The Assam government and the US Agency for International Development (USAID) launched the "trees outside forests in India (TOFI)" programme with the intention of bringing together farmers, businesses, and private institutions to increase the number of trees in the State`s non-traditional forests.

 

The Trees outside forests in India, new programme aims to increase carbon sequestration, aid local populations, and boost agriculture’s climate resilience, supporting global climate change mitigation and adaptation goals.

 

Assam has given increasing the tree cover outside of forest regions great priority, as evidenced by the State Action Plan on Climate Change and the recent creation of the Assam Agroforestry Development Board (AADB).

 

The goal is to add 2.8 million hectares of tree cover outside of traditional forests, helping India reach its nationally set contribution target of adding 2.5 to 3 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent in additional “carbon sinks” by 2030.

 

For the first time since the adoption of the UN climate convention, Parties have agreed to introduce Loss and Damage funding as an agenda item at the climate conference.

 

UN Climate Conference COP27 President and Foreign Minister of Egypt Sameh Shoukry commended the sense of responsibility and commitment that parties showed, as well as the collective keenness on preserving the credibility and relevance of the climate process. In his remarks, Mr. Shoukry called on countries to show faith in multilateralism over the next two weeks as they negotiate to deliver on the goals of the Climate Convention and the Paris Agreement.

 

Loss and damage funding refers to financial compensation that directly addresses unavoidable climate change catastrophes that developing countries are particularly vulnerable to.

 

India joined the Mangrove Alliance for Climate, calling for the integration of REDD+ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation) programmes with mangrove conservation (MAC).

 

The Mangrove Alliance for Climate (MAC) is an intergovernmental alliance that seeks to expand and hasten the progress towards the conservation and restoration of mangrove ecosystems. Its members include the UAE, Indonesia, India, Sri Lanka, Australia, Japan, and Spain.

 

The alliance will raise global awareness about the role of mangroves as a nature-based climate change solution. It will ensure the rehabilitation of mangrove forests at the global level.

 

India is among the first five countries to join the MAC, at the 27th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP27) at Sharm el-Sheikh in Egypt. The others are Australia, Japan, Spain, and Sri Lanka.

 

The move is in line with India’s Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) to create an additional carbon sink of 2.5- 3 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) equivalent, through additional forest and tree cover by 2030.