Forest cover down in 10 out of 13 Himalayan states: Report
However, the rest of the 10 states that have seen a reduction in forest areas are Assam, Manipur, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Sikkim, Tripura, Uttarakhand and Ladakh.
Published: 24th March 2023 07:42 AM | Last Updated: 24th March 2023 07:42 AM | A+A A-
Image used for representational purpose.
NEW DELHI: According to India State of Forest Report (ISFR), there is an overall increase in forest cover of the country by 5,516sq.km between ISFR 2017 and ISFR 2021. Some states have shown an increase in forest cover, while others have shown a decline.
Meanwhile, in 13 Himalayan states, only three states’ forest areas increased in the last ten years between 2011 and 2021. These states are West Bengal (61 sq. km), Himachal Pradesh (764 sq.km) and Jammu Kashmir (5,331sq.km).
However, the rest of the 10 states that have seen a reduction in forest areas are Assam, Manipur, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Sikkim, Tripura, