Uttarakhand CAMPA (Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority ) :

Uttarakhand covers an area of 53,483 sq km which is 1.63% of the geographical area of the country. As the State lies in the Himalaya range, the climate and vegetation vary greatly with elevation, from glaciers at the highest elevations to subtropical forests at the lower elevations. Forests also act as carbon sinks and regulators of water regime.

Many development and industrial projects such as erection of dams, mining, and construction of industries or roads require diversion of forest land. Any project proponent, government or private must apply for forest clearance from Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF), before the conversion of land take place. This proposal is to be submitted through the concerned forest department of the state government. If clearance is given, then compensation for the lost forest land is also to be decided by the ministry and the regulators. Due to certain discrepancies in the implementation of compensatory afforestation, some NGOs had approached The Hon'ble Supreme Court for relief. The Hon'ble Supreme Court on 10th July 2009 issued orders that there will be a Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA) as National Advisory Council under the chairmanship of the Union Minister of Environment & Forests for monitoring, technical assistance and evaluation of compensatory afforestation activities.
Uttarakhand CAMPA was notified in Jul, 2009 in pursuance of Honorable Supreme court order dated 10th July, 2009 .

Aims, Objectives and Functions :

The aims and objectives for which the CAMPA authority is established shall be to Promote:

Conservation, protection, regeneration and management of existing natural forests.
Conservation, protection and management of wildlife and its habitat within and outside protected areas including the consolidation of the protected areas; Compensatory afforestation.

Environmental services, which include:-
1. Provision of goods such as wood, non-timber forest products, fuel, fodder and water, and provision of services such as grazing, tourism, wildlife protection and life support.
2. Regulating services such as climate regulation, disease control, flood moderation, detoxification, carbon sequestration and health of soils, air and water regimes.
3. Non-material benefits obtained from ecosystems, spiritual, recreational, aesthetic, inspirational, educational and symbolic.
Supporting such other services necessary for the production of ecosystem services, biodiversity, nutrient cycling and primary production.

4. Science, Research, Training and Capacity Building.

5. Environment Protection and Sustainable Forest Management.

       Keeping in view the ill-effects of climate change, it is important to focus on absorption of the increasing carbon-dioxide in the atmosphere and develop ways of increasing the process of photosynthesis. While Uttarakhand has largely maintained its forest cover and even shown a modest increase in that cover, the protection of forests remains a constant challenge. Encroachments, illegal tree felling and unregulated collection of forest products are also responsible for damage to forests. Many wildlife corridors have been choked due to unplanned development and this also contributes to increased human-wildlife conflict.