The Prime Minister of India during the 14th Conference of the Parties (COP-14) of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) on 9th September 2019, announced the establishment of Centre of Excellence on Sustainable Land Management (CoE-SLM) at the Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education. CoE-SLM aims to promote South-South Cooperation and address land degradation issues through sustainable land management practices. Shri Bhupendra Yadav,Union Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and Labour and Employment formally inaugurated CoE-SLM on 20th May, 2023 at ICFRE, Dehradun.

Inaugurated the Centre of Excellence on Sustainable Land Management at Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education in Dehradun.

The Centre will help India arrest land degradation and improve soil quality as a boost for sustainable development. pic.twitter.com/TuDXnmmoMK

— Bhupender Yadav (@byadavbjp) May 20, 2023

The CoE-SLM is poised to make a lasting impact in addressing land degradation issues, by leveraging sustainable land management practices, fostering cooperation among developing countries, and achieving Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN), this initiative aligns with the vision of the Indian government to promote environmental conservation and combat climate change.

The CoE-SLM, established at the ICFRE, aims to facilitate the restoration of degraded land through technical support, capacity building, and knowledge sharing at the national and sub-national levels. By collaborating with developing countries that are party to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), the CoE-SLM seeks to achieve LDN targets, promote south-south cooperation, and contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) outlined by various international conventions, including the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

The CoE-SLM has set forth specific objectives to guide its actions. These include assessing land degradation, capacity building on sustainable land management frameworks aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and strengthening the assessment, monitoring, and reporting of land-based indicators outlined by the UNCCD. The centre also aims to set LDN targets, develop drought risk and early warning systems, mainstream gender considerations, promote good governance of land tenure and rights, and assess the impacts of land degradation on greenhouse gas emissions and biodiversity loss.

Shri Yadav also released two publications “Technical Paper on Pathway to achieve LDN in India” and “Compendium of Sustainable Land Management Practices” on this occasion. Mr. Chandra Prakash Goel, Director General of Forest and Special Secretary, Mr. B.K. Singh, Addl. Director General of Forests (NAEB, GIM), Mr. S.P. Yadav, Addl. Director General Forest (Wildlife) and Mr. Pravir Pandey, Additional Secretary & Financial Advisor, from Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Change, Shri. Arun Singh Rawat, Director General, ICFRE, Kanchan Devi, Director (IC), and Director CoE-SLM, Mr. R.K. Dogra, Dy Director General (Admin), ICFRE, Directors of ICFRE Institutes (AFRI, FRI, HFRI, TFRI, IFP, RFRI, IWST, IFGTB, and IFB), Director IGNFA, APCCF Integrated Regional Office, Dehradun, Director Forest Education, Principal CASFoS, Deputy Director General Forest Survey of India, Director WADIA Institute of Himalayan Geology, Officers from Uttarakhand State Forest Department, Officers Scientist and Staff of ICFRE were present on the occasion.

MJPS

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