minister Shri Bhupender Yadav and attended by Union MoS Shri Kirti Vardhan Singh, with participation from State Forest Departments, scientific institutions, scientists, and technology experts.
The workshop featured three technical sessions focusing on Digitization of Forest Boundaries, Forest and Tree Cover assessment, and Estimation of Carbon Stock. Minister Yadav emphasized that humans must respect nature and work towards coexistence, highlighting the need to harness technology to strengthen natural resource data, improve decision-making, and accelerate India's climate commitments through nature-based solutions.
Key Initiatives and Targets
Minister Yadav underscored that increasing carbon sink through forest and tree cover represents India's third NDC target under UNFCCC, with the Forest Survey of India (FSI) serving as the premier institution for forest conservation documentation. India has conducted regular biennial assessment of forest and tree resources through FSI since 1987, with the India State of Forest Report (ISFR) serving as the scientific basis for monitoring changes and supporting national and international reporting.
The Minister called for standardization of parameters across institutions to enable coordinated forest conservation action and emphasized that compensatory afforestation must be clearly aligned with preserving plantations and improving green cover quality. He stressed the need to classify forest fire-prone regions by incident frequency and identify hotspots for targeted prevention strategies, while noting the critical importance of maintaining appropriate balance between wetlands, woodlands, and grasslands for biodiversity conservation and ecological balance.
Technology and Capacity Building
Yadav encouraged innovation and adoption of latest technologies while emphasizing the importance of indigenous technologies and capacity building of forest staff. He called for improved data quality and integration of field experience into robust Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for ISFR preparation to strengthen the report as a base document for forest conservation and management.
India aims to achieve its enhanced ambition of creating a 3.5–4.0 billion tonne CO₂-equivalent carbon sink by 2035, which will require technological innovation alongside strong institutional capacities, effective policies, and active participation of people and communities. The Ministry continues providing technical and financial support to States and UTs for enhancing forest and tree cover through initiatives including Green India Mission, MISHTI, Nagar Van Yojana, Namo Van, and Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam.