Goa, July 25 -- Goa Forest Minister Vishwajit Rane has said the state's Forest Department will submit its final report on private forests to the National Green Tribunal before August 15. He said the 15th and final report will identify and finalize more than 15 crore square metres of land as private forest.

Rane described the move as a historic milestone in Goa's long-pending private forest identification process. According to him, the submission will bring the nearly two-decade-long exercise to a close and ensure that the notified forest areas remain protected in the future.

The minister said the report marks the completion of an important conservation effort. Once filed, it will formally end the process of identifying private forests i...