Forest and Wildlife Clearance for Your Project
Forest and wildlife clearance is the approval you need before a project touches forest land or sits near a national park or sanctuary. The Van (Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan) Adhiniyam, 1980 and its 2023 Rules decide who clears it, and the application goes online on PARIVESH.
What it is
Forest and wildlife clearance is two approvals people often lump together. The first is forest clearance: permission from the Central Government to use forest land for a non-forest purpose such as a road, a mine, a transmission line or a plant. The second is wildlife clearance, a recommendation from the Standing Committee of the National Board for Wild Life when a project falls inside a notified eco-sensitive zone or close to a protected area.
Forest clearance runs under section 2 of the Van (Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan) Adhiniyam, 1980 (earlier the Forest (Conservation) Act) and the Van (Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan) Rules, 2023. Applications are filed online through the Central Government portal, PARIVESH, where each proposal gets its own identity number. The Rules have been amended since they were notified, so we work from the current text. If your project also needs an environmental clearance, the two files usually move in parallel.
Who it applies to
Industrial and infrastructure projects
Roads, rail lines, canals, power plants, solar and wind sites, transmission lines and township projects that need land classed as forest in the records. Here is the catch: the record matters, not what the land looks like today. A scrubby patch near Faridabad’s Aravalli belt can be notified forest even if no tree stands on it.
Mining and quarrying
Mining proposals go to the Advisory Committee whatever the area. Mining inside an eco-sensitive zone, or within 1 km of a national park or sanctuary, is prohibited outright.
Projects near protected areas
If your site is inside a notified eco-sensitive zone, or within 10 km of a protected area where no final zone has been notified, wildlife clearance is needed alongside the other approvals.
Why it matters
You cannot start work without it
Use of forest land for a non-forest purpose needs prior approval. Starting site work first puts every later approval at risk. A road contractor who clears the alignment before Stage-I can end up with a stopped project.
Banks and approvals depend on it
Lenders, the State Pollution Control Board and the environmental impact assessment process all ask whether forest and wildlife angles are settled.
Conditions are fixed at the start
Approval conditions cannot be changed after two years from final approval except in exceptional circumstances. Knowing them early keeps your budget honest.
Documents required
Project papers
- Project description, purpose and map with the forest area marked
- Survey and demarcation details from the Forest Department
- Alternatives considered and justification for using forest land
- Cost estimate and any phasing plan
Land and legal papers
- Tree enumeration and canopy details
- Compensatory afforestation land details, or request for degraded forest land
- Details of rights settlement under the Forest Rights Act, 2006
- Applicant identity and authorisation papers
Linked approvals
- Environmental clearance or Terms of Reference, if applicable
- Wildlife management plan where a protected area is involved
- Mitigation plans such as soil and moisture conservation
- Consent papers from the State Pollution Control Board, if already held
How it works
Check the land record and the approvals needed
We read the forest records, tell you whether the land is forest, and whether wildlife clearance also applies given the distance to any protected area.
Prepare and submit the proposal on PARIVESH
We compile the project papers, maps and undertakings and file the proposal online. The Forest Department then verifies it at the district and state levels.
Answer queries and secure Stage-I approval
Up to 5 hectares, the Regional Office decides; 5 to 40 hectares, the Regional Empowered Committee; above 40 hectares, the Advisory Committee reviews and the Central Government approves. We handle the clarifications.
Pay levies, comply and obtain final approval
After Stage-I the Forest Department raises a demand note for net present value and compensatory afforestation. Once you pay and report compliance, the Central Government issues final approval.
Timelines
Stage-I (in-principle)
The Rules allow 45 to 160 working days depending on the area, with 30 to 100 working days at the state level and 15 to 50 at the Regional Office.
Final approval
The Rules give 45 days after you comply: 25 days at the state level and 20 at the Ministry.
Deficiency reply window
If the proposal has gaps, you get 90 days to fix them. After that it can be de-listed, and it can be re-listed only once.
