Indian Forest Service Completes 60 Years, India Ranks 9th Globally in Forest Area

The Indian Forest Service has completed 60 years since its modern inception on July 1, 1966, marking six decades of its role in managing India’s forests, wildlife and ecological resources. From traditional forestry and timber management to climate action, habitat protection and human-wildlife coexistence, the Service has undergone a major transformation. The changing nature of its responsibilities is visible at places such as Kuno National Park, where advanced technologies including solar-powered smart fences, thermal cameras and satellite monitoring are being used alongside efforts to manage the pressures created by nearby villages and human activity.

The roots of India’s organised forest administration go back to 1864, when Sir Dietrich Brandis of Germany became the country’s first Inspector General of Forests. His appointment helped introduce scientific forestry practices at a time when forest exploitation was largely unregulated. Over the years, the role of forestry gradually expanded beyond timber production. Conservationists such as Jim Corbett contributed to this shift, moving from hunting man-eating animals to becoming a prominent advocate for wildlife protection. Corbett also played a role in the establishment of India’s first national park in 1936, reflecting the growing importance of preserving natural habitats and biodiversity.

The modern Indian Forest Service was formally established as an elite All India Service in 1966, giving ecological governance a stronger administrative structure. Its responsibilities now include protecting forests, conserving wildlife, restoring degraded landscapes, addressing habitat loss and contributing to climate-change mitigation. India has only 2.2 per cent of the world’s land area but supports around 18 per cent of the global human population, along with substantial livestock pressure. Despite these challenges, structured conservation efforts have helped the country remain among the world’s leading forest-rich nations.

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According to the Food and Agriculture Organization’s Global Forest Resources Assessment, India ranks ninth globally in total forest area and third in terms of net annual gains in forest cover. Forest and tree cover together account for 25.17 per cent of the country’s landmass. The expanding green cover is also linked to India’s climate commitments, including its target of achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2070. The country aims to create an additional carbon sink capable of absorbing 2.5 to 3 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent through enhanced forest and green cover by 2030. India has also expanded its network of Ramsar sites to improve protection for wetlands and other ecologically important areas.

The evolution of forest policy has played a significant role in shaping this conservation approach. While the 1952 National Forest Policy placed considerable emphasis on forests as commercial resources, the 1988 policy gave greater priority to ecological stability and environmental protection over industrial interests. This change helped lead to the introduction of Joint Forest Management in 1990, under which local communities were given a share in forest benefits and a greater role in conservation. The approach sought to reduce conflict between people and wildlife by encouraging more sustainable forms of coexistence and community participation in forest protection.

India’s forest governance is supported by a legal framework that includes the Indian Forest Act of 1927 and several later laws dealing with wildlife, conservation, biodiversity and community rights. These include the Wildlife Protection Act, the Forest Conservation Act of 1980, renamed the Van Sanrakshan evam Samwardhan Adhiniyam in 2023, the Biological Diversity Act and the Forest Rights Act. The forest conservation law helped restrict unchecked diversion of forest land, while the compensatory afforestation system requires developers to contribute the net present value of diverted forests to the CAMPA fund. Together, these measures reflect the Indian Forest Service’s continuing transition from conventional forest administration to a broader mission centred on ecological security, climate resilience and sustainable development.

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