Cases / Tree planting · India · 2021
Decades of planting in Himachal Pradesh did not raise average forest cover
Short record: the main facts, with sources. A full case file has not been prepared.
Nature's voice · report
No measurement of the harm done to me here is on record.
Did nature suffer? Not measured.
Not on record
- The record does not name which of my species, waters, soils or forests were harmed.
A 2021 study found no net canopy gain across 430 plantations in the Indian state, and little direct benefit for local people from decades of planting.
What?
Decades of afforestation in Himachal Pradesh did not raise average forest cover, a 2021 study found. University of Minnesota Conservancy
Where?
Himachal Pradesh, India University of Minnesota Conservancy
When?
Planting over several decades; study published in 2021 University of Minnesota Conservancy
Who?
Gained
None on recordLost
- Local people — little direct benefit from the programmes University of Minnesota Conservancy
Harmed
None on recordWhy?
Not stated in the sources reviewed.
How?
Large-scale planting; canopy change was measured across 430 plantations. University of Minnesota Conservancy
6 of 6 questions answered from the record
What happened
The record, in order.
A 2021 study in Nature Sustainability found that decades of planting programmes in Himachal Pradesh did not raise average forest cover.
The study found no net increase in canopy cover across 430 plantations.
Local people received little direct benefit from the programmes, the study reported.
In court and with insurers
Every proceeding and every insurer decision on record.
Lawsuits and rulings
No court case on record. No court has ruled on this case.
Insurers
No insurer decision on record.
What we don't know
Undisclosed, unproven, untried: recorded as data.
Nature
- Not measured Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.
Record
- None on record Average forest-cover figures and the total area studied are not stated in the sources reviewed.
- None on record Which agencies ran the programmes, and who received planting payments, is not stated.
Did the harm stop?
Not stated in the sources reviewed.
Who paid?
Not stated in the sources reviewed.
Sources
Voices on record: — Company or project— Government and regulators— Courts✓ Press and investigations— Communities and civil society✓ Researchers
Press and investigations
Researchers
- Nature Sustainability (2021) study on Himachal Pradesh plantations, repository recordUniversity of Minnesota Conservancy · 2021