By TC News Desk
Agartala, 5th August 2025: Under the guidance of the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) of IGDC CREFLAT Project appointed by the Government of Tripura, the first Stakeholders Meeting for the State’s Forest Sector Strategy was held on 2nd August 2025 at the JICA Conference Hall in Gandhigram.
This meeting was organised by the Indo-German Development Cooperation, which is implementing the Climate Change Adaptation Programme in the Himalayas: Tripura’s Climate Resilience of Forest Ecosystems, Biodiversity, and Adaptive Capacities of Forest-Dependent Communities (CREFLAT). The meeting included attendance from Shri B.M.S. Rathore, IFS, former PCCF of Madhya Pradesh,Mr. R.K. Samal, the Principal Secretary of Forests and Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, Project Director of CREFLAT, Mr. Selvaraj Prabhu, IFS, and Shri Prasad Rao, IFS, Director of the NTFP Center of Excellence, along with other officials.
Key departments present included Revenue, Tribal Welfare, Agriculture, ARDD, the Rubber Board, and the Tripura Bamboo Mission, as well as representatives from the private sector, the BSF, NGOs, and academia. The primary aim of the meeting was to gather initial input from various sectors to develop an evidence-based, climate-resilient forest sector strategy. This strategy is intended to sustain the goods and ecosystem services provided by Tripura’s abundant forest cover and to ensure the livelihoods of local communities while achieving biodiversity conservation.
The timing of this meeting is crucial due to the rapidly evolving forest sector landscape in Tripura. According to India’s State of Forest Report published in 2023, various climatic and non-climatic factors are contributing to the ongoing degradation of the state’s forest cover.
All representatives actively participated, discussing trends within their sectors that necessitate sustainable forest management as essential for safeguarding Tripura’s socio-cultural, economic, and ecological resources. The meeting highlighted the significant demand for resources (timber and non-timber forest products) and emphasised that Tripura’s forests are expected to contribute to national targets on biodiversity, soil, water, and carbon conservation.
The outcome of the meeting led to the design of a consultative process that will incorporate existing project learnings, studies, vision documents, position papers, and strategic documents from different departments. This process will involve intensive on-the-ground stakeholder dialogues to address future demands and the expected pressures on Tripura’s forest cover.
