Goal 15: Life on Land

Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss

Vision

Uttar Pradesh is committed to protecting, restoring and promoting sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems in the interest of sustainable growth and inclusive development. It envisions sustainable use of natural resources, like cultivable land, forests and inland freshwater bodies, and restoration of degraded lands, forests and water bodies, for reversing environmental degradation and ensuring their availability for future generations. The state is also committed to the conservation of its rich biodiversity, natural habitats and arresting incursion of alien species.

In order to disseminate and distribute the fruits of development, the state envisages strengthening capacities of the agents of change both at institutional and grassroots levels.

Strategies

• The core strategies target conservation and sustainable utilisation of its land, forest, wetland and biodiversity resources. It supports the promotion and dissemination of sustainable agricultural practices, water use efficiency, and reclamation of degraded lands.

• The state will adopt world-class forest management practices for conservation of forests and biodiversity, large scale plantation for increasing the green cover, and sustainable harvesting of goods and services from biological resources. Innovative approaches will be adopted for inculcating conservation ethics in the minds of the people

• The state will invest in the capacity building of elected representatives and government functionaries at the Gram Panchayat level on the Gram Panchayat Development Plan exercise so that planning for afforestation and biodiversity conservation are included in the GPDP. The state will promote participatory management practices in wetlands management by building the capacity of communities dependent on land resources.