NEW DELHI: A total of 17 states have so far set aside more than 57,700 hectares of degraded forest land for tree plantation under the Green Credit Programme, according to government data.

The programme rewards voluntary environmental actions by individuals, communities and the private sector.

Madhya Pradesh -- which has the largest forest cover in the country -- identified and registered more than 15,200 hectares of degraded forest land for the programme until February 2, the highest among all states, the government told Parliament earlier this week.

Andhra Pradesh has registered 11,361 hectares of degraded forest land, Gujarat 6,760 hectares, Jharkhand 5,648 hectares, Tamil Nadu 4,708 hectares and Bihar 4,108 hectares. At present, only tree plantation for eco-restoration of degraded forest land is being implemented under the Green Credit Programme, launched in October 2023.

Any individual or private entity can undertake plantation on degraded land, including open forest and scrub land, wasteland and catchment areas, and earn green credits that can be traded and serve as a metric for corporate social responsibility, according to the rules.

Green credits generated can be exchanged for meeting the compliance of compensatory afforestation in case of diversion of forest land for non-forestry purposes under the Van (Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan) Adhiniyam, 1980.

Some former Indian Forest Service officers and ecologists have opposed the scheme, arguing tree plantation done under it could not be contemplated as a replacement for the primary forest cover and the natural ecosystem, which provide protection to wildlife, biodiversity and local knowledge of local communities.