India News | Himachal Among First States to Launch AI-powered Ecological Restoration System; 'WhereToPlant', 'WhatToPlant' to Boost Forest Recovery
Get latest articles and stories on India at LatestLY. Himachal Pradesh has become one of the first states in the country to develop an integrated artificial intelligence (AI) enabled ecological decision-support system for forest restoration, launching two digital platforms, 'WhereToPlant' and 'WhatToPlant' to improve plantation success, strengthen disaster resilience and promote evidence-based environmental governance.
Shimla (Himachal Pradesh) [Indian], July 28 (ANI): Himachal Pradesh has become one of the first states in the country to develop an integrated artificial intelligence (AI) enabled ecological decision-support system for forest restoration, launching two digital platforms, 'WhereToPlant' and 'WhatToPlant' to improve plantation success, strengthen disaster resilience and promote evidence-based environmental governance.
The AI-powered systems have been developed by the Himachal Pradesh government to assist forest officials, local communities and farmers in scientifically identifying suitable plantation sites and selecting native tree species most likely to survive under local ecological conditions.
The initiative comes at a time when the Himalayan state has been witnessing an increasing frequency of landslides, flash floods and other climate-induced disasters, prompting authorities to adopt ecosystem-based approaches for long-term resilience.
Speaking with ANI, Pushpendra Rana, Special Secretary, Himachal Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority (HPSDMA), said the project was conceived after research revealed that a substantial portion of plantation expenditure was not yielding the desired ecological outcomes.
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"If we look at the past few years, Himachal Pradesh has been facing frequent natural disasters. Plantation programmes have been running for decades and many have produced encouraging results, but our research found that nearly 50 per cent of the plantation budget was being spent at locations where site suitability was poor or where adequate vegetation already existed. That meant a significant amount of public investment was not achieving optimum ecological benefits," Rana said.
He said the findings were published in the journal World Development in 2022, following which the department spent the next three to four years developing AI-based tools capable of scientifically identifying suitable plantation sites and recommending the most appropriate native species.
"Our objective was to ensure that government expenditure is prioritised for scientifically suitable locations so that every rupee invested in plantation delivers better ecological outcomes while reducing wastage of public resources," he said.
The WhereToPlant platform combines artificial intelligence, machine learning, geospatial analysis and ecological modelling to evaluate plantation suitability using more than 3,050 environmental variables, including soil characteristics, climate, rainfall, terrain, elevation and existing vegetation.
According to Rana, the entire state has been divided into nearly 795,000 landscape tiles, each covering around seven hectares, corresponding to the average plantation block size in Himachal Pradesh.
"The application is extremely simple to use. It is integrated with Telegram. A user only needs to access the application while standing at a location. The system automatically captures GPS coordinates and the underlying machine-learning models instantly analyse whether the site is suitable for plantation and whether plantations there are likely to survive over the long term," he explained.
Because of the enormous volume of environmental data involved, Rana said such analysis would have been impossible without artificial intelligence.
"The application simultaneously analyses soil, climate, rainfall, terrain, altitude and thousands of other ecological variables before generating recommendations," he added.
The Forest Department began piloting the application on a large scale last year under various plantation programmes.
"As many as 250 locations were covered during the pilot phase. Around 200 Mahila Mandals under the Rajiv Gandhi Van Samvardhan Yojana and nearly 50 Yuvak Mandals used the application. Nearly 34,000 saplings were planted, covering approximately 400 to 500 hectares, based on recommendations generated through the platform," Rana said.
He said preliminary monitoring has yielded highly encouraging results. "Our initial assessment indicates that plantations undertaken using the application have recorded a success rate of nearly 82 to 85 per cent. If these results continue, AI can significantly reduce wastage of public investment while substantially improving ecological restoration across the state," he said.
The complementary WhatToPlant platform addresses the second critical challenge by identifying the most suitable native tree species for every plantation site.
Developed using more than 226,000 geo-referenced field observations collected across Himachal Pradesh, the application predicts the ecological suitability of 98 native tree species under specific environmental conditions.
"We have developed ecological suitability models for 98 native tree species using extensive field data collected by forest staff across the state. When a user checks a location, the application not only indicates whether a plantation is suitable but also recommends the most suitable native species for that particular site. Species are displayed using their local names so that communities can easily understand and adopt the recommendations," Rana said.
He added that the next phase would connect the application with nearby forest nurseries.
"If the system recommends species such as amla or bheda, the user will also be directed to the nearest forestry nursery where those saplings are available. This will make the entire plantation process easier for farmers and local communities," he said.
Officials said the two platforms together answer the two most fundamental questions in ecological restoration where to plant and what to plant thereby improving the effectiveness of forest restoration programmes and ecological interventions in disaster-prone areas.
The initiative marks a shift from evaluating plantation programmes merely by the number of saplings planted to assessing whether ecosystems recover successfully over time. Better site selection and scientifically matched species are expected to improve seedling survival, strengthen biodiversity conservation, enhance climate adaptation and disaster resilience, and maximise the long-term impact of public investment.
Rana said the applications are intended to support, not replace, the expertise of forest officers and the traditional ecological knowledge of local communities.
"Scientific evidence, field experience and community participation will continue to remain central to ecological restoration. Artificial intelligence is only a decision-support tool that enables better planning," he said.
Explaining how the project evolved, Rana said his academic background in machine learning and forestry inspired the initiative.
"I had worked on machine-learning projects during my academic training. When I returned to Himachal Pradesh, I realised these technologies could effectively address several challenges in forest restoration, and the Forest Department initiated the project," he said.
Drawing a direct link between forest restoration and disaster management, Rana said ecological resilience must become an integral part of infrastructure planning.
"Today, Himachal Pradesh is investing heavily in roads, bridges and other public infrastructure. However, infrastructure alone cannot protect the state from future disasters. We also need ecological resilience. Healthy forests and resilient ecosystems must develop alongside physical infrastructure. Ecosystem-based approaches offer one of the most effective long-term solutions for reducing disaster risks," he said.
He said the AI-powered platforms would help identify suitable locations for vegetation-based interventions alongside engineering measures in landslide-prone and environmentally sensitive areas.
"When infrastructure development and ecological restoration move together, Himachal Pradesh will be far better prepared to face future natural disasters. These applications will help us identify where ecological recovery can be initiated most effectively, making the state's development more sustainable and resilient," Rana added. (ANI)
(The above story is verified and authored by ANI staff, ANI is South Asia's leading multimedia news agency with over 100 bureaus in India, South Asia and across the globe. ANI brings the latest news on Politics and Current Affairs in India & around the World, Sports, Health, Fitness, Entertainment, & News. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)