Shri Bhupender Yadav emphasizes importance of forest fire prevention, post-fire restoration and forest certification as a tool for sustainable forest management

Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Labour and Employment Shri Bhupender Yadav emphasized the importance of forest fire prevention, post-fire restoration and forest certification as a tool for sustainable forest management.

In his video message at the United Nations Forum on Forests (UNFF) at Forest Research Institute (FRI) Dehradun Shri Yadav stressed that forest fires not only cause irreparable damage to flora and fauna but also affect the livelihoods of communities living at forest peripheries. He emphasized that an important tool for promotion of sustainability of forests is forest certification, which nonetheless, presents numerous challenges notably for small-scale producers in developing countries. The Union Minister said India has embarked on its national forest certification scheme to address these challenges. He called on all participants to work together to create a sustainable future that is equitable, just, and resilient.

Minister of Forests, Languages & Technical Education, Government of Uttarakhand Shri Subodh Uniyal in his address today welcomed all distinguished delegates to “Dev Bhoomi”, the state of Uttarakhand. In his remarks he dwelled into the states initiatives and programmes and stated to minimize forest fire incidences, empowering communities living in proximity to forests and incentivizing them to work in tandem with the forest departments has been a strategy that has found success. He affirmed that Forest Certification is an equally important area, being a mechanism for forest monitoring, and is the focus within Global Forest Goals. He emphasized that all will benefit from the exchange at the Forum of traditional knowledge, technology innovation, and community engagement practices.