India's Real Estate Group to Reforest 250,000 Acres

India's real estate developers are turning their CSR budgets toward one of the country's most ambitious green projects yet. The Confederation of Real Estate Developers' Associations of India (CREDAI) announced plans to reforest 250,000 acres of degraded land across the country over the next five years, with work beginning on 6,000 acres this year alone.

The initiative isn't just about planting trees. Sixty percent of saplings will be native species carefully selected to restore local biodiversity, improve soil health, and rebalance water systems that have suffered from decades of degradation.

Another 20% will be herbal and medicinal varieties that create long-term economic value for the communities who live on and care for the land. The remaining saplings will support broader ecological restoration goals across multiple regions.

Half of the total acreage will focus on Nashik district in Maharashtra, where CREDAI was founded 30 years ago. The organization has already restored over 3,500 acres there since launching the program last year, planting more than 2 million saplings across 25 villages in the Western Ghats.

The project goes far beyond dropping seeds in the ground. Teams prepare soil, dig trenches, apply mulch, install water harvesting systems, and monitor survival rates for years after planting, with third-party audits ensuring accountability.

Local communities participate in every stage, from planting to protection to long-term stewardship. This community involvement ensures the restored forests provide sustained groundwater recharge, improved soil health, and lasting livelihood benefits for families who depend on the land.

Other regions including Gurugram and several emerging growth centers will launch their own reforestation drives led by local CREDAI chapters. The organization estimates nearly 25,000 acres could be restored within just the first two years, pending coordination with state and local authorities.

The Ripple Effect

When developers invest in restoration rather than just development, entire ecosystems begin healing. The restored Western Ghats forests will capture rainfall that recharges aquifers serving millions of people downstream, while native species provide habitat for wildlife that has been squeezed out of degraded landscapes for decades.

The medicinal plant component creates a sustainable income stream that gives communities a financial stake in protecting their restored forests. As these saplings mature over the coming years, families will harvest herbs and medicines they can sell while the surrounding native forest continues supporting clean air, water, and soil.

This model of restoration proves that industries often criticized for environmental impact can lead meaningful ecological repair at scale when they commit resources and coordinate with local partners.

Two hundred thousand acres of degraded land getting a second chance at life, one carefully selected native sapling at a time.