Kicking Off India-France Year of the Environment

Kicking off the India-France Year of the Environment, France’s Minister for Ecological Transition visited AFD’s flagship projects in the states of Assam and Gujarat, and oversaw the signing of a new sustainable mobility accord. 

Reinforcing shared commitments towards low-carbon development 

Minister Barbara Pompili met her Indian counterpart, the Union Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Prakash Javadekar, and announced the launch of the India-France Year of the Environment. This initiative seeks to reinforce cooperation between the two countries on key issues of protecting biodiversity, tackling the challenges of climate change, promoting renewable energy and mobilizing a joint initiative against single-use plastic. Also, a letter of intent was signed between AFD and the Solar Energy Corporation of India.

A potential Indo-Pacific partnership for sustainable forest management

From New Delhi, the ministerial delegation travelled to the Kaziranga National Park in the northeastern state of Assam – the site of AFD's flagship biodiversity project in South Asia. Here, AFD signed a second letter of intent with the Assam Forest Department to promote a partnership with national parks in the Indo-pacific region. 

A technical assistance program will support an exchange of best practices, tools and techniques for sustainable forest management. 

More than 21,000 hectares reforested

AFD has been working with the Assam government since 2012, when the Assam Project on Forest and Biodiversity Conservation (APFBC) was launched, to restore forest ecosystems, protect wildlife, promote sustainable and participatory management of forests. It also creates alternative livelihoods for forest-dependent communities.

More than 21,000 hectares of land have been reforested in Assam, and under Phase II, an additional 12,500 hectares will be reforested by 2024. These efforts, coupled with capacity building exercises for forest guards, have also led to an increase in the population of Kaziranga’s most famous inhabitant – the one-horned rhinoceros.

To ensure the protection of forest resources while also assuring forest-dependent communities of their livelihoods, the project works with locals to plan sustainable forest management. What’s more, the program provides training and market linkages in sectors other than forestry, to lessen dependence on vulnerable ecosystems and avoid exhausting forest resources. 

So far, over 6,000 members of these communities – 73% of them women – have been trained in 24 trades, allowing them to up-skill and revive the local economy. Minister Pompili met several people who have benefited from these skill development programs.

In Surat, biodiversity, urban development and waste management go hand-in-hand 

The Gujarat port city of Surat is the site of two major AFD projects: the metro rail project to encourage smart and sustainable urban mobility, and the Wild Valley Biodiversity Park project under the CITIIS program. The latter will clean up and rejuvenate the wasteland of the Kankara creek, create wide green spaces in the city, provide favourable habitats for a variety of flora and fauna, improve water and air quality, and create spaces for recreation.

While in Surat, Minister Pompili held discussions with Indian and French players involved in smart mobility and sustainable urban mobility projects. She reiterated France’s commitment to India’s Smart Cities Mission through the expertise of French firms and financing from AFD and the European Union.

In the course of her trip, the Minister also met with people and NGOs devoted to finding innovative solutions to the problem of plastic waste. She interacted with researchers at the Centre of Excellence who have been credited with developing India’s first biodegradable plastic, as well as with local actors involved in plastic waste management in Surat.