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The law requiring prior Central Government approval before forest land is diverted to non-forest use, renamed Van (Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan) Adhiniyam in 2023.
The Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980 is the central law that restricts the use of forest land for any non-forest purpose. Its core mechanism is simple: a state government cannot de-reserve a reserved forest, or allow forest land to be used for mining, industry, roads or any other non-forest activity, without the prior approval of the Central Government. Before 1980 such decisions rested with the states, and forest diversion proceeded rapidly; the Act moved that power to the Centre. Where diversion is approved, the user agency must pay for compensatory afforestation and for the value of the ecosystem services lost. The Forest (Conservation) Amendment Act, 2023 renamed the law Van (Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan) Adhiniyam, 1980, added a Preamble, clarified which land the Act applies to and created several exemptions.
Type: LawPrior Central approval — no forest land may be de-reserved or diverted to non-forest use without the Central Government's prior approval
Compensatory afforestation — a user agency granted forest land must fund afforestation on equivalent land, along with the net present value of the forest lost
Renaming — the 2023 amendment renamed the Act Van (Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan) Adhiniyam, 1980, meaning the Forest (Conservation and Augmentation) Act
Preamble added — the 2023 amendment inserted a Preamble to broaden the stated purpose beyond conservation to augmentation of forest cover
Clarified applicability — the Act now applies to land notified as forest under the Indian Forest Act, 1927 or any other law, and to land recorded as forest in government records on or after 25 October 1980
Exemptions — several categories of project were placed outside the Act's requirement by the 2023 amendment
Frequency: Frequently asked in UPSC Prelims environment sections, especially since the 2023 amendment
Forest diversion was a state subject in practice until 1980, and the rate of loss during the 1970s prompted Parliament to centralise the decision. The Act's reach was then transformed by the judiciary rather than the legislature, when the Supreme Court in the Godavarman case held that 'forest' must be understood in its dictionary sense, bringing large areas of unnotified land within the Act's protection. The 2023 amendment can be read as Parliament's response to that expansion, narrowing the Act's applicability back to defined categories of land.
The Indian Forest Act classifies forests as reserved, protected and village forests
The Forest (Conservation) Act requires prior Central approval for diversion of forest land
The cut-off date that the 2023 amendment adopts for land recorded as forest in government records
T.N. Godavarman Thirumulpad v Union of India extends the Act to all land meeting the dictionary meaning of forest
The Compensatory Afforestation Fund Act creates CAMPA to manage afforestation funds
The Forest (Conservation) Amendment Act, 2023 receives assent, renaming the law and adding exemptions
This is the law that stands between a proposed mine, highway or dam and the forest it would occupy, which makes it the single most contested piece of environmental legislation in India. The 2023 amendment changed the balance in two directions at once. By narrowing applicability to notified and recorded forest, it removed a large body of unnotified land that the Godavarman judgment had protected — land that in many states was never formally recorded despite being forest in fact. By exempting strategic projects within 100 km of the borders, it eased clearance in precisely the Himalayan and North Eastern landscapes that are ecologically most fragile and seismically most active. Supporters argue that national security and border infrastructure cannot wait years for clearance; critics argue that the exemptions are drawn so broadly that the Act's protective core is hollowed out. Both arguments are worth carrying into an answer.
Enacted 1980; requires prior Central Government approval to divert forest land to non-forest use
Renamed Van (Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan) Adhiniyam, 1980 by the 2023 amendment
The 2023 amendment is Act No. 15 of 2023, assented on 4 August 2023, and added a Preamble
Applies to land notified as forest and to land recorded as forest in government records on or after 25 October 1980
Exemptions: 100 km from borders for strategic linear projects; 10 hectares for security infrastructure; 5 hectares in LWE-affected areas; 0.10 hectare for roadside amenities
Godavarman (1996) applied the Act to all land meeting the dictionary meaning of forest
Compensatory afforestation funds are managed under CAMPA, created by the 2016 Act
The Forest (Conservation) Amendment Act, 2023 renamed it Van (Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan) Adhiniyam, 1980, which translates as the Forest (Conservation and Augmentation) Act.
The prior approval of the Central Government is required before any forest land is de-reserved or used for a non-forest purpose.
In 1996 the Supreme Court held that 'forest' must be given its dictionary meaning, extending the Act to all land that is forest in fact, regardless of ownership or whether it was formally notified.
Land within 100 km of international borders for strategic linear projects, up to 10 hectares for security infrastructure, up to 5 hectares for defence or public utility projects in Left Wing Extremism affected areas, and up to 0.10 hectare for roadside amenities.
The 1927 Act classifies and governs forests and the rights within them; the 1980 Act restricts the diversion of forest land to non-forest uses.
India's umbrella environmental law, enacted after the Bhopal gas tragedy, that gives the Centre sweeping powers to set standards, issue directions and make environmental rules.
India's principal wildlife law, which protects listed species, creates protected areas and regulates hunting and wildlife trade.