India State of Forest Report 2019 – Increase Forest Cover in India

This article talks about the India State of Forest Report 2019 which is a biennial report published by Forest Survey of India. This article highlights the changes in forest cover, tree cover, carbon stock and other associated features of Indian forests. It details the ranks of top states in terms of their increased forest cover and also mentions the data associated with mangrove cover, wetlands etc. It also discusses the importance of forest cover and its ecological role.

Introduction

Importance of Forests

Highlights of ISFR 2019 (India State of Forest Report 2019)

Causes of Increase in Forest Cover

Causes of Decrease in Forest Cover

Conclusion

Introduction

India State of Forest Cover Report (ISFR) is a report published every two years since 1987. It is published by Forest Survey of India which is a department under Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. This report reveals the data of forest cover, tree cover, carbon stock, incidents of forest fires and other associated statistics of the country. The report is important to understand the outcome of efforts being done for betterment of ecological system. Since forests are crucial for life, their area evaluation is critical for making necessary policies. India State of Forest Cover Report 2019 (ISFR 2019) is 16th report. 

Importance of Forests

Forests serve as lungs of earth. The forests emit oxygen which is life air for all living creatures. They also trap carbon by photosynthesis. The carbon dioxide is a green house gas responsible for global warming. It is released from industries, vehicles and many other anthropological activities. By trapping this green house gas, forests and trees play significant role in prevention of global warming. Afforestation is the most essential action for preventing climate change. 

Forests are not only significant from ecological point of view, they are home for biodiversity. They serve as habitat for number of animals, birds and a variety of living creatures.

The resources of forests give livelihood to forest dwellers. Such resources are wood, fodder, lac, silk, herbs, traditional medicines and many more.

Highlights of ISFR 2019 (India State of Forest Report 2019)

India State of Forest Report 2019 (ISFR 2019) released by Forest Survey of India under Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change reveals the following: 

India has witnessed an overall increase in all three types of forest areas which are very dense forests, moderately dense forests and open forests.

Tree & Forest Cover of India

The forest and tree cover of India has increased by 5188 Km2. According to India State of Forest Report 2019 (ISFR 2019), total tree cover and forest cover in India has increased by 0.65%. In absolute terms, currently in 2019 overall tree cover and forest cover in India is 8, 07,276 Km2 which was 8, 02,088 Km2 in 2017.

Forest Area of India

India State of Forest Report 2019 found an increase in forest area of India. The current total forest area of India is 7, 12,249 Km2 which is 21.67% of overall geographical area of country.

In last two years (2017-2019), forest area of India has increased by 3976 Km2 which is 0.56% increase.

States with Highest Increase in Forest Cover

The top five states with highest increase in forest cover from 2017 to 2019 are:

Karnataka > Andhra Pradesh > Kerala > J&K > Himachal Pradesh

States with Highest Decrease in Forest Cover

The three states with highest decrease in forest cover from 2017 to 2019 are:

Mizoram > Arunachal Pradesh > Mizoram

Forest Cover of North East India

Except Assam and Tripura, forest cover of all states of North East India has fallen down by 765 Km2. The current forest cover of North East India is 1, 70,541 Km2 which is 65.05% of geographical area of North Eastern states.

Tree Cover of India

Tree cover of India has increased by 1212 Km2 which corresponds to 1.29% increase.   

Carbon stock

Carbon stock of Indian forests has increased by 42.6 million ton in two years duration from 2017 to 2019.

Mangrove Cover

The area covered by Mangrove forests in India has increased by 54Km2 which is 1.10% increase.

Bamboo Area of India

The area covered by bamboo in India is 1, 60, 037 Km2. The bamboo area witnessed an expansion of 3229 Km2.

Forest Cover of Tribal Districts

The tribal districts witnessed a decrease of forest area by 741Km2 with an increase of 1922 Km2 outside the recorded forest area. Thus, net increase of forest cover is 1181 Km2. The overall forest cover of tribal districts of India is 4, 22,351 Km2 which is 37.54% of geographical area of tribal districts.

Forest Cover of Hill Districts

There are 140 hill area districts in India which have a forest cover of 2, 84,006 Km2. The forest cover of hill districts is 40.30% of their overall geographical area. India State Forest Report 2019 (ISFR 2019) recorded an overall increase of their forest cover by 544 Km2 in two years.

Forest Fire

India State of Forest Report 2019 has reported that the forest fire incidents in India have decreased by 20%.

Causes of Increase in Forest Cover

The credit for net increase in forest cover of India can be given to awareness campaigns, forest conservation efforts, afforestation and promotion of farming. 

Causes of Decrease in Forest Cover

The fall of forest cover witnessed in some states can be attributed to change in cultivation places on hills, forest fire, deforestation, natural disasters, and various developmental and anthropological activities. 

Conclusion

Overall, India is a carbon sink. It means it absorbs relatively more carbon that what it releases. India is among top ten countries in the world which witness increase in their forest covers. The current forest cover of India is more than 8 lakh square Km which is 24.56%. This is good news that our forest cover has increased to 24.5% but it is still very far from the set target of 33% forest cover. As per India State of Forest Report 2019 overall increase has been witnessed in forests outside recorded forest area. We need to work for increase of recorded forest area as well. However, 15 states and Union territories of India have more than 33% forest cover but maintaining a balance between development and forest conservation is really challenging. It needs people participation and regular monitoring.

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