The Delhi government has approved the process to declare an additional 1,000 acres of the Southern Ridge as reserved forest, taking the notified Ridge area to approximately 13,000 acres and extending formal protection to one of the capital’s key natural landscapes.
The approval has been granted under Section 20 of the Indian Forest Act, 1927. The government said the notification process for the additional land had been pending for a long time and would now be taken forward on a priority basis.
Chief Minister Rekha Gupta described the Ridge as Delhi’s natural heritage and a green protective barrier for the city. According to the government, protecting the Ridge is important for clean air, biodiversity, temperature regulation and wider environmental security.
The Southern Ridge is part of Delhi’s larger Ridge landscape, whose protection has implications beyond the preservation of open land. The government’s decision gives the additional area a formal administrative pathway towards reserved-forest status, although the supplied report does not specify the exact boundaries of the 1,000 acres or the date on which the final notification will be issued.
The announcement also places the decision within a broader programme of phased forest protection. The Delhi government said it would continue the process of granting reserved-forest status to other eligible areas of the Ridge. It did not provide a total area or a detailed schedule for those further notifications.
The government has linked the move to a series of ecological management measures. These include the scientific restoration of degraded areas, promotion of native plant species and management of invasive species. No project-wise targets, funding details or implementation agencies for these measures were specified in the report.
For Delhi residents, the immediate significance of the decision lies in the shift from a general conservation commitment to a formal land-protection process under the forest law. The Ridge’s role in the city’s environmental system has been described by the government in terms of air quality, biodiversity and temperature balance, but the announcement does not quantify the expected gains or identify monitoring indicators.
The decision also highlights the administrative importance of forest notification in a rapidly urbanising capital. Declaring land as reserved forest involves a legal process, and the government’s reference to Section 20 establishes the statutory basis being used for the Southern Ridge. The next stage will be the completion of the notification process for the newly approved area.
The government said work on other eligible Ridge areas would continue in phases, alongside restoration and ecological management measures. The final notification and details of the boundaries and implementation plan will determine how the additional 1,000 acres receive formal protection.
