"India-Japan Joint Working Group Advances Forest Cooperation Roadmap 2027–2031"
Trees Outside Forests (TOFs)
Trees growing outside legally designated forest areas, including on farmlands, roadsides, and community lands.
Forest Genetics
Study of genetic variation in tree populations, used to develop improved planting material and conserve germplasm.
India's forest and tree cover together account for roughly 21–22% of the country's geographical area, according to periodic assessments by the Forest Survey of India (FSI). While recorded forest cover has shown modest gains in recent years, the quality of forests, measured by canopy density and carbon stock, remains a concern. Dense forests are shrinking while open and scrub forests expand, reducing the ecological value of the overall cover. India has committed under its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) to create an additional carbon sink of 2.5 to 3 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent through forest and tree cover by 2030. Meeting this target requires not only protecting existing forests but also expanding Trees Outside Forests (TOFs), trees on agricultural land, roadsides, community lands, and private farms, which are increasingly recognised as a critical supplement to recorded forest cover.
The Green India Mission (GIM), one of eight missions under the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC), specifically aims to restore and enhance forest cover and respond to climate change through a combination of adaptation and mitigation measures. GIM recognises that forest governance must go beyond protected area management to include agroforestry, community-based conservation, and genetic improvement of tree species. Forest genetics, the science of conserving and improving the genetic diversity of tree populations, is central to producing high-quality planting material that can survive changing climatic conditions. Germplasm conservation, tree breeding programmes, and the development of improved seed sources are all part of this effort.
India and Japan formalised their forest cooperation through a Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) signed in 2015, which established the Joint Working Group (JWG) as the institutional mechanism for structured bilateral engagement. Japan's Forestry Agency under the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries brings expertise in precision forest inventory, geospatial monitoring, and advanced wood science, areas where India is actively building capacity. The Institute of Wood Science and Technology (IWST) in Bengaluru, under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), is India's nodal research institution for wood science and serves as a natural partner in this cooperation.
Trees Outside Forests (TOFs) refer to all trees growing outside legally designated forest areas. They include trees on farmlands, homesteads, roadsides, degraded lands, and urban areas. TOFs are significant for several reasons. They contribute to carbon sequestration, provide timber and non-timber forest products to rural households, and support biodiversity corridors between fragmented forest patches. In India, TOFs are estimated to contribute substantially to the country's total tree cover, but their assessment remains methodologically challenging because they fall outside the jurisdiction of forest departments and are not systematically inventoried. Sharing assessment methodologies with Japan, which has a highly systematic forest inventory system, directly addresses this gap.
Forest genetics is the study of genetic variation within and among tree populations. It underpins tree breeding programmes that produce planting material with desirable traits: faster growth, disease resistance, drought tolerance, and higher timber quality. …
Which of the following best describes/describe the aim of 'Green India Mission' of the Government of India?
1.Incorporating environmental benefits and costs into the Union and State Budgets thereby implementing the 'green accounting'
2.Launching the second green revolution to enhance agricultural output so as to ensure food security to one and all in the future
3.Restoring and enhancing forest cover and responding to climate change by a combination of adaptation and mitigation measures
Select the correct answer using the code given below.
Examine the status of forest resources of India and its resultant impact on climate change.
With reference to the 'Green India Mission', consider the following statements:
1.It is one of the eight missions under the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC).
2.Its primary aim includes incorporating environmental costs into Union and State Budgets through green accounting.
3.It seeks to restore and enhance forest cover and respond to climate change through adaptation and mitigation measures.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Consider the following statements regarding India's forest-related commitments and institutions:
1.India's Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) targets an additional carbon sink of 2.5 to 3 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent through forest and tree cover by 2030.
2.The Forest Survey of India publishes an annual State of Forest Report assessing India's forest and tree cover.
3.Trees Outside Forests (TOFs) refer to trees growing outside legally designated forest areas, including on farmlands and roadsides.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Match the following forest governance concepts with their correct descriptions:
List I (Concept) — List II (Description)
A.Forest Stack — 1. Integrated digital infrastructure for forest inventory, stock assessment, and geospatial monitoring
B.Germplasm Conservation — 2. Preservation of genetic material of tree species in seed banks or field gene banks
C.Green India Mission — 3. NAPCC mission aimed at restoring forest cover and responding to climate change through adaptation and mitigation
D.Trees Outside Forests — 4. Trees on agricultural land, roadsides, and community lands outside legally designated forest areas
Select the correct answer:
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