Uttar Pradesh: Environment, Forests, Wildlife and Climate
2. UP Forest Policy 2017 and agro- and social forestry
The state's forest policy dates from 2017 and replaced the State Forest Policy of 1998. The state's own account is that the separation of Uttarakhand in 2000 cut the forest area sharply, which made a new policy necessary. The 2017 policy aims to raise combined forest and tree cover to 15 per cent of the geographical area by 2030. Its components include afforestation, biodiversity and wildlife protection, participatory forest management through Joint Forest Management Committees, control of fire and encroachment, low-impact eco-tourism, and agroforestry alongside crops.
Agro-forestry (trees grown with crops on farm land) and social forestry (plantations on public and community land) are the two plantation strands of item VI.10. Plantations outside forests add to tree cover but do not by themselves change forest cover, which needs canopy inside the recorded forest area. Treat the 15 per cent target as the policy's stated target as reported in the press, and the later 20 per cent aim for 2047 as a separate, later statement.
3. Protected areas: national park and wildlife sanctuaries
The state has one national park, Dudhwa in Lakhimpur Kheri, and about two dozen wildlife sanctuaries. The count of sanctuaries differs between lists (24 to 26), so learn names and districts rather than the total. ISFR 2021 puts the protected area network at 11.82 per cent of the state's area. Dudhwa began as a swamp deer sanctuary in 1958 and was later notified as a national park. Indian rhinoceros were reintroduced there in 1984 with animals from Assam and Nepal.
| Sanctuary | District(s) | Established |
|---|---|---|
| Chandraprabha | Chandauli | 1957 |
| Kishanpur | Lakhimpur Kheri, Shahjahanpur | 1972 |
| Ranipur | Banda, Chitrakoot | 1977 |
| Mahavir Swami | Lalitpur | 1977 |
| National Chambal (gharial) | Agra, Etawah | 1978–79 |
| Kaimur (Kaimoor) | Mirzapur, Sonbhadra | 1982 |
| Hastinapur | Meerut, Bijnor, Muzaffarnagar, Hapur, Amroha | 1986 |
| Sohagi Barwa | Maharajganj | 1987 |
| Suheldev (Suhelva) | Shravasti, Gonda, Balrampur | 1988 |
| Kachhua (turtle) | Varanasi | 1989 |
Katarniaghat in Bahraich is a wildlife sanctuary that forms part of the Dudhwa Tiger Reserve, along with Dudhwa National Park and Kishanpur. Dudhwa's tiger reserve is the state's oldest; its declaration is commonly dated 1987.
4. Tiger reserves and Ramsar wetlands
The state has four tiger reserves. Dudhwa (commonly dated 1987; Lakhimpur Kheri and Bahraich, about 1,284 sq km with its wildlife sanctuaries). Amangarh (declared 2012, in Bijnor, a buffer and extension of the Jim Corbett area that stayed in Uttar Pradesh when Uttarakhand was formed). Pilibhit (notified in 2014, about 730 sq km, with the Sharda and Ghaghara along its boundary). Ranipur in Chitrakoot, approved by the state cabinet on 27 September 2022 as the fourth reserve.
The Ramsar Convention lists wetlands of international importance. Reports from October 2026 list 14 Ramsar sites in Uttar Pradesh, and the count rose sharply in 2026. Mainpuri district has two of them. Learn the list by district and designation year.
| Site | District | Designated |
|---|---|---|
| Upper Ganga (Brijghat to Narora stretch) | Bijnor to Bulandshahr | 2005 |
| Sarsai Nawar Jheel | Etawah | 2019 |
| Nawabganj Bird Sanctuary | Unnao | 2019 |
| Parvati Arga Bird Sanctuary | Gonda | 2019 |
| Sandi Bird Sanctuary | Hardoi | 2019 |
| Samaspur Bird Sanctuary | Rae Bareli | 2019 |
| Saman Bird Sanctuary | Mainpuri | 2019 |
| Sur Sarovar | Agra | 2020 |
| Bakhira Sanctuary | Sant Kabir Nagar | 2021 |
| Haiderpur Wetland | Hastinapur area | 2021 |
| Shekha Jheel | Aligarh | 2026 |
| Patna Bird Sanctuary | Etah | early 2026 |
| Jai Prakash Narayan Bird Sanctuary (Surha Tal) | Ballia | 2026 |
| Sauj Jheel | Mainpuri | October 2026 |
5. Pollution and the State Pollution Control Board
Pollution is concentrated where sewage and industry meet the rivers. The Gomti at Lucknow is the classic case. A sewage treatment plant of 345 million litres a day at Bharwara serves the city, but reports say part of the city's sewage still reaches the river untreated. The Hindon, which rises in the Siwalik hills near Saharanpur, carries sewage and industrial effluent from Ghaziabad and Meerut to its meeting with the Yamuna at Noida.
The State Pollution Control Board monitors air and water pollution and issues consents under the central Water and Air Acts. Item VI.17 asks about its role and the rivers and cities it monitors; learn those, not dates or office-holders.
