Forest loss: Numbers can’t cover it

The Forest Survey of India (FSI) defines a forest as land covering at least one hectare and with a tree cover density of 10%. FSI also considers trees in less than one hectare as tree cover; bamboo cover also passes off as tree cover.

The findings in the India State of the Forest Report (ISFR) 2023, released last week, underscore more concerns than reasons to celebrate. The report says that about 25% of the country’s geographical area is covered by forests and its forest and tree cover has increased by 1,445 sq km in two years. Any increase in green cover is welcome but the fact that it comes from an inadequate definition of forests diminishes its relevance. The Forest Survey of India (FSI) defines a forest as land covering at least one hectare and with a tree cover density of 10%. This is a liberal definition – it enables the report to camouflage plantations as forests. FSI also considers trees in less than one hectare as tree cover; bamboo cover also passes off as tree cover.

The description of plantations as forests is controversial because they lack deadwood and biomass development, and the diversity of real forests. So all forests that figure in the report are not forests and all claimed increases in cover are not real gains. The extent of forest area is being exaggerated, perhaps, to claim that India is meeting its commitment under the Paris climate agreement on creation of additional carbon sinks. But what do these overstated numbers serve in a fight against climate change?

The report also reveals a significant decline in forest cover in many regions, an increase in the number of forest fire cases, and loss of carbon sequestration opportunities due to diversion of forests for non-forest use. There is large-scale loss of forest cover in the Western Ghats and the North-East. Karnataka has lost 459 sq km of forest in the last two years; Shivamogga is among the Ghat districts that have lost the maximum forest cover. Forests lost in the biodiverse Ghat region are irreplaceable and cannot be compensated with plantations in other areas. The North-Eastern states, known for their extensive forest cover and biodiversity, have suffered big losses. Encroachments, rubber and palm oil plantations, and infrastructure development backed by laws such as last year’s amendment to the Forest Conservation Act, 1980, have contributed to major losses of forest and tree cover. Mangroves in the coastal regions are also under pressure. Many cities have seen shrinking of green cover. There is also the problem of forest degradation, with dense forests being reduced to scrubs. The forests are under threat from natural causes like fire and man-made causes like encroachment, a distressing reality the report has not effectively captured.