Across the globe vast areas that in the past supported natural forests have either been deforested or have degraded. Data shows that nearly 30 percent of the worlds potential forest cover has been completely cleared and a further 20 percent has been degraded. But the silver lining is that still more than two billion hectares of deforested and degraded forest landscapes worldwide have the potential to be restored on sustainable basis. Land is one of the most precious natural resource on which all human activities are based. Changes in land use and land cover are therefore being increasingly...