Forest clearance and wildlife clearance at a glance
| Point | Forest clearance | Wildlife clearance |
|---|---|---|
| Triggered by | Using forest land for a non-forest purpose | Project inside a notified eco-sensitive zone, or within 10 km of a protected area with no final zone |
| Decided by | Regional Office, Regional Empowered Committee or Central Government | Standing Committee of the National Board for Wild Life |
| Filed on | PARIVESH | PARIVESH, usually with the environmental clearance file |
A project outside the notified zone but within 10 km does not need the Standing Committee, as the Ministry has clarified. Your site coordinates settle this, so we check them first.
What happens if you skip it
Approval can be cancelled
The Central Government may cancel a forest approval and refund the levies case by case. That means stopping work midway.
Proposal can be de-listed
If you do not reply to deficiencies within 90 days, the proposal drops off the list. You can re-list it only once.
Other approvals stall
Environmental clearance, state consents and loans are all hard to close while forest or wildlife status is unresolved.
Frequently asked questions
Is forest clearance needed for private land?
It depends on the land record. The Adhiniyam applies to land recorded as forest and to land that fits the forest definition in official records. In practice, ordinary private land that is not recorded as forest does not need it. We read the revenue and forest records first and tell you in writing whether you need to apply, so you do not spend money on an approval you do not require.
How long does forest clearance take?
The Rules set 45 to 160 working days for Stage-I depending on the area, and 45 days for final approval after compliance. Real timelines depend on how quickly the state completes field verification and how clean your file is. Complete, well-mapped proposals move faster. We track the file on PARIVESH and reply to every query quickly.
Who decides my proposal?
The size of the forest area decides. Up to 5 hectares is decided by the Regional Office, 5 to 40 hectares by the Regional Empowered Committee, and above 40 hectares goes to the Advisory Committee before the Central Government approves. Mining, dereservation and hydro projects above 25 MW always go to the Advisory Committee.
What is compensatory afforestation?
It is replacement planting for the forest you lose, paid for by you. You usually provide equal non-forest land, or double the area of degraded forest land in some cases. The Rules also give area concessions in certain protected-area cases. You also pay net present value. We estimate these amounts early so your budget has no surprises.
Can I start survey work before approval?
Limited survey use is treated differently, but construction is not allowed. For linear projects, the State Government can grant a working permission after Stage-I once levies are paid and the compensatory land is notified. Anything beyond that needs final approval. We check which preliminary work is permitted for your project.
When is wildlife clearance needed?
It is needed when your project is within a notified eco-sensitive zone, or within 10 km of a protected area where the zone is not yet notified. Outside a notified zone but within 10 km, the Ministry has said Standing Committee clearance is not required. Your coordinates decide it, and we check them before filing.
Do I need environmental clearance too?
Many projects that use forest land also fall under the EIA Notification, 2006, so ask us about both. The two approvals are separate, but they are filed on the same portal and often reviewed together. We plan both so the same maps and studies serve each file, and so deadlines do not collide.
Can a rejected or de-listed proposal be revived?
A de-listed proposal can be re-listed once. If a proposal is rejected on merits, we study the reasons and see whether a fresh proposal with a changed layout or better mitigation is realistic. We tell you honestly if the odds are poor.
What does Taxhint do and not do?
We check applicability, prepare documents, coordinate with the Forest Department and technical consultants, file on PARIVESH, answer queries and track compliance after approval. Surveys, tree enumeration and wildlife studies are done by the authorities or qualified consultants. We never promise an outcome, because the decision rests with the committees.
What it costs
Our fee plus the government fee that applies to your case, quoted before you commit. Tell us the situation and we will price it exactly.
Government levies in a forest case are mainly the net present value, compensatory afforestation costs and any wildlife mitigation plan cost. These depend on the area and forest type, and they are demanded by the Forest Department after Stage-I.
Ready to begin?
Tell us the location and project type, and we will tell you which approvals apply before you commit any money.