Over 46,000 sq km forest became non-forest land in 10 years, Arunachal lost most green cover: Report

New Delhi: In ten years, India lost nearly 93,000 sq km of dense forest, of which all traces of green disappeared from 50% of the area, raising concerns among conservationists.

According to the latest India State of Forest Report, over 46,000 sq km of forest has turned into non-forest between 2011 and 2021, with Arunachal Pradesh topping the list with 6,539 sq km followed by Madhya Pradesh (5,353) and Maharashtra (4,052).

Among the southern states, Karnataka (3328 sq km) comes at the fourth spot preceded by Telangana (4926) and Andhra Pradesh (5560).

“This is a matter of grave concern as these areas became non-forest from major forest, thereby minimising the chances of revival,” ecologist Debadityo Sinha from Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy told DH.

"Many of these areas are already home to some of the country’s most significant engineering projects — mines, highways, and strategic developments of national importance — and many are being planned or approved following the latest amendments to the Forest Conservation Act.”

Another 46,300 sq km of dense forest turned into either open forest (10-40% canopy density) or scrub areas (less than 10% canopy density interspersed with some trees) in the same period, losing majority of the foliages. All the North Eastern states, Jammu and Kashmir and Uttarakhand lost a significant chunk of their dense forest.

“Dense forest becomes open forest or scrub because of disturbances such as illegal logging, grazing, or agricultural activities. But there are always chances of restoring the forest because some trees are still there. This might not be the case with non-forest areas,” explains Sinha.

The report doesn’t mention the reasons for forest areas turning into non-forest in ten years but maintains that such areas can include crop lands, settlements, water bodies, grassland, snow clad areas and desert.

It describes three categories of forest degradation – (1) dense forest becomes open forest (2) open forests turn into scrubs and (3) scrubs end up as non-forest areas. Combining all the three total degradation is 92,989 sq km.

The report also notes a worrying growth of Vilayati Kikar (Prosopis juliflora), an invasive alien plant as it emerges among the top five agroforestry species in 2023 compared to the situation in 2013. While mango, neem and areca nut retain their places in top five, the 2023 report doesn’t include coconut and acacia, which have been replaced with Vilayati Kikar and Eucalyptus.