Arunachal Pradesh Faces Declining Forest Cover: ISFR-2023

ITANAGAR: Arunachal Pradesh has also lost the highest area of its forest cover, with 549 square kilometers lost in two years between 2021 and 2023. According to the India State of Forest Report (ISFR)-2023, the present forest cover of the state stands at 65,881.57 square kilometers, this makes up 78.67 percent of its geographical area.

This is 79.33% of 66,431 square kilometers, marking a decrease from the number recorded in 2021. The report was released officially by Union Environment, Forest & Climate Change Minister Bhupendra Yadav at the Forest Research Institute in Dehradun.

The state is among the five in India, which have seen tremendous loss in forest cover outside the Recorded Forest Area. In this category, the biggest loss was reported by Madhya Pradesh at 344.77 square kilometers, followed by Rajasthan at 110.65 square kilometers, Andhra Pradesh at 55.19 square kilometers, Arunachal Pradesh at 45.32 square kilometers, and Maharashtra at 41.07 square kilometers.

The forests of Arunachal Pradesh are classified into three categories based on their density. Very dense forests, which are the most ecologically significant, comprise 25.06% (20,985.32 square kilometers) of the total cover. Moderately dense forests make up 35.36% (29,615.09 square kilometers), while open forests constitute 18.25% (15,281.16 square kilometers).

Nationally, India has seen a modest gain in its forest and tree cover, adding a combined 1,445 square kilometers since 2021. Forest cover increased by a paltry 156 square kilometers, to 7,15,343 square kilometers or 21.76% of the total geographical area. Tree cover, however, expanded by 1,289 square kilometers, now constituting 3.41% of the country's land area. Most of the forest cover gains were outside the RFA.

The total forest and tree cover now covers 8,27,357 square kilometers or 25.17 percent of India's geographical area. India has also enhanced its bamboo-bearing area to 1,54,670 square kilometers, 5,227 square kilometers more than in 2021. It is the growth of such smaller trees with a diameter of 5-10 centimeters at breast height that was added to this assessment.

Some states have done very well in terms of increasing their forest and tree cover. Chhattisgarh has topped the list with a gain of 683.62 square kilometers, followed by Uttar Pradesh with 559.19 square kilometers, Odisha with 558.57 square kilometers, and Rajasthan with 394.46 square kilometers.

Whereas some states lost ground, others fell significantly. Madhya Pradesh lost the highest area, at 612.41 square kilometers; Karnataka Ladakh and Nagaland lost 459.36 square kilometers, 159.26 square kilometers, and 125.22 square kilometers respectively.

The forest and tree cover assessment for the 2023 report covered 751 districts, as against 636 districts in 2021. The highest gains outside the RFA were recorded in Gujarat with 241.29 square kilometers, followed by Bihar, Kerala, Uttar Pradesh, and Assam. Inside the RFA, Mizoram recorded the largest increase in forest cover with 192.92 square kilometers, while Tripura experienced the most significant decline, losing 116.90 square kilometers.

The ISFR-2023 report indicates a mixed trend of improvement and challenges in forest conservation in India. While some states, such as Chhattisgarh and Gujarat, have shown an upward trend, others like Arunachal Pradesh face increasing pressure on natural resources.

The report stresses that there is a constant need to protect and regenerate forests to balance ecological health with developmental needs.

ALSO READ:

ALSO WATCH: