Restore, Conserve and Protect Forest and Tree Cover for NDC Implementation in India

Owing to socio-economic pressures, 43 percent of Indian forests are degraded. With 140 million hectars, the forest restoration potential is enormous. India is aiming at a national target for forest and tree cover of 33 percent, besides ambitious Bonn Challenge and NDC goals. Coordinated efforts of forest departments together with other line departments and institutions, decision-makers, local communities, and other stakeholders will support the translation of policy goals into action. In four states, the project supports key actors to effectively plan, finance, implement and monitor Forest Landscape Restoration (FLR) and Trees Outside Forests (TOF) measures. By 2029, it aims to restore 0.4 million hectars of forest landscape. 10 million people will benefit from improved forest ecosystem services.

Project data

Countries: India
IKI funding: 17,500,000.00 €
Duration: 05/2022 till 04/2029
Status: open
Implementing organisation: Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH
Political Partner: Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) - India
Implementing Partner: Forest Survey of India

Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education

International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) - Nepal

International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) - India

The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) - India

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State of implementation/results

The prototype of the National Afforestation Monitoring System (NAMS), a nationwide database integrating various initiatives to monitor all afforestation and reforestation activities in India, was launched at the Arid Forest Research Institute (AFRI) in Jodhpur, Rajasthan. RECAP4NDC is actively contributing to its development.
RECAP4NDC is working closely with State Forest Departments to develop digital solutions. In Uttarakhand, a dashboard is being created to monitor forest patrolling and spatially track human-wildlife conflict hotspots. Additionally, the project provided an ArcGIS ESRI Server to improve the remote sensing and monitoring capacity of the SFD. In Gujarat, various mobile and web applications integrated into a dashboard are being developed for detecting forest cover changes, logging patrols and incidents, and navigating Working Plans.
A cooperation agreement was signed between RECAP4NDC and the Lupin Health and Welfare Research Foundation under an "integrated development partnership with the private sector". This joint initiative focuses on agroforestry, sustainable agriculture, and livelihood improvement for small and marginal farmers in two project districts.
Intervention landscapes for planning, implementing, and monitoring restoration measures, as well as capacity-building activities, have been selected across all project states. These cover a total of 213,001 hectares in 23 districts (Maharashtra: 112,886 ha, Gujarat: 40,302 ha, Delhi NCR: 29,567 ha, Uttarakhand: 30,246 ha) and were endorsed by the respective State Forest Departments during Executive Committee meetings.
All baseline studies and restoration action plans (Detailed Project Reports, DPR) are being developed by consortium partner IUCN and local NGOs. Multi-departmental stakeholder consultations, orientation meetings, and planning workshops have been conducted in the relevant districts across all project states.
Training Needs Assessments (TNA) for forest officials, line departments, and communities in selected landscapes have been completed in all four states. Various topics on Forest Landscape Restoration (FLR) and sustainable forest management were identified, alongside preferred training formats and course durations. Over 35% of TNA participants from frontline forest staff and officers were women, ensuring their perspectives are included in the design and delivery of training.
The legal and policy review identifying entry points for integrating FLR into policy planning processes was completed and presented to the State Forest Departments in January 2025.
RECAP4NDC’s LinkedIn feeds feature several series, including VanKaVardaan ("Blessings of Forest", showcasing native tree species across selected landscapes), UnJargon (aiming to explain technical concepts in clear, accessible language), and relevant stories from the states highlighting conservation champions, FLR measures and approaches, and innovative initiatives.

Latest Update:
12/2025