Forests by Heartfulness Aims to Plant 30 Million Trees by 2030, Leading India’s Ecological Renaissance

sets a national precedent in sustainable afforestation, combining scientific forestry with spiritual sensitivity and grassroots community participation

On World Environment Day 2025, Forests by Heartfulness (FBH), a flagship initiative of the Heartfulness Institute, reaffirmed its ambitious pledge to raise 30 million trees by 2030. With a 90 percent plant survival rate and a methodologically unique model rooted in regenerative ecology and spiritual sensitivity, the initiative is fast emerging as a national benchmark in large-scale afforestation.
Currently operating across 12 Indian states, Forests by Heartfulness has already planted over 3 million trees across 10,000 acres of degraded landscapes. Its 20 native nurseries house six million saplings spanning 330 endemic species. With 80 endangered species already conserved, the project stands as one of India’s most comprehensive ecological regeneration campaigns.

According to Dr. V. Ramakantha, Retired IFS and Chairman of Forests by Heartfulness, “With the inspiration of Daaji, we are blending traditional wisdom with ecological science to deliver impact. Children, youth, and entire communities are participating, not just to plant trees, but to rebuild ecosystems.”
The FBH model avoids superficial greening practices. Instead, it uses phytosociological surveys to choose sites, enriches degraded soil with biochar and microbial activators, and nurtures layered forest ecosystems. Shrubs, herbs, creepers, and grasses are cultivated alongside trees to recreate natural biodiversity.

FBH’s work spans water conservation, livelihood generation, and biodiversity protection. So far, 35 lakes have been restored or built to store 77 crore litres of water. Over 1,200 mature trees have been relocated with an 80 percent success rate.
Projects in Ratlam (Madhya Pradesh), Mehsana (Gujarat), and Delhi NCR are transforming scrub forests into dense native ecosystems. In Mehsana’s Taranga Hills, 150,000 sandalwood trees are part of a broader plan to plant 625,000 saplings supported by rain guns that simulate rainfall—the largest such deployment in the world.
This afforestation project is not only reviving barren land but also aims to create more than 10,000 green jobs nationwide, with over 1,000 employment opportunities expected in Gujarat alone.

Initiatives like ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam’, aligned with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s environmental vision, have been launched to merge ecological action with cultural reverence. This unique approach celebrates motherhood through tree planting as a form of living tribute.
With the second half of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration now underway, Forests by Heartfulness is positioned as a globally scalable model that combines grassroots activism, scientific forestry, and contemplative practice.

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