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Forest Conservation Act 1980

The Forest (Conservation) Act of 1980 (FCA, 1980) is an act by the
Parliament of India which ensures conservation of forest and its
resources.

It was enacted by the Parliament of India in order to control the

ongoing deforestation of the forests of India. It came into force on
October 25, 1980 containing five sections.

Amid news reports mentioning future amendments to the FCA 1980 by

the Environment Ministry, the act and its provisions become important
from the current affairs perspective.

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This article will further give details about the Forest Conservation Act,
1980 within the context of the Civil Services Examination.

Candidates can read similar environment articles from the links

below:

Black Carbon Environmental Tax

Narmada Bachao Andolan Air Quality Index

Get more Polity Notes for UPSC in the linked article.

Daily Updates –
18/08/2023
Need for Forest Conservation Act, 1980 UPSC Mains DAF 2023 Released
Forests are an important resource that nature can bestow upon Daily Free Current Affairs Notes
Comprehensive News Analysis - 18
mankind. Therefore, it is the duty of every citizen to preserve the
Aug 2023
ecosystems of forests. But due to rapid deforestation, the cycle of
The Hindu Video Analysis - 18 Aug
nature is itself being disrupted. Therefore, the need to bring about a 2023
law to ensure the preservation of forest was needed. PIB - 17 Aug 2023
Topic of the Day – Right to Privacy
One of the first legal drafts to protect forest tracts was the Indian This Day in History – 18 August 1945 -
Forest Act, 1865 replaced by a 1927 version of the same act. However, it Subhas Chandra Bose Plane Crash
was more geared towards protecting the commercial interests of the UPSC Mains Answer Writing Practice

British Empire in India.

The act gave authority to the British to restrict tribal activities by

levying taxes on timber and forest services. In other words, it mainly
Weekly Updates
regulated the cutting of timber and flow of raw materials rather than
Weekly GK and Current Affairs Quiz
protecting forests.
Aug 12 – Aug 18

Upon independence, the President of India enforced the Forest View more...
(Conservation) Ordinance in 1980 which was later repealed by virtue
of Section 5 of the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980. Under the 1980 Act,
the restriction was made on the use of the forests for non-forest
purposes.
Monthly Updates
Objectives of the Forest Conservation Act 1980 Gist of Yojana - July 2023
Gist of Kurukshetra - July 2023
The aim of the Forest is to preserve the forest ecosystem of India by UPSC Monthly Magazine - July 2023
fulfilling the following objectives: UPSC Monthly Question Bank - July
2023
1. Protect the forest along with its flora, fauna and other diverse ecological
components while preserving the integrity and territory of the forests.
2. Arrest the loss of forest biodiversity
3. Prevent forest lands being converted into agricultural, grazing or for any
other commercial purposes and intentions. Latest Current Affairs
Last Updated: 03-08-2023
Features of the Forest Conservation Act 1980
Akira Ransomware [UPSC Notes]
The Forest Conservation Act of 1980 come with the following features:
Women’s Reservation Bill [UPSC
1. The Act restricts the state government and other authorities to take Notes]
decisions first without permission from the central government.
Initiative on Critical and
2. The Forest Conservation Act gives complete authority to the Central
Emerging Technologies (iCET)
government to carry out the objectives of the act.
[UPSC Notes]
3. The Act levies penalties in case of violations of the provisions of FCA.
4. The Forest Conservation Act will have an advisory committee which will Thol Pavai Koothu [UPSC Notes]
help the Central government with regard to forest conservation.

Important Sections of the Forest Conservation Act, 1980

Section 1: Title and scope
August Archive – Daily
Posts
The law applies to the whole of India except for Jammu and Kashmir.
However, when Article 370 was removed, it meant all laws at the August 2023
central level became applicable. But only 37 laws apply to Jammu
M T W T F S S
and Kashmir at the moment and the Forest Conservation Act of 1980 is
not one of them 1 2 3 4 5 6

Section 2: Restriction of forests being used for non-forest purposes. 7 8 9 10 11 12 13

The section lists restrictions where state authorities cannot make laws 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
regarding forest without the permissions of the Central Government.
21 22 23 24 25 26 27
The emphasis is on ‘non forest purposes’ which means that clearing
forest land for the planting of: 28 29 30 31

1. Tea
« Jul
2. Coffee
3. Spices
4. Rubber
5. Palms
6. Oil-bearing Type your search
7. Medicinal plants

Section 3: Advisory committee

As per Section 3 of this Act, the Central government has the power to
constitute an advisory committee to advice on matters related to
advising the central government on the preservation of forests

For a list of important acts that transformed India, click on the linked
article.

Amendments to the Forest Conservation Act, 1980

In order to balance economic and ecological concerns regarding the
Forest Conservation Act, 1980 several amendments were proposed by
the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change in
March 2021. Some amendments were as follows:

1.The proposed new ‘section 1A’ created provision which exempts

survey and exploration for underground oil and natural gas. In other
words, such activities will no longer be classified as a ‘non-forest
activity’ and will not require permission from the government,

However, there will be certain conditions laid by the Central

Government to carry out such activities, one of which being, survey
and drilling activities will not be carried out within the proximity of
wildlife sanctuaries.

2. Land acquired for railway networks will not be applicable to FCA and
be exempt. Of course, certain guidelines will be laid down by the
Central government, which will include planting trees to compensate
for the loss of forest lands.

3. Section 2 of the FCA requires government approval for leasing forest

lands not owned by the central government for any commercial
purposes to private entities.

This clause has been deleted in the proposed amendment. This will
enable state governments to lease forest lands without the Central
government’s approval.

4. A new explanation to Section 2 proposes to exempt plantation of

native species of palm and oil-bearing trees from the definition of
“non-forest purpose”.

The government will only impose conditions for compensatory

afforestation and payment of other levies and compensations.

5. The proposed amendments to FCA add to the list of non-forestry

purposes activities such as building checkpoints, fence boundary, and
communication infrastructure.

It may also add ecotourism facilities approved under the Forest

Working Plan or Working Scheme approved by the central
government.

Frequently asked Questions Related to Forest

Conservation Act 1980
Q1 What is the main purpose of the Forest Conservation Act 1980?

The purpose of this Act is to foster recognition of the forest as a

common heritage and promote sustainable forest development in
order to meet the economic, environmental and social needs of
present and future generations while giving proper consideration
to other potential uses of the territory.

Q2 How can the laws under FCA be carried out?

Section 4 of the Forest Conservation Act empowers the Central

government to carry out the laws described under the act. It is
done through an officially notified gazette. Until the formation of a
new rule it should be presented before the parliament within thirty
days.

Aspirants can find complete information about upcoming

Government Exams through the linked article. More exam-related
preparation materials will be found through the links given below

Related Links

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UPSC Environment and Ecology Notes GS 3 Structure, Strategy and

Syllabus for UPSC Mains

Topic-wise GS 1 Questions for UPSC Mains Topic-wise GS 2 Questions for

UPSC Mains

GS 2 Structure, Strategy and Syllabus for Topic-wise GS 3 Questions for

UPSC Mains UPSC Mains

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