Young people in India are providing new life to the country's embattled forests. 

There are 176 "youth brigades" across Assam's Bodoland Territorial Region that are nurturing "saplings of native timber species, fruit-bearing trees, and medicinal and flowering plants" on nearly 5,000 acres, according to The Hindu. 

The onus is on the more than 1,158 square miles of regional forest cover that was lost from 2013 to 2023. The youth participants, including from schools, local councils, and other groups, are about 6,000 strong and divided into 176 groups. 

Each brigade is incentivized with about $563 per member. The overall effort has a "substantial" government budget that also tackles pollution and groundwater management, The Hindu reported. 

Part of the goal is to raise awareness about the work and to learn how to care for trees. 

"The idea behind this support was to encourage continued care of the plantations by strengthening local ownership and ensuring active post-plantation maintenance," Mark Daimari, an official associated with the Green Bodoland Mission, said, per the publication. 

GBM was charged with replenishing forests and green spaces in cities, and it is enlisting the youth groups to help. 

"By promoting fruit, fodder, timber, and non-timber plant species, the mission also aims to generate income streams for smallholders … fostering a 'tree economy' is a major component of the initiative," The Hindu reported, paraphrasing project officials. 

Deforestation is problematic in large swaths of the planet. Earth.org reported that about 75% of the planet's surface "has been modified and degraded by human activities." 

The fallout is widespread, impacting human and animal health. Each tree can absorb about 48 pounds of heat-trapping air pollution a year, according to the Arbor Day Foundation. 

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NASA's experts linked planet warming to increased risks of severe heat that could make some places uninhabitable. 

Trees also help to maintain the precipitation cycle, keeping river flow and water volume stable. Forests are crucial to biodiversity, too, the vital abundance of plant and animal species that exist in our ecosystems. 

While human activities, such as timbering and development, are contributing to tree loss, ambitious people can also make a difference. 

A couple in Brazil planted two million trees in the Amazon over 20 years. Government action in Brazil has also shown success in slowing forest loss, according to Reuters. However, degradation, including that caused by fires, continues to be a problem there, Mongabay reported. 

The efforts in India and Brazil highlight the fact that local action by passionate people can make a big difference. Organizations such as Earthday.org can help you find or start litter pickups in your neighborhood. 

Staying informed about deforestation and other issues impacting our natural resources — and talking about them with friends and family — can encourage positive change. 

In India, youth are endeavoring to restore indigenous forests and thousands of urban saplings. The work is expected to help with soil and slope stabilization, water security, and the human-wildlife balance, according to The Hindu.

It's all part of a youth movement geared to "reclaim the climate."

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