CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu Forest Department has notified as many as 24 forest areas extending more than 3,500 hectares as reserve forest in the last two years.

The newly notified reserve forests are in eight districts.

Supriya Sahu, Department Secretary, said in her statement that the 24 reserve forests were notified in between 2021 and 2023 under section 16 of the Tamil Nadu Forest Act, 1882 covering an area of 3,585 hectares in the districts of Dindigul, Dharmapuri, Madurai, Kallakurichi, Theni, Sivagangai, Namakkal and Nilgiris.

"While taking right steps towards the goal of increasing the forest and tree cover, the Green Tamil Nadu Mission was launched in September, 2022 with an ambitious target to plant 265 crore trees in 10 years for restoration of degraded forest landscape and other degraded landscapes outside Recorded forest areas in order to bring 33 per cent of geographical area of the State under the forest and tree cover," she said.

She added that the government is very methodical in its resolve to bring more areas under the category of "Reserve Forests" and once these are notified as Reserve Forests, the provisions of Forest Conservation Act, 1980 becomes applicable.

"The application of the Forest Conservation Act, 1980 accords highest level of protection to areas recorded as Forests in Government records," she explained.