Minister unveils action plan for Aravalli range restoration

Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav on Wednesday unveiled a detailed action plan for Aravalli landscape restoration in Udaipur on the sidelines of a high-level workshop on the restoration of the Aravalli landscape and its biodiversity.

Yadav said the Aravalli Green Wall Project would not only increase the green cover and biodiversity of the Aravalli range through afforestation, reforestation and restoration of water bodies, but also improve the soil fertility, water availability and climate resilience of the region.

The project would benefit local communities by providing them employment opportunities, he added.

“Developing the Aravalli landscapes for safari, nature parks and trekking; removing invasive species and re-planting native species and bamboo; roping in eco-clubs and the eco-task force for raising plantations and awareness; linking Amrit Sarovars and water bodies with the Aravali restoration programme; creating a research and monitoring vertical under NIRANTAR institutions such as BSI and ZSI in taxonomy; and organising annual workshops could be effective measures in this direction,” the minister added.

The action plan outlined a science-based, community-led and policy-supported roadmap to restoring the ecological integrity of the Aravalli range, he said.

It focuses on five pillars — ecological restoration, community participation, policy and governance, sustainable livelihoods, and research and innovation.