India’s forest cover growth is half of what was achieved in 2017-19 period

According to the report, India's total forest and tree cover is now spread across 80.9 million hectares, which is 24.62% of the geographical area of the country

While India has gained over 2,200 sq km of forest and tree cover in the last two years, the increase is significantly lower than what was achieved in the previous two years (2017-19), a comparison of the last two State of the Forest reports reveals.

The 2021 report released on Thursday showed an increase of 1,540 sq km of forest cover and 721 sq km of tree cover as against 2019. But the rise between 2017 and 2019 was considerably higher – 3,976 sq km of forest cover and 1,212 sq km of tree cover – as recorded in the previous edition of the report released in December 2019.

Between 2017 and 2019, India’s total tree and forest cover grew by 5,188 sq km. But in the subsequent two years, the increase is a modest 2,261 sq km – less than 50 per cent of what was achieved in the previous cycle.

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Since the data for the latest edition of the biennial report was captured between October and December of 2019, the Covid-19 pandemic can not be ascribed as the reason behind the drop even in routine forestry activities that are generally linked to a hike in tree cover.

The report is silent on the reason behind the poor show in the past two years. Union Environment Minister Bhupendra Yadav also did not elaborate on the reason for such a drop but maintained that a special drive would be undertaken to increase the tree cover in the second phase of the national green mission.

A closer look at the 2021 report reveals a loss of 1,582 sq km of moderately dense forest (canopy cover between 40 to 70 per cent) between 2019 and 2021. There is, however, a gain of 501 sq km of very dense forest (canopy cover of 70 per cent and above) and over 2,600 sq km of open forest (10 to 40 per cent canopy cover).

With an addition of 155 sq km of forest cover, Karnataka is one of the top five states where the forest cover has improved along with Andhra Pradesh (647 sq km), Telangana (632 sq km), Odisha (537 sq km) and Jharkhand (110 sq km). The loss is entirely in the North East.

Compared to the 2019 assessment, the maximum forest cover enhancement in Karnataka happened in Belagavi (24.06 sq km), Chitradurga (30.39 sq km) and Tumakuru districts (39.03 sq km). The maximum loss occurred in the Udupi district (26.65 sq km).

A decadal analysis of forest loss in seven mega-cities shows Bengaluru lost nearly five sq km of forest area – an area equivalent to 700 football fields – between 2011 and 2021. But despite the loss, the southern metropolis has 89 sq km of forests, which is next to Delhi (194 sq km) and Mumbai (111 sq km).

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