Haryana defines forest, ‘as per dictionary’

{ 18 MONTHS AFTER SC ORDER

- HitenderRaoand Jayashree Nandi

Haryana has issued a notification defining what constitutes a “dictionary meaning” of forest — 18 months after the Supreme Court ordered states to identify forests using that very phrase’s broad, commonsense interpretation — with tight technical parameters. Ina gazette notification issued August 18, the state said it was “pleased to define the expression ‘forest as per dictionary meaning” with restrictive technical criteria that environmental activists say could exclude most of the state’s remaining Aravalli forests from legal protection.

The definition requires forest areas to have a minimum canopy density of 40% and cover at least five hectares if isolated, or two hectares if connected to government-notified forests. It explicitly excludes “all linear, compact, agro-forestry plantations and orchards situated outside the government notified forests.”

The move follows an order issued by a three-judge Supreme Court bench on February 19, 2024, which directed all states to use the broad “dictionary meaning’ established in the landmark December 12, 1996 TN Godavarman case. At the time, the court ruled ordered that states “need to go by the dictionary definition of the word forest to determine whether any work can be approved on any land”. Dictionaries typically describe forests similar to the following Oxford Learner's Dictionary definition: “large areas of land thickly covered with trees”.

‘A Haryana forest official said the state would now “constitute an expert committee to identify the forest areas in the state as per the newly defined dictionary meaning criteria.” The report will be submitted to the central government, which will place it before the Supreme Court.