There is an unprecedented urgency in mitigating the impacts of climate change and forest restoration strategies are at the forefront. Global and national scale environmental policy fora have championed the cause of forest restoration as an important nature-based solution, culminating in the UN Decade of Ecosystem Restoration. Also, it has often been touted as a cost-effective and scalable panacea with the potential to deliver a variety of benefits beyond sequestration of carbon. However, the reality of this strategy is complex. In this talk, I will weave the opportunities and realities of forest restoration as a viable strategy for climate change mitigation and other ecosystem benefits in India. I will highlight the potential of forest restoration as a ‘Natural Climate Solution’, the realities of forest restoration in areas that climatically host savannas and forests and the trade-offs and synergies in Nature’s Contributions to People from forest restoration programs across India