6. Climate change: trends, projections and the state plan
The state's climate action plan, UP SAPCC 2.0 (2021–2030), was prepared by the Department of Environment, Forest and Climate Change with GIZ's technical help. It has eight missions: sustainable agriculture, water (Jal), Green UP, energy efficiency and green energy, sustainable habitat, health, disaster management, and strategic knowledge. It proposes about 179 actions with a total budget of about ₹1,12,205 crore for 2021–30. The Jal Mission is the largest at about ₹64,170 crore, and the plan expects about 72 per cent of the budget to come from existing central and state schemes.
The observed trend for 1980–2019 is a rise of about 0.01 °C a year in the annual average maximum temperature and about 0.015 °C in the minimum; annual rainfall falls by about 6.7 mm a year and monsoon rain by about 5.8 mm. The plan records more dry days and fewer rainy days in the 2010s than in the 1980s. Between 1969 and 2019 the state recorded 2,539 flood events and many thousands of cold-wave and heat-wave days.
| Period | RCP 4.5 (mid-range emissions) | RCP 8.5 (high emissions) |
|---|---|---|
| Near-term, 2011–2040 | +1.04 °C | +1.24 °C |
| Mid-term, 2041–2070 | up to +1.75 °C | up to +2.60 °C |
Near-term annual rainfall is projected to fall by about 5.4 per cent under RCP 4.5 and about 4.4 per cent under RCP 8.5. The plan names the Uttar Pradesh Climate Change Authority (UPCCA) as the body that facilitates its implementation. Learn its role rather than the year it was constituted.
Key takeaways
- The ISFR counts forest cover (canopy inside recorded forest) and tree cover (outside it) separately. The 2023 edition puts forest and tree cover at about 9.96 per cent of the state's area, with forest cover alone at about 6.2 per cent.
- The 2017 state forest policy targets 15 per cent combined cover by 2030, as reported, and replaced the 1998 State Forest Policy.
- The state has one national park (Dudhwa), about two dozen wildlife sanctuaries, and four tiger reserves: Dudhwa (commonly dated 1987), Amangarh (2012), Pilibhit (2014) and Ranipur (2022).
- Reports from October 2026 list 14 Ramsar sites in Uttar Pradesh, with Mainpuri holding two (Saman and Sauj Jheel). The 2026 designations are the newest and the count is still moving.
- Observed 1980–2019 trends: temperatures rising, annual rain falling by about 6.7 mm a year, more dry days. UP SAPCC 2.0 (2021–30) budgets about ₹1,12,205 crore, with the Jal Mission the largest.
- Pollution is a river problem: the Gomti's sewage at Lucknow and the Hindon's effluent from Ghaziabad and Meerut are the two cases to know.
Practice questions (17)
Attempt each one before opening the answer. Every explanation names the tempting wrong option as well as the right one, because that is where marks are lost.
In the forest-cover classes used by the Forest Survey of India, what canopy density defines very dense forest?
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Answer: C — 70 per cent and above
Very dense forest has canopy density of 70 per cent and above. Moderately dense forest falls between 40 and 70 per cent, and open forest between 10 and 40 per cent. The 40 per cent option is the moderately dense boundary, 10 per cent is the minimum for forest cover at all, and 50 per cent is inside the moderately dense range.According to ISFR 2021, as quoted in the state's climate plan, which district had the largest share of its geographical area under forest cover?
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Answer: D — Sonbhadra
Sonbhadra, with about 35 per cent of its area under forest cover, led the state, followed by Chandauli at about 22 per cent, then Chitrakoot, Pilibhit and Shravasti; Mirzapur was sixth. Pilibhit and Mirzapur tempt because both appear high in the list, but neither is first.The table gives revised ISFR figures for Uttar Pradesh, in sq km.
Measure | ISFR 2021 (revised) | ISFR 2023
Total forest cover | 14,927.37 | 15,045.80
Tree cover | 8,510.16 | 8,950.92
Forest and tree cover | 23,437.53 | 23,996.72
By how much did tree cover rise between the two editions?Show answer
Answer: A — 440.76 sq km
Tree cover rose from 8,510.16 to 8,950.92 sq km, an increase of 440.76 sq km. The 559.19 option is the rise in forest and tree cover together, 118.43 is the rise in total forest cover, and 33.44 is the change in one canopy class. Reading the wrong row gives each distractor.Under the ISFR method, which land is counted as tree cover rather than forest cover?
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Answer: B — Trees outside the recorded forest area
Tree cover is the trees on land outside the recorded forest area, including small patches and groves, and it is reported separately from forest cover. Reserved forests are part of the recorded forest area, so they count as forest cover. Crop land without trees counts in neither measure.Which is the only national park in Uttar Pradesh, according to the state's protected-area description?
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Answer: C — Dudhwa
Dudhwa is the only national park in Uttar Pradesh. Kishanpur and Chandraprabha are wildlife sanctuaries. Jim Corbett National Park, which many learners recall, has lain in Uttarakhand since the separation of 2000.Which of the following protected areas is NOT a wildlife sanctuary?
