A new National Forest Policy was adopted in 1988 to stop the further decrease in the forest cover:

1. The policy aimed at bringing 33 percent of India’s landmass under forest cover. The world coverage was 27 percent, and India’s own coverage at that time was only 19 percent.
2. The policy further stated that efforts would be made to maintain environmental stability and to restore forests where ecological balance was disturbed.
3. The other objective was to conserve the natural heritage of the country, its biological diversity and genetic pool.
4. The policy further aimed to check soil erosion, an extension of the desert lands and reduction of floods and droughts.
5. Other objectives of the policy were to increase the forest cover through social forestry and afforestation denuded and unproductive land, increase in productivity of forests to make timber, fuel, fodder and food available to rural and tribal populations dependent on forests and encourage the substitution of wood.
6. Lastly it emphasized the creation of a massive people movement involving women to encourage planting of trees and stop felling of trees.