Ahmedabad: Gujarat’s forest department is preparing a new policy framework that places wetland and mangrove conservation at the centre of the state’s long-term plan, which aims to raise green cover to 15% by 2047, up from the current level of about 11%.The policy aligns with the National Forest Policy’s approach while setting state-specific milestones of 13% green cover by 2037 and 15% by 2047. Officials in the department said that a major thrust area is mangrove conservation to check salinity ingress and strengthen the coastline. Officials said the policy will focus on enriching and notifying ecologically sensitive coastal stretches, including large mudflat areas estimated at around 1 lakh hectares, alongside a targeted increase in mangrove cover. The department is also aiming to scale up mangrove plantations and protection measures across identified coastal belts, with an emphasis on long-term survival and habitat quality rather than plantation numbers alone. The state has 1,165km of mangrove area. Wetland and lake restoration is another key pillar in the policy, officials said. The policy proposes identifying big ponds, lakes, and wetlands for restoration and conservation, with select sites to be developed under regulated eco-tourism models. The aim is to improve water retention, revive local biodiversity, and create nature-based livelihoods while ensuring protection rules are built into site management. The draft framework also signals a stricter approach to forest land diversion, with the department likely to lay emphasis on “no transfer of forest land” as a guiding principle for future planning. In parallel, the department proposes mainstreaming roadside and corridor plantations as a mandatory component of future road expansion projects. The Dwarka-Somnath road plantation initiative, implemented with an NGO, is being cited as a model that could be institutionalized through the policy. For existing road networks passing through sensitive habitats, the department is considering measures to reduce wildlife disturbance and mortality, including speed restrictions similar to those implemented on the sanctuary roads in Sasan. Beyond forests, the policy places emphasis on agroforestry and “trees outside forests” to expand the canopy in revenue and private lands. It also proposes restoration along 184 riverine stretches outside river basins to maximize tree cover and improve habitat conditions to attract avian life. In Kutch, Banni grassland restoration is proposed through the removal of the invasive gando bawal to support native ecology.
