changeadminThe National Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (National Authority CAMPA), under India’s Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC), organised a National Workshop on Settlement and Digitisation of Forest Boundaries, in New Delhi yesterday.
The landmark national workshop brought together senior officials of the Government, States and Union Territories (UTs) to chart a definitive course of action to accelerate GIS-based Forest Boundary Digitisation in compliance with the directions of the Supreme Court of India.
The Supreme Court judgment was given in the case of Lafarge Umiam Mining Pvt. Ltd. vs Union of India & Ors (judgment dated 7th July 2011), which directed all States and UTs to create and regularly update a GIS-based decision support database of geo-referenced forest land.
Despite this unambiguous directive, a large number of States and UTs are yet to show meaningful progress even after more than fourteen years.
Historically, forest boundaries have been recorded using traverse sketches and non-geo-referenced maps, leading to misclassification of forest areas, untraceable encroachments, overlapping claims under the Forest Rights Act, 2006, and difficulties in implementing the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980.
This initiative will enable accurate identification of all forest lands irrespective of their legal notification status, strengthen monitoring of forest diversions and compensatory afforestation sites.
It will further protect customary and statutory rights, and ensure compliance with Supreme Court mandates and national forest policy — reinforcing transparency, accountability, and intergenerational equity in India’s forest governance.
Key Highlights of the Workshop:
A comprehensive three-year technical and institutional framework was presented, encompassing DGPS/CORS-based geo-referencing, integration of cadastral and revenue data, joint verification with Revenue Departments, dispute resolution, public consultation under the Forest Rights Act, 2006, and establishment of GIS Decision Support Systems in each State/UT.
CEO, CAMPA Odisha, presented an exemplary model approach detailing the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), documentation and notification protocols, and the benefits of digitised forest boundaries. Odisha was commended as an early and comprehensive implementer. Multiple States and UTs presented case studies and time-bound action plans.
National Authority CAMPA will function as the apex body for policy oversight, technical standardisation, empanelment of a National Technical Partner (from institutions such as FSI, IIRS Dehradun, BISAG-N, and NRSC Hyderabad), establishment of a centralised National GIS Repository, and monitoring and quality assurance.
Each State/UT has been directed to prepare a time-bound Action Plan as part of the Annual Plan of Operations (APO) for FY 2026-27, supported by Net Present Value (NPV) funds under Rule 5(3)(g) of the CAF Rules, 2018, with a three-year implementation period.
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