National Afforestation and Eco-Development Board

The National Afforestation and Eco-Development Board (NAEB) is a statutory body functioning under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), Government of India. It was established in August 1992 with the primary objective of promoting afforestation, tree plantation, ecological restoration, and eco-development activities across the country, particularly in degraded forest areas and adjoining lands. The Board serves as a key institution in India’s efforts to combat deforestation, enhance biodiversity conservation, and promote sustainable forest management through participatory approaches involving local communities.

Background and Establishment

The creation of the NAEB can be traced to India’s growing awareness of deforestation, soil erosion, and loss of biodiversity during the late twentieth century. Despite earlier afforestation efforts under various Five-Year Plans, much of India’s forest cover remained degraded due to population pressure, agricultural expansion, and unsustainable resource extraction.
The need for a central coordinating body became evident following the National Forest Policy of 1988, which emphasised environmental stability, maintenance of ecological balance, and people’s participation in forest management. In response, the Government of India established the National Afforestation and Eco-Development Board in 1992 under a resolution of the Ministry of Environment and Forests. Its mandate was to coordinate afforestation efforts, streamline funding, and encourage community-based natural resource management through integrated eco-development strategies.

Objectives and Mandate

The primary objectives of the NAEB are designed to ensure both ecological restoration and socio-economic upliftment of rural communities dependent on forest resources. The key objectives include:

• Promoting afforestation and tree plantation on degraded forest and non-forest lands to increase the green cover.
• Developing eco-restoration projects in ecologically fragile and degraded ecosystems.
• Encouraging people’s participation in planning and implementation of afforestation programmes through joint forest management (JFM).
• Supporting research, extension, and capacity-building related to forestry, afforestation, and eco-development.
• Coordinating and monitoring various centrally sponsored and externally aided afforestation schemes implemented by State Governments, Union Territories, and NGOs.
• Restoring ecological balance by conserving soil, water, flora, and fauna in degraded landscapes.

The Board also focuses on ensuring that afforestation efforts contribute to livelihood generation, particularly for tribal and rural communities, by integrating social forestry and eco-development models.

Organisational Structure

The NAEB functions under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, with the Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change serving as its Chairperson. The Inspector General of Forests (Afforestation) acts as the Member Secretary.
The Board comprises senior representatives from various central ministries, state forest departments, research institutions, and non-governmental organisations (NGOs). It operates through a Secretariat in New Delhi and coordinates with State Forest Departments, State Forest Development Agencies (FDAs), and Joint Forest Management Committees (JFMCs) at the grassroots level.
The NAEB’s activities are implemented through regional offices, project implementing agencies, and eco-development committees, ensuring multi-tiered coordination between central and state governments.

Major Programmes and Schemes

The NAEB has launched and coordinated several significant programmes aimed at promoting afforestation and eco-development across India. Some of its notable initiatives include:

• National Afforestation Programme (NAP): Launched in 2000, this is the flagship scheme of NAEB. It provides financial assistance to State Forest Departments for afforestation and eco-restoration through a decentralised participatory mechanism involving Forest Development Agencies (FDAs) and Joint Forest Management Committees (JFMCs).
• Eco-Development Projects: These projects aim to conserve biodiversity and improve local livelihoods by reducing dependence on forest resources. They include activities like soil and water conservation, pasture development, non-timber forest produce (NTFP) management, and capacity-building of village communities.
• National Bamboo Mission (NBM): Initially coordinated through NAEB, this mission promotes the cultivation and sustainable utilisation of bamboo, often referred to as the “green gold” of India, due to its ecological and economic benefits.
• National Green Mission / Green India Mission (GIM): The NAEB contributes to the objectives of the Green India Mission, one of the eight missions under the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC). It focuses on increasing forest and tree cover, improving ecosystem services, and enhancing carbon sequestration capacity.
• Externally Aided Projects: NAEB collaborates with international agencies such as the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), World Bank, and Global Environment Facility (GEF) for implementing community-based forestry and eco-development projects.

Role in Community Participation

A distinctive feature of NAEB’s strategy is its emphasis on people’s participation. It recognises that sustainable forest management cannot be achieved without involving local communities who directly depend on forest resources. Through the Joint Forest Management framework, the Board ensures:

• Empowerment of local institutions like JFMCs for decision-making and benefit-sharing.
• Inclusion of women and marginalised groups in forest management activities.
• Development of alternative livelihoods through agroforestry, horticulture, and non-timber forest produce.
• Capacity-building programmes to train communities in forest protection, soil conservation, and eco-tourism.

Such participatory approaches have contributed significantly to improving forest health and community welfare in many regions, particularly in tribal-dominated states like Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, and Jharkhand.

Monitoring and Evaluation

The NAEB employs a multi-layered system of monitoring and evaluation to ensure transparency and effectiveness in project implementation. Independent agencies, regional offices, and satellite-based remote sensing data are utilised to assess the progress of afforestation and eco-restoration efforts.
The Board also maintains a National Afforestation Database, which records details of plantation areas, species diversity, and survival rates. Periodic field inspections and socio-economic surveys are conducted to evaluate the impact of projects on biodiversity, soil fertility, and local livelihoods.

Achievements and Impact

Since its inception, the NAEB has played a pivotal role in expanding India’s forest and tree cover. According to the India State of Forest Report, the country’s forest cover has shown steady improvement over the decades, partly due to large-scale plantation drives and eco-restoration programmes supported by NAEB.
Key achievements include:

• Rehabilitation of millions of hectares of degraded forest land.
• Promotion of community-based forest management practices.
• Enhanced awareness of the importance of afforestation for climate change mitigation.
• Integration of ecological restoration with rural development goals.

Through its efforts, the NAEB has contributed to carbon sequestration, soil and water conservation, and biodiversity enhancement, thereby aligning national objectives with global environmental goals.

Challenges and Criticism

Despite its successes, the NAEB faces several challenges in achieving its long-term objectives:

• Funding constraints and delays in project approval and release of grants.
• Low survival rates of planted saplings due to poor maintenance or unsuitable species selection.
• Institutional overlaps with other afforestation agencies and lack of coordination among implementing bodies.
• Dependence on external funding for large-scale eco-restoration projects.
• Limited post-project sustainability, as communities may revert to unsustainable practices without continued support.

These challenges highlight the need for better integration of afforestation programmes with local development planning, scientific monitoring, and climate adaptation strategies.

Significance in Environmental Policy

The National Afforestation and Eco-Development Board represents a cornerstone of India’s environmental policy and commitment to sustainable development. Its work contributes directly to achieving national and international targets such as:

• Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 13 and 15) — Climate Action and Life on Land.
• Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement, which emphasise carbon sink enhancement through forest expansion.
• Biodiversity conservation in alignment with the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).