PANAJI
The Forest Department plans to carry out compensatory afforestation over 487.98 hectares in the next three years. Of this, 130 hectares will be covered in the financial year 2025“26.
In its Annual Plan of Operation (APO) for 2025“26, submitted to the National Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA), Goa has proposed spending over `9 crore for afforestation on 130 hectares of non-forest and degraded forest land. This is to make up for forest areas cleared for development projects.
The APO also mentions that the State plans to spend `33.98 crore on various activities, including maintaining plantations created in the last ten years, which spread across 1,432 hectares.
Goa has also proposed taking up 145 hectares under Assisted Natural Regeneration (ANR), a method that helps forests recover naturally. In the past three years, 475 hectares have been brought under ANR. CAMPA recognises ANR as a valid forest restoration method and allows its funds to be used for such projects.
As per the plan, which is awaiting approval, Goa has carried out a total of 3,079 hectares of compensatory afforestation (including penal afforestation) between 1980 and December 2024. This was done for the diversion of around 2,362.80 hectares of forest land under the Forest Conservation Act, 1980.
For the current financial year 2025“26, the department aims to afforest 130 hectares. For the following years, 2026“27 and 2027“28, the target is 178.49 hectares each year.
In 2024“25, Goa managed to afforest 217 hectares, exceeding the national CAMPA target of 200 hectares. In 2023“24, the total area covered was 470 hectares.
In August 2019, Goa received `238 crore from CAMPA, which had been collected since 2009, to support afforestation and green development goals. As per the law, any project or person that cuts or removes trees is required to plant or replant trees as directed by the Authority.
