National Forest Policy 1988

Geography glossary

Topic: Natural Vegetation and Forests of India · NCERT: Class 11, Ch 5 "Natural Vegetation"

Meaning

The National Forest Policy 1988 is India's second forest policy after Independence. It aims to keep 33 per cent of the country's area under forest, and two-thirds (about 67 per cent) in hills and mountains. It puts ecology (the balance of nature) and local people's needs first, ahead of revenue (government income) and industry.

It matters because it changed how India sees its forests. Under the 1952 policy, forests were mainly a money-maker and a source of raw material. Under the 1988 policy, they are a life-support system to protect with the people. No new policy has replaced it yet, so it still guides forest work (verify current).

Explanation

Why a new policy was needed: from 1952 to 1988

  • National Forest Policy 1952 was India's first forest policy after Independence.
  • It also aimed to keep one-third (about 33 per cent) of the land under forest.
  • But it treated forests as a state and national asset, mainly for revenue and raw material for industry (timber, pulp, plywood).

  • Local people's needs and ecology came second, so forests were cut for industry and money.

  • The big shift in 1988:

  • 1952: forests mainly for revenue and industry.
  • 1988: ecology and local needs come first, and revenue comes after.
  • Result: industry can no longer treat forests as a cheap source of raw material.

The seven aims of NFP 1988

# Aim What it means in simple words
1 33 per cent of area under forest Two-thirds in hills and mountains, because slopes erode easily
2 Environmental stability Restore forests where the ecological balance (the natural balance between plants, animals, soil and water) is broken
3 Conserve natural heritage Protect biodiversity (the variety of living things) and the gene pool (all the genes found in a species)
4 Check land damage Stop soil erosion, the spread of deserts, floods and droughts
5 Social forestry Plant trees on degraded land (land that has lost its soil or plant cover) and common land, for and with the community
6 Productivity Help rural people get timber, fuel, fodder and food, and use other materials in place of wood
7 People's movement Build a mass people's movement that includes women, to protect forests

Why two-thirds in the hills

  • Steep slopes lose soil fast:
  • Rain runs quickly down a bare slope and carries soil away.
  • Tree roots hold the soil, and the leaf cover slows the falling rain.

  • So hills need more forest than the plains to stay stable.

  • Forests in the hills protect the plains below:

  • Forested slopes soak up rain and release it slowly.
  • This reduces floods and droughts downstream (aim 4).

How far India has reached: progress towards the goal

  • The India State of Forest Report (ISFR) tracks progress. The Forest Survey of India (FSI), Dehradun, publishes it every two years (biennial), and has done so since 1987 [2].
  • ISFR 2023 [2]:
  • Forest cover: 7,15,343 sq km, or 21.76 per cent of India's geographical area.
  • Tree cover (trees outside recorded forests, such as on farms and in towns): 1,12,014 sq km, or 3.41 per cent.

  • Total forest and tree cover: 8,27,357 sq km, or 25.17 per cent.

  • Gap: at 25.17 per cent, India is still about 8 percentage points short of the 33 per cent goal.

Where it occurs

  • Where it applies: all of India. It is a national policy of the Government of India, adopted in 1988, and it replaced the 1952 policy.
  • Who measures progress: the Forest Survey of India, Dehradun, under the MoEFCC (Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change), through the biennial ISFR [2].
  • Hills and mountains, where the two-thirds target applies: for example the Himalaya and the North-East, which are fragile, biodiversity-rich regions.
  • States with the largest forest cover by area (ISFR 2023): Madhya Pradesh (77,073 sq km) > Arunachal Pradesh (65,882 sq km) > Chhattisgarh (55,812 sq km) [2].
  • States with the largest forest and tree cover together: Madhya Pradesh > Arunachal Pradesh > Maharashtra [2].
  • Laws that carry out its aims:
  • Forest (Conservation) Act 1980: forest land can be used for non-forest purposes only with Central approval.
  • Forest Rights Act 2006: recognises the rights of forest dwellers and supports the "people's participation" aim.

Don't confuse with

  • National Forest Policy 1952: it had the same one-third target, but it treated forests mainly as a source of revenue and industry. NFP 1988 put ecology and local needs first and added the two-thirds in hills rule.
  • Forest (Conservation) Act 1980: this is a law that needs prior Central approval before forest land is diverted. NFP 1988 is a policy that sets goals. It is not a law that courts enforce.
  • Draft National Forest Policy 2018: it was circulated but not adopted. The 1988 policy is still the one in force (verify current).
  • ISFR: this is a biennial report by FSI that measures forest cover. It is not a policy. It shows how far India is from the NFP 1988 target.

Prelims Hooks

  • NFP 1988 target: 33 per cent of area under forest, and two-thirds in hills and mountains. Trap: NFP 1952 also aimed for one-third, so the 33 per cent figure alone does not tell you which policy is meant.
  • NFP 1988 core shift: ecology and local needs before revenue. NFP 1952 treated forests mainly as a source of revenue and raw material for industry.
  • NFP 1988 aims include: checking soil erosion, the spread of deserts, floods and droughts; social forestry on degraded land; and a mass people's movement that includes women.
  • ISFR 2023: forest cover is 21.76 per cent; forest plus tree cover is 25.17 per cent. Both are below the 33 per cent goal [2].
  • Largest forest cover (ISFR 2023): Madhya Pradesh > Arunachal Pradesh > Chhattisgarh. Trap: Maharashtra is third only for forest plus tree cover [2].
  • Draft NFP 2018 was not adopted, so NFP 1988 still applies (verify current).

Mains Points

  • From revenue to ecology (GS-I and GS-III):
  • NFP 1952 used forests for income and industry. NFP 1988 put environmental stability, biodiversity and local needs first.

  • This made forests a matter of soil, water and climate security, not only timber.

  • The unmet 33 per cent target:

  • Forest plus tree cover is only 25.17 per cent (ISFR 2023) [2], about 8 percentage points short.
  • Closing the gap needs social forestry, agroforestry (trees grown on farms) and more tree cover outside forests.

  • The hills need special care, because the two-thirds target matters most in fragile areas such as the Himalaya and the North-East.

  • People at the centre:

  • NFP 1988 called for a people's movement that includes women.
  • Later steps put this aim into practice. The Forest Rights Act 2006 recognised community rights, and the Niyamgiri judgment (2013) made gram sabha (village assembly) consent central to forest decisions.
  • Protecting forests together with the people who live in them is the lasting lesson of the 1988 policy.

Related concepts

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Sources

  1. 1Class 11, Ch 5 "Natural Vegetation" (primary)
  2. 2PIB, "Union Minister Bhupender Yadav Releases India State of Forest Report 2023"pib.gov.in · tier 1