The Goa government has declared a three-year roadmap to clear a pending 246.58-hectare backlog of compensatory afforestation (CA) by the 2028-29 financial year. Approved by National CAMPA, the Forest Department will execute the restoration drive in phases: planting 80 hectares in 2026-27, 80 hectares in 2027-28, and the remaining 86.57 hectares in 2028-29.
For the current financial year, 11.84 crore specifically for compensatory afforestation, alongside 2.04 crore for site-specific environmental operations. To date, Goa has successfully completed 3,319.81 hectares of afforestation out of its cumulative mandated target of 3,566.38 hectares.
Delays in clearing the remaining balance have primarily stemmed from ongoing difficulties in identifying suitable forest land.
To address this bottleneck, the Forest Department has established a dedicated Project Management Unit (PMU) under directives from the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. The PMU will build a land bank of degraded forest areas, enabling project proponents to efficiently locate suitable lands for afforestation. Backed by 345.09 crore across state CAMPA fund categories, Goa is set to fulfill its long-term ecological restoration goals.
