Q.What are the objectives of afforestation ?

Afforestation aims to restore green cover on degraded land for ecological, climatic, and socio-economic benefits.

Afforestation is the deliberate establishment of forest or tree cover on land that was previously barren, degraded, or not under forest, through planting or seeding. It is undertaken with several important objectives:

1. Restoring green cover: to increase the area under forest/tree cover on wastelands, degraded lands, and other non-forest areas, reversing the effects of past deforestation.
2. Combating soil erosion and desertification: tree roots bind and stabilise the soil, reducing erosion by wind and water, and help arrest the spread of desert-like conditions in vulnerable regions.
3. Conserving biodiversity: newly established forests provide habitat and food resources for wildlife, helping restore ecosystems and protect threatened flora and fauna.
4. Regulating climate and the water cycle: forests influence local rainfall patterns and humidity, and improve infiltration of rainwater, thereby recharging groundwater and regulating stream flow.
5. Mitigating global warming: trees absorb atmospheric carbon dioxide during photosynthesis and store it as biomass (carbon sequestration), helping offset greenhouse gas emissions and reduce the impact of global warming. …