CM Yogi Adityanath attends inauguration of National Forestry Dialogue on International Day of Forests

Forest cover and plantation drive increase in Uttar Pradesh, 242 crore saplings planted in 9 years through people’s movement

Boost to Ramsar sites and eco-tourism, number of Ramsar sites rises from 1 in 2017 to 11 in 2026

Lucknow, March 2026 : At a time when the entire world is facing serious challenges such as climate change, global warming, and environmental imbalance, the importance of forests has increased more than ever. Every individual is experiencing the consequences of interference with nature in some form. This situation compels us to introspect where our efforts have fallen short. In the Indian Vedic tradition, nature has been given the highest place. Our sages, thousands of years ago, conveyed the message that the earth is our mother and we are her children – “Mata Bhumih Putroaham Prithivyah”. This is our responsibility to protect our mother nature and follow the precautions to protect and preserve it.

These views were expressed by Yogi Adityanath on Saturday at Indira Gandhi Pratishthan during the inauguration ceremony of the National Forestry Dialogue, organised on the occasion of International Day of Forests.

On this occasion, the Chief Minister released a coffee table book, honoured several individuals, and also visited the exhibition organized by the Forest Department.

Chief Minister said, “India’s sage tradition has always stated, ‘Dashakoopasama Vaapi, Dashavaapisamo Hradah. Dashahradasamah Putro, Dashaputrasamo Drumah’. Its meaning is: One stepwell is equal to ten wells, one pond is equal to ten stepwells, one son is equal to ten ponds, and one tree is equal to ten sons. The importance of trees in nature has been considered supreme. Forests are the basis of life and an important dimension of ecological balance. If there are forests, there is water; if there is water, there are forests; if there are forests, there is air; and if there is air, there is life. Life cannot be imagined without these”.

He further added, “Keeping the global perspective in mind, this year’s theme has been set as ‘Forest and Economics’, which reflects the need to maintain ecological balance while also creating plans for economic development through forests and human welfare”.

He expressed satisfaction that under the guidance of Narendra Modi, the state has succeeded in increasing forest cover over the past 9 years. He emphasized that success came when it was turned into a people’s movement. Whenever any campaign becomes a people’s movement, success is achieved because then society leads it while the government and departments remain behind. When the government and departments are ahead and the public is behind, results do not come. The successes achieved over the past 9 years are based on this principle.

Chief Minister also said, during Van Mahotsav in earlier years, only 5.5 crore saplings could be planted, and even that required support from private nurseries. In contrast, last year, 37 crore saplings were planted across the state in a single day, with 50 crore saplings available. This year, a target of 35 crore has been set, which may increase to 40 to 45 crore.

He further informed, over the past few years, Uttar Pradesh has ensured capital expenditure of around ₹2 lakh crore on infrastructure. Despite this, the increase in forest cover is a matter of satisfaction. In the last 9 years, 242 crore saplings have been planted, and forest cover has increased to around 10 percent. The forest cover in the state should correspond to its share in the country’s population, meaning efforts are needed to raise it to 16 to 17 percent.

He added, in 2017, there was only one Ramsar site in the state, which has now increased to 11, and the effort is to take it to 100. Ramsar sites are important from the perspective of tourism, wildlife, and birds, and they also play a role in water conservation. Declaring Ramsar sites helps protect these areas from land encroachment and enables conservation programs to be implemented effectively.

By adding more he said, “Initiatives such as Atal, Eklavya, Triveni, Oxy, and Smriti Van are part of this effort. Large-scale plantation drives are being carried out along the Ganga River, Yamuna River, and Saryu River. Plantation programs are also being carried out on both sides of expressways and highways. Additionally, restoration work of one river in each district has been undertaken”.

Chief Minister said, Uttar Pradesh is the first state in the country where funds have been distributed to farmers for carbon credit under a carbon finance project. Steps have been taken to promote eco-tourism in Dudhwa National Park, along with improved connectivity. A total of 2,467 forest-based green economy model industries have been established in the state. The people visit national parks to see tigers, and their conservation is our responsibility. Uttar Pradesh is the first state to categorize human-wildlife conflict as a disaster.

He added that a tiger does not attack suddenly. He shared that near his birthplace, the forest began just 50 meters away, and they used to see tigers but never disturbed them, and the tigers never harmed them or their livestock. However, if we interfere with their safety, they will naturally become aggressive.

Chief Minister also informed, if there are forests, there are tigers; if there are tigers, there is biodiversity; if there is biodiversity, there is life; and if there is life, there is human civilization. Therefore, forest conservation is not only important for humans but for all living beings. As humans are considered the best creation of God, it is our moral responsibility to take ownership and work towards forest conservation at every level.

He stated that the forest department budget has been significantly increased this year. Certain sectors, such as security and forests, are never constrained by budget limitations. For social forestry, ₹800 crore has been allocated, ₹220 crore for gaushala management, ₹10 crore for forest modernization, ₹50 crore corpus fund for Ranipur Tiger Reserve, ₹194 crore for clean air management, and ₹50 crore for a forestry university.

Before 2017, the Gangetic dolphin had almost disappeared. With the inspiration of the Prime Minister and after the Namami Gange project, the species has been revived. Earlier, the total number of dolphins was 23, which has now increased to 6,327, with 2,397 in Uttar Pradesh alone. A Jatayu Conservation Center has also been established in Gorakhpur.

Chief Minister said, “To achieve the carbon net zero target, the state has implemented an Electric Vehicle Policy and is among the leading states in this sector. An electric vehicle manufacturing unit has already been established in Lucknow. Metro services are operational in seven cities, and the country’s first rapid rail is also running in the state. More than 700 electric buses are operational, and Uttar Pradesh has the highest number of e-rickshaws”.

Ayodhya is being developed as a solar city, and work is underway to develop 17 other municipal corporations as solar cities. Under the PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana, more than 4 lakh rooftop solar systems with a capacity of over 1,400 megawatts have been installed. Additionally, a target has been set to develop 22,000 megawatts of renewable energy in the next 5 years. Under the Uttar Pradesh Green Hydrogen Policy 2024, funds have been arranged for two centers of excellence.

Chief Minister, while releasing the coffee table book, said that it should not remain limited to the department and should be made available to every minister, airport, railway station, and both government and private universities, as it contains valuable information. He also emphasized continuous dialogue with farmers for carbon credit initiatives. The government has declared old trees as heritage trees, and all trees above 100 years of age are to be promoted as heritage trees.

On this occasion, Minister of Forest and Environment Arun Kumar Saxena, Minister of State K P Malik, Principal Secretary V Hekali Zhimomi, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and Head of Department Sunil Chaudhary, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) Anuradha Vemuri, B Prabhakar, Lalit Verma and others were present.