India must harness latest technology and strengthen indigenous capabilities for forest assessment: Bhupender Yadav

India's Union Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Bhupender Yadav has called for the increased use of the latest technologies in assessing and monitoring India's forest and tree resources. He emphasized the importance of strengthening indigenous capabilities and the capacity of forest personnel. The Minister inaugurated a national workshop on 'Leveraging Latest Technologies in Assessment of Forest and Tree Resources' in New Delhi, which brought together State Forest Departments, scientific institutions, scientists, technology experts and other stakeholders. Three technical sessions were held during the workshop, focusing on digitisation of forest boundaries, assessment of forest and tree cover, and estimation of carbon stock. Yadav stressed that humans are not above nature and must respect it by working towards coexistence with the natural environment. He highlighted that technology should be leveraged to strengthen the quality of data on natural resources, improve decision-making and accelerate India's climate commitments. The Minister also underlined the important role of the Forest Survey of India as a premier institution for forest conservation and documentation of the country's green cover. India has been carrying out regular biennial assessments of its forest and tree resources through the FSI since 1987. Yadav called for standardised parameters across institutions to facilitate coordinated action on forest conservation. He said compensatory afforestation should remain clearly aligned with preserving plantations and improving the quality of green cover rather than focusing only on increasing its extent. The Minister also stressed the need to classify forest fire-prone areas based on the frequency of incidents and identify hotspots to enable targeted prevention measures. Highlighting the ecological importance of wetlands, he said these ecosystems are crucial for biodiversity conservation and maintaining ecological balance. Yadav emphasised that India must build indigenous technological capabilities and strengthen the skills of forest personnel. He called for improvements in data quality and greater integration of field experience into a robust Standard Operating Procedure for the preparation of the India State of Forest Report. The Minister said achieving India's enhanced ambition of creating a 3.5–4.0 billion tonne CO₂-equivalent carbon sink by 2035 would require technological innovation supported by strong institutions, effective policies and active participation from communities and citizens. The Ministry is providing technical and financial support to States and Union Territories to enhance forest and tree cover through initiatives including the Green India Mission, MISHTI, Nagar Van Yojana, Namo Van and Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam.