The findings from this study support the allegations made by activists and tribal organizations on displacement of agriculture and destruction of natural forests by plantations carried out by forest department. Though data is available on the e-Green Watch, there seems to be no proper monitoring or accounting of what is happening with compensatory afforestation.

The findings of this study and the findings of CAG and other reports raise strong doubts about the capacity of forest departments to restore India’s green cover. The CAF Act, 2016, however, entrusts the same Forest Departments, with a vast amount of money (more than $7 billion) for the same purpose, without any evidence of past success. It is highly likely that the use of this vast fund by forest departments would lead to massive wastage of resources and lead to conflict and unrest across the country. The data also shows that in many sites Forest Rights Act is being deliberately violated.