India, May 18 -- For many years, plantation drives in India were often measured by one thing: the number of saplings planted. But ecological restoration is much more than counting trees.

The newly announced "Green Maharashtra Commission" and Maharashtra's 300 Crore Tree Plantation Mission (2026-2047) feels important because, perhaps for the first time at this scale, the conversation is slowly shifting from plantation targets toward landscape-level restoration, long-term survival, and ecological planning.

A government resolution issued on May 7, 2026, proposes increasing Maharashtra's forest and tree cover to 33 per cent while integrating technology, habitat-based planning, and interdepartmental coordination.

Ecosystems, not "empty land...