India, May 14 -- The Uttarakhand forest department has introduced new initiatives including the use of satellite imagery and drones to assess the success of plantation drives. This comes months after a Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report revealed irregularities in the use of funds intended for forest conservation.

Until now, the number of trees planted was counted after physically visiting the sites. "There are several satellites covering Uttarakhand, providing data at various resolutions. Using this satellite data, we can monitor plantations and activities like soil and moisture conservation to evaluate their impact. This is the first time such a technology-driven system is being used for plantation monitoring," Rahul, chief co...