Yadav urges forest officers to balance development with conservation

Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav on Monday highlighted India’s conservation achievements and urged Indian Forest Service (IFS) officers to adopt innovative, technology-driven approaches to address emerging environmental challenges.
Interacting with officers participating in the Mid-Career Training (MCT) Phase-III programme in New Delhi, Yadav acknowledged their contribution to protecting India’s forests, wildlife and ecological heritage. He highlighted progress in wildlife conservation, forest and tree cover expansion, carbon sequestration, wetland conservation and landscape restoration.The Minister also highlighted government initiatives such as Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam, MISHTI, Aravalli Green Wall and Nagar Van Yojana, which promote environmental conservation and public participation.

Interacted with mid-career training participants of Indian Forest Service today in Delhi. Urged officers to move beyond traditional regulatory functions and become leaders, innovators and facilitators of sustainable development. Stressed the importance of emerging technologies, including GIS, remote sensing and artificial intelligence, alongside continuous capacity building and community engagement. ???? https://t.co/gBkohtjeUg

— Bhupender Yadav (@byadavbjp) October 12, 2026

Emphasising sustainable development, Yadav said the vision of ‘Viksit Bharat@2047’ must integrate economic growth with ecological security. He identified human-wildlife conflict, forest fires, climate change and balancing development with conservation as key challenges requiring scientific solutions and community participation.Yadav urged officers to move beyond traditional regulatory roles and emerge as leaders, innovators and facilitators of sustainable development. He stressed the importance of emerging technologies, including Geographic Information Systems (GIS), remote sensing and artificial intelligence (AI), in improving forest management and conservation planning.He also called for continuous capacity building, stronger institutional frameworks and greater community engagement, including the integration of traditional knowledge into conservation efforts.
Senior officials present included Environment Secretary Narendra Bhooshan, Director General of Forests and Special Secretary Santosh Tiwari, Additional Director General of Wildlife Ramesh Pandey, and Indira Gandhi National Forest Academy Director Rajendra Prasad Khajuria.
The MCT Phase-III (19) programme, organised by the Indira Gandhi National Forest Academy, is being held from October 12 to November 6, 2026. It brings together 68 IFS officers with seven to nine years of service from 18 cadres.aThe programme aims to strengthen leadership, forest governance and policy implementation. It covers emerging environmental issues, AI in forestry, biodiversity conservation, climate finance, wildlife management and human-wildlife conflict. The training also includes visits to Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh to study best practices in wildlife conservation, ecotourism and community-based forest management.