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Answer: D — Dudhwa
Dudhwa is a national park and the core of the Dudhwa Tiger Reserve, so it is not classed as a sanctuary. Kishanpur, Katarniaghat and Okhla are all wildlife or bird sanctuaries, so each is a sanctuary and only Dudhwa fits the question.The Kaimur (Kaimoor) wildlife sanctuary lies in which two districts?
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Answer: A — Mirzapur and Sonbhadra
Kaimur lies in Mirzapur and Sonbhadra in the Vindhyan belt. Chandauli and Varanasi host Chandraprabha and Kachhua, and Banda and Chitrakoot share the Ranipur sanctuary; each tempting pair names a real sanctuary in other districts.Which tiger reserve in Uttar Pradesh, approved by the state cabinet on 27 September 2022, is the state's fourth?
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Answer: B — Ranipur
Ranipur in Chitrakoot, with a core of the old Ranipur sanctuary, became the state's fourth tiger reserve after cabinet approval in September 2022. Dudhwa (commonly dated 1987), Amangarh (2012) and Pilibhit (2014) came earlier.Among the Ramsar sites reported for Uttar Pradesh in October 2026, which district has two sites?
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Answer: C — Mainpuri
Mainpuri has Saman Bird Sanctuary and Sauj Jheel, both Ramsar sites. Etawah (Sarsai Nawar), Hardoi (Sandi) and Ballia (Jai Prakash Narayan Bird Sanctuary at Surha Tal) each have one.Consider the following statements about Ramsar sites in Uttar Pradesh.
P. Jai Prakash Narayan Bird Sanctuary at Surha Tal lies in Ballia district.
Q. Sauj Jheel lies in Mainpuri district.
R. The Upper Ganga stretch from Brijghat to Narora was designated in 2005.
S. Shekha Jheel lies in Etah district.
Which of the statements given above are correct?Show answer
Answer: D — P, Q and R only
P, Q and R are correct. Shekha Jheel is in Aligarh district, not Etah, so S is wrong; Etah hosts the Patna Bird Sanctuary. The tempting 'P and R only' option omits Sauj Jheel, which lies in Mainpuri.A sewage treatment plant at Bharwara in Lucknow was built to keep sewage out of which river?
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Answer: A — Gomti
The Bharwara plant in Lucknow treats sewage that would otherwise reach the Gomti, which cuts through the city. The Ghaghara and Ramganga flow in other districts, and the Sai joins the Gomti only further downstream near Jaunpur.Which body does the state's climate action plan (UP SAPCC 2.0) name as facilitating the plan's implementation?
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Answer: B — UP Climate Change Authority
The plan's foreword says the UP Climate Change Authority has been constituted to facilitate implementation of the SAPCC. The other three are an election body, a public service recruitment body and a court, none of which is the climate body.In UP SAPCC 2.0 (2021–30), which mission carries the largest proposed budget?
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Answer: C — Jal Mission
The Jal Mission carries about ₹64,170 crore of the plan's ₹1,12,205 crore. The Sustainable Agriculture Mission is the runner-up at about ₹29,800 crore, so the agriculture option tempts only because it is second.Consider the following statements about the observed climate of Uttar Pradesh, 1980–2019, as analysed in the state's climate plan.
P. The annual average maximum temperature rose by about 0.01 °C a year.
Q. Annual rainfall fell by about 6.7 mm a year.
R. Lucknow recorded the highest average maximum temperature.
S. Dry days decreased in all parts of the state.
Which of the statements given above are correct?Show answer
Answer: D — P and Q only
P and Q are correct. The plan names Lalitpur, not Lucknow, as the district with the highest average maximum temperature, so R is wrong; and it reports that dry days have significantly increased, so S is wrong. The tempting 'P and R only' option pairs a correct trend with the wrong district.The state's climate plan projects the annual average maximum temperature of Uttar Pradesh to rise by how much in the near term (2011–2040) under the RCP 8.5 scenario, relative to 1981–2010?
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Answer: A — 1.24 °C
The near-term rise is 1.04 °C under RCP 4.5 and 1.24 °C under RCP 8.5. The 1.75 and 2.60 values are the mid-term (2041–2070) ranges under the two scenarios, so both the scenario and the period must be right.The UP Forest Policy of 2017 replaced which earlier state policy?
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Answer: B — State Forest Policy of 1998
The state's 2017 policy replaced its own 1998 State Forest Policy, which predated the separation of Uttarakhand in 2000 that cut the forest area. The national policies of 1952 and 1988 are central documents, and the Indian Forest Act of 1927 is a central law, so none is the state's earlier policy.According to ISFR 2021, as quoted in the state's climate plan, what percentage of Uttar Pradesh's geographical area is covered by the protected area network?
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Answer: C — 11.82 per cent
The protected area network covers 11.82 per cent of the state's area. The other figures are real ISFR values: 6.15 per cent is state forest cover in ISFR 2021, 9.96 per cent is the state's forest and tree cover in ISFR 2023, and 25.17 per cent is the national forest and tree share.