Madhya Pradesh has the largest recorded forest area in the country. Forests constitute nearly 31 per cent of its geographical area. Forests are largely distributed in central, southern and eastern parts of the state. Teak and Sal are the two most important forest formations of the state. The Government of Madhya Pradesh has displayed a strong commitment for the socio-economic development of the citizens of the state. The State supports 7.8 per cent of the country's population, a large part of which is dependent on forests for livelihood. Conservation of the state's rich biodiversity, its sustainable use for expanding livelihood security and ensuring equitable sharing of its benefits have been part of this larger commitment. On March 21, World Forestry Day was celebrated to commemorate the contribution and value of forests and forestry to the community. Madhya Pradesh is home to dense forests, mineral rich areas, rich flora and fauna and a network of rivers. For in situ conservation of bio-diversity, 9 National Parks and 25 wildlife sanctuaries, have been created. Pachmarhi Biosphere Reserve is one of the 11 Biosphere Reserves of the country. Bhoj, wetland of national importance, is located in Bhopal district, with an area of 33,000 hectares. In another major effort, the State Government has constituted the Madhya Pradesh Eco-Tourism Development Board, an autonomous organisation in the Forest Department. The major objectives of the board are broadly aimed at the promotion and organised development of eco-tourism as a mainstream program of the forest department. Within this larger mandate, the Board focuses on the achievements of certain specific objectives such as development of infrastructure; development and enforcement of standards and norms of service. The Board is mainly a facilitating body to help government departments, travel businesses, local communities and other stakeholders to achieve their specific objectives of benefiting from creating visitor access to scenic and unexplored areas. The Forest Department is using modern technologies for forest protection, specially protection from fire which has reduced forest fire incidences drastically. Similarly, the State forest policy seeks management of forests through an appropriate statutory and institutionalised arrangement for protection, conservation and sustainable utilisation of the forests. The policy contains provisions for earliest possible settlement and demarcation of forest areas and to take initiative for converting forest villages to revenue villages besides checking illegal felling and giving adequate powers to forest personnel. For more information, log on to www.mpforest.org