Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav Launches National Meet to Boost Eco-Restoration of Aravalli Range

New Delhi, January 14: Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav on Wednesday inaugurated a national-level conference focused on reviving the fragile Aravalli ecosystem, with a special emphasis on strengthening the Aravalli Green Wall initiative. The event was held in the national capital and brought together policymakers, experts and conservation practitioners.

During the inaugural session, the Minister unveiled a detailed report on Aravalli eco-restoration prepared by the Sankala Foundation. Addressing the gathering,  Yadav said the Aravalli Green Wall Project reflects Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s long-term environmental vision and India’s international commitment under the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification to restore millions of hectares of degraded land.

He said extensive surveys have identified over six million hectares of degraded land across the Aravalli landscape, with restoration activities already underway on a significant portion spanning Gujarat, Delhi, Haryana and Rajasthan. The project is being implemented at the district level by forest officials, with a focus on planting native species suitable for dry and semi-arid conditions.

Highlighting a major conservation milestone, the Minister said a large stretch of severely degraded Aravalli revenue land in Haryana has been brought under afforestation efforts and accorded Protected Forest status to ensure long-term ecological security. He described the move as one of the most significant policy interventions for Aravalli conservation since Independence, made possible through coordinated efforts between the Centre and the state government.

Calling the Aravallis India’s oldest mountain system,  Yadav said the range has supported human settlements for thousands of years and continues to play a crucial role in maintaining ecological balance. He noted that the region is safeguarded by multiple tiger reserves and protected areas, with additional greening measures being taken wherever ecological stress is identified.

The Minister also highlighted India’s leadership in global wildlife conservation, noting that the country hosts a majority of the world’s tiger population along with several other big cat species. He said restoration work in the Aravalli region has shown encouraging results over the past few years and reaffirmed the government’s resolve to pursue development without compromising environmental stability.

 Yadav underlined that India’s approach to growth today integrates economic progress with ecological responsibility, with the protection of critical landscapes like the Aravallis remaining a priority.

The inaugural session was attended by Haryana Environment Minister Rao Narbir Singh, senior officials of the Environment Ministry, representatives from international missions, and environmental organisations. The conference served as a platform for dialogue on sustainable, community-led and science-based strategies to revive the Aravalli range.

The report released at the event outlines a scalable and data-driven framework for large-scale landscape restoration, stressing that fragmented or isolated interventions are insufficient to address the growing ecological pressures facing the region.