UPSSSC Forest Inspector Syllabus 2026: Van Daroga Topics
The UPSSSC Forest Inspector syllabus is the topic list for the Van Daroga written exam conducted by the Uttar Pradesh Subordinate Services Selection Commission. For the 2022 cycle, the commission announced a single paper called subject knowledge, with 26 topics on forests, wildlife, law, ecology and land management. There is no separate general studies, Hindi or reasoning section in this exam.
UPSSSC lists the topic headings but not the subtopics under each one. The subtopics below are built from that official list and from the scope of the laws and schemes it names. Use them as a working checklist, not as an official list. As of 21 October 2026 no new Van Daroga advertisement has been issued, so check the next notification for any changes.
Table of Contents
UPSSSC Forest Inspector Syllabus
This scheme is based on the 2022 cycle's scheme and syllabus notice and should be confirmed against the next official UPSSSC advertisement. Questions, marks and time below are as per the last cycle.
Stage | Section | Questions (last cycle) | Marks (last cycle) | Time (last cycle) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
PET (screening) | As set in the PET notification | As notified | Used only for shortlisting | As notified |
Written mains | Subject knowledge | 100 | 100 | 120 minutes |
Physical tests | Height, chest and timed walk | Not applicable | Qualifying | Walk: 4 hours |
Key Changes to Know
It is a forestry paper: The 2022 scheme had one subject, so general awareness tables you see elsewhere do not apply to the Van Daroga mains.
Forest Guard is a different syllabus: UPSSSC's Van Rakshak and Vanya Jeev Rakshak exams have their own pattern. Do not prepare from their topic list.
Climate topics date quickly: The 2022 list named COP-27. Expect a new list to refer to later conferences, so follow recent COP outcomes.
Laws have changed: The Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980 was amended in 2023 and renamed the Van (Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan) Adhiniyam, 1980. Study the amended version.
Official Topic List With What to Cover
This topic list is based on the 2022 cycle's scheme and syllabus notice and should be confirmed against the next official UPSSSC advertisement. The first column is the commission's wording for the 2022 exam. The second column is our suggested coverage.
Official topic | What to cover |
|---|---|
National Forest Policy | Aims of the 1988 policy, the one-third forest and tree cover goal, people's participation |
National Wild Life Action Plan | Current plan period, priority areas, landscape-level conservation |
National Park and Bird Sanctuaries | Difference between a national park and a sanctuary, major sites in Uttar Pradesh |
Reserved Forest and Protected Forest | How each is declared under the Indian Forest Act and what rights survive |
Eco Sensitive Zone | Purpose, who notifies them, permitted and banned activities |
Elephant and Tiger Reserves | Project Tiger and Project Elephant, core and buffer zones, reserves in Uttar Pradesh |
Eco-System, Eco-tone and Environmental Ecological Balance | Food chains, energy flow, ecotones and edge effect |
Forest Conservation Act, Indian Forest Act and Wildlife Protection Act | Key chapters, schedules, offences and penalties, recent amendments |
Climate Change, Climate Protection and COP-27 Conference | Greenhouse gases, UNFCCC process, outcomes of recent COPs |
Carbon Credit | Carbon markets, carbon sinks, the role of forests |
Soil and Moisture Conservation | Erosion types, check dams, contour trenches, mulching |
Afforestation and Agro-forestry | Species choice, agroforestry systems, nursery basics |
Forest Settlements | Settlement of rights before a forest is notified, the role of the Forest Settlement Officer |
Mutation of Forest Land in Revenue Records | Why forest land must be recorded correctly, and how disputes arise |
Challenges and prevention of forest disasters | Forest fires, pests, floods, encroachment |
Forest Produce | Timber and non-timber forest produce, transit rules |
Forest Certification | Purpose of certification and sustainable forest management |
Human Wildlife Conflicts | Causes, mitigation, compensation |
Duties and Rights of Forester | Powers of forest officers under the Acts, patrolling, reporting offences |
Action Plan for Plantation | Planning, site preparation, survival monitoring |
Forest Environment and its benefits | Ecosystem services: water, soil, climate, livelihoods |
Forest and Wildlife Conservation | In situ and ex situ methods, protected area network |
Government laws and policies for Forest Conservation | Forest Rights Act, Biological Diversity Act, Environment (Protection) Act |
Contribution of Forests in the Indian Economy | Timber, minor produce, employment, tourism |
Forest Ecology | Forest types, succession, biodiversity |
Indian Agricultural System and Crop Circles | Crop seasons, cropping patterns and crop rotation (फसल चक्र) |
"Crop Circles" in the English list matches फसल चक्र in the Hindi list, which means crop rotation.
