Restoration Without Illusions

True restoration of the Aravallis lies not in hurried plantations, but in slow ecological recovery-guided by terrain, water, and the lives that depend on these hills

- VB KUMAR & UTKARSHA RATHI

The Aravallis don't need grand promises—they need patient repair

The Aravalli range continues to attract attention amid persistent challenges, including legal disputes over land for mining leases, encroachments, and degradation. While these issues remain critical, the focus must shift from reiterating the range's importance to addressing a more practical question: how can restoration be engineered for longevity in a dryland, hard-rock ecosystem?

Emerging research and landscape-scale planning underscore two foundational principles. First, eco restoration interventions must align with the site's ecological succession stages and the constraints of arid and semiarid terrains. Second, long-term success necessitates integrating livelihoods that alleviate resource pressures while fostering community stewardship.

Eco-restoration and Successional Dynamics

National assessments by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), like the 2025's 'Detailed Action Plan: Aravalli Landscape Restoration (Aravalli Green Wall)' states that approximately 96.4 million hectares of land in India, which is close to 30 per cent of total geographical area, is affected by degradation, forming the basis of the country's restoration and Land Degradation Neutrality commitments. Within this national context, the Aravalli landscape has been identified by the Ministry as a priority intervention zone under its detailed landscape-level restoration planning, reflecting the need for ecologically appropriate approaches tailored to dryland and hard-rock systems.