While the cement sector may not directly depend on biodiversity for provisioning services, it benefits from biodiversity's regulating services, such as air pollution control and climate regulation. Biodiverse areas also hold cultural and aesthetic value. Cement plants, including the Gagal plant of ACC Ltd, are required to invest in greening initiatives as part of regulatory clearances. ACC Ltd has significantly invested in greening efforts across its operations, including non-mine areas, closed mine sites, manufacturing facilities, and the integrated township. These initiatives have transformed the Gagal plant area into one of the greenest regions in Bilaspur district, Himachal Pradesh, attracting visitors with its scenic beauty and environmental consciousness.

At the Gagal Cement plant, the first mining operations commenced in Barmana Hill in 1984. After mineral extraction from Barmana Hill concluded around 1990, mining activity shifted to Gagal Hill, where it is ongoing. The rehabilitation of the closed Barmana mine into a mango orchard is an additional attraction for plant visitors.

At the Gagal plant, the total mining lease area spans 231.25 hectares, with only 58 hectares designated for active mining. The remaining land was characterised by barren or degraded hilly terrain with sporadic vegetation. This area was transformed into a dense forest through artificial regeneration using local species, fostering floral and faunal diversity. Plantation work was conducted systematically in blocks, with annual replenishment of plant mortality. It took nearly two decades to develop this biodiverse area, maintained by the company for over four decades. The hilly landscape's most prominent feature is the concentration of species diversity along a vertical projection, providing suitable habitats for animals like leopards, monitor lizards, geckos, and various bird species. Since its inception, over 1 million trees have been planted, covering approximately 202.5 hectares in and around the plant, mines, township, community areas, and along the National Highway. Notable fauna species that have adapted to the ecosystem include langurs, macaques, grey mongooses, Bengal monitor lizards, striped palm squirrels, reptiles like house lizards, Indian chameleons, and toads.

Several factors facilitated the transformation of the area:

• Involvement of local people in plantation work, providing them with employment opportunities.
• Selection of security guards from the local community for forest protection.
• Awareness campaigns highlighting the ecosystem's provisioning services for the local community, such as firewood, fodder, and small timber obtained from the forest.
• Engagement with the local forest department, aiding in knowledge creation regarding suitable species and acting as a deterrent against poaching and illegal felling.
• Collaboration with local bodies like gram panchayats, NGOs, and mahila mandals for enhanced community participation and support.

During the initiative's implementation, challenges like site and species selection, technical know-how, and issues such as illegal felling and poaching were faced. Forest fires, fueled by pine needles, were a significant challenge. Additionally, the greening of the area attracted wild animals, leading to damage to nearby agricultural crops and encounters with community livestock.

These challenges were addressed by employing watch and ward guards from the local community and providing firewood, fodder, and small timber to build relations with the surrounding community. Fencing was implemented in plain areas, where feasible, except for steep hills. Forest fires, mainly caused by dry pine needles during summer, were tackled by collecting them from the community and compensating them financially. This initiative created livelihood opportunities under the Company's CSR initiatives. Collected pine needles are now co-processed in the cement kiln as an alternate fuel source, reducing dependence on fossil fuels.

The initiative has led to increased biodiversity in the area and has also addressed various environmental challenges such as soil erosion, flood control to protect agricultural land, and prevention of silting in natural reservoirs. Additionally, it has resulted in an increase in the water level of the surrounding area and has enhanced ecosystem services, including provisioning, regulating, support, and cultural services. Overall, the transformation of the area into a dense green forest with rich biodiversity has been a significant achievement of the initiative.

Moving forward, ACC plans to plant over 2,000 saplings annually in the open forest area, as well as extend our operations to community areas belonging to Panchayats, communities, and Shamlat land. Also, maintaining the areas already developed is another regular activity for the company. .