Topic Groups and Where to Start
Section | Topics to cover | Start with |
|---|---|---|
Forest law and policy | Three Acts, National Forest Policy, government laws and policies, duties and rights of the Van Daroga | Indian Forest Act: reserved and protected forest chapters and offences |
Protected areas and wildlife | National parks, sanctuaries, tiger and elephant reserves, eco-sensitive zones, wildlife action plan, human-wildlife conflict | Protected areas of Uttar Pradesh on a map |
Ecology and climate | Ecosystem and ecotone, forest ecology, climate change, COP outcomes, carbon credit | Ecosystem basics, then forest types |
Forest administration | Forest settlement, mutation of forest land, forest produce, certification, disasters | Forest settlement and the rights it records |
Land, agriculture and economy | Soil and moisture conservation, afforestation, agroforestry, plantation plan, crop rotation, forests in the economy | Soil conservation methods |
Law and protected areas usually reward revision most because the facts are precise and easy to test. Ecology and climate need concept clarity first, then recent updates. Administration topics are short but often skipped, which makes them good scoring ground.
Laws and Schemes to Study
Core Acts
Indian Forest Act, 1927: Reserved, village and protected forests, transit of forest produce, forest offences and the powers of forest officers.
Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972: Schedules, hunting prohibitions, protected areas, the National Board for Wildlife and penalties.
Van (Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan) Adhiniyam, 1980: Restrictions on using forest land for non-forest purposes, as amended in 2023.
Related laws and policies
National Forest Policy, 1988: Goals for forest cover, conservation and people's participation.
Environment (Protection) Act, 1986: The basis for notifying eco-sensitive zones.
Forest Rights Act, 2006: Recognition of rights of forest-dwelling communities.
Biological Diversity Act, 2002: Conservation and fair use of biological resources.
Schemes and programmes
Project Tiger and Project Elephant: How reserves are created and managed, with core and buffer areas.
National Wildlife Action Plan: Priorities of the current plan period.
Plantation drives: How plantation targets are planned and monitored at state level.
Uttar Pradesh Focus
A state forest post means state examples matter. Learn the location, type and key species of Uttar Pradesh's main protected areas, such as Dudhwa National Park, Pilibhit Tiger Reserve and Ranipur Tiger Reserve, and bird sanctuaries such as Nawabganj, Okhla and Sur Sarovar. Add the state's forest types, its major rivers and wetlands, and recent state plantation drives to the same sheet.
Keep a running list of new protected areas, notifications and amendments from official sources, because a topic list written in 2023 cannot name later changes.
Overlap Between PET and the Mains
Area | PET | Van Daroga mains | How to plan |
|---|---|---|---|
Geography and environment | General level | Detailed: ecology, forests, protected areas | Use PET geography as a base, then go deep on forests |
Indian economy | General level | Forests' contribution to the economy | Add forest produce and employment data to economy notes |
Current affairs | Broad | Climate conferences, new reserves, amendments | Keep a separate environment current-affairs page |
Agriculture | Basic | Agroforestry and crop rotation | Revise crop seasons and rotation together |
PET only decides whether you reach the mains, and its pattern is set in each PET notification. Once your PET score card is in hand, shift almost all study time to the forestry syllabus.
Is There a Syllabus for the Physical Tests?
No. The physical tests have standards, not a syllabus. Under the 2022 advertisement, men needed a height of 163 cm and women 150 cm, with lower heights for Scheduled Tribes and candidates of Gorkha, Nepali, Garhwali and Kumaoni origin. Men had to walk 25 km and women 14 km within four hours.
How to Cover the UPSSSC Forest Inspector Syllabus
Weeks 1 to 4: Read the three core Acts and the National Forest Policy. Make one page of notes per chapter.
Weeks 3 to 6: Cover protected areas, tiger and elephant reserves and eco-sensitive zones, starting with Uttar Pradesh.
Weeks 5 to 8: Study ecology, forest types, climate change and carbon credit. Spend 20 minutes a day on environment news.
Weeks 7 to 10: Finish administration and land topics, then take topic-wise tests on each group.
Final phase: Full-length timed tests, same-day analysis and revision from an error log.
For topic-wise practice, take timed online tests on Testkart and use the section-wise analysis to find weak topic groups. Pair them with previous year papers to see how deep the questions go. Testkart study notes for this exam can also support quick revision of the Acts and protected areas.
Topic lists can change between cycles, so compare this checklist with the next Van Daroga advertisement on upsssc.gov.in before you fix your plan.
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