Centre issues guidelines to use green credits as substitute for compensatory afforestation

New Delhi, Sep 17 (PTI) Restored forest land under the Green Credit Programme (GCP) in one state or Union Territory may be exchanged to meet compensatory afforestation for diversion in another state or UT, but only with the consent of their administration, according to new guidelines.

The guidelines, sent by the ministry to all states and UTs on Tuesday, set ecological and area-based conditions before plantations raised under GCP can be accepted in lieu of compensatory afforestation.

Under the rules, only degraded forest patches of at least five hectares that have undergone restoration for a minimum of five years, attained at least 40 per cent canopy density and been awarded green credits will be eligible for exchange, and a user agency must have cumulatively restored at least 25 hectares to qualify.

The guidelines lay down the terms and conditions for using afforestation raised by the government and other entities under the GCP to meet compensatory afforestation obligations.

They require that afforestation use a mixture of indigenous species suited to the site and that lands proposed for exchange be recorded as forest in state records and under the control of the state/UT forest department.

Lands to be exchanged must be free from all encumbrances and properly demarcated at the cost of the Green Credit Applicant (GCA), according to the guidelines.

The user agency will be responsible for maintenance and protection of the afforestation for a period of 10 years; if a user agency has already availed green credits before completing the 10-year period, the maintenance cost for the remaining years must be deposited with the administrator (the Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education) under the GCP.

In exchange, the administrator will transfer any available maintenance fund to the concerned state/UT CAMPA account.

The guidelines specify differential exchange ratios depending on the type of project and location.

For projects linked to central government agencies, central public sector undertakings, captive coal blocks of state PSUs, transmission lines and mining of critical and strategic minerals, the restored forest land to be exchanged must be twice the area proposed for diversion.

For certain mining projects not listed as critical or strategic, the restored area must be three times the diversion area.

In states/UTs with forest area exceeding 33 per cent of the geographical area, the ratio is two times, subject to a state certificate confirming non-availability of suitable non-forest land. For all other cases, the restored area must be four times the area proposed for diversion.

The guidelines also state that restored forest land under GCP in one state/UT may be exchanged to meet compensatory afforestation for diversion in another state/UT, but only with the consent of the concerned state government or Union territory administration.

Green credits are tradable instruments under the GCP that recognise voluntary environmental actions by individuals, communities and companies. They can be earned through activities such as afforestation, mangrove restoration, water conservation, sustainable agriculture and waste management.

However, issuing a new set of rules earlier this month, the environment ministry said the credit for tree plantation will be non-tradable and non-transferable, except in the case of transfer between the holding company and its subsidiary companies. PTI GVS RHL RHL