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Tamil Nadu's large-scale ecosystem restoration programme is showing encouraging results, with wildlife such as elephants, gaurs, deer and several other species returning to forest areas that were once overrun by invasive plants.Highlighting the achievement in a post on X, IAS officer Supriya Sahu, Additional Chief Secretary, Environment, Climate Change and Forests Department, Government of Tamil Nadu, said the state has restored more than 40,000 hectares of forest land as part of one of India’s largest ecosystem restoration efforts.According to Sahu, nearly 31,000 hectares of forest area have been cleared of lantana, an invasive shrub that has long threatened native biodiversity by choking forest undergrowth and limiting the growth of indigenous
plant species."The true measure of success, however, is not the number of hectares cleared but the return of life," she wrote in the post, noting that landscapes once dominated by invasive species are now witnessing the revival of native habitats, with large mammals and ground-nesting birds reclaiming these restored spaces.
Forest officials view the resurgence of wildlife as a key indicator of ecological recovery. Apart from biodiversity conservation, the initiative has also incorporated a climate-friendly waste management model. Biomass removed during the clearing operations is being converted into briquettes, which are then supplied as an alternative fuel source to local factories.Sahu said around 120 metric tonnes of briquettes produced from the removed invasive vegetation have already been supplied to tea factories, creating what she described as a "circular climate solution.""This pioneering initiative advances two global goals simultaneously: biodiversity recovery through ecosystem restoration and climate action through sustainable carbon management," the IAS officer added. The senior bureaucrat also lauded the efforts of Divisional Forest Officers (DFOs), Deputy Directors and frontline forest staff involved in implementing the programme across the state.Tamil Nadu's restoration drive is being seen as a model for tackling invasive species while generating ecological and climate benefits, aligning with global conservation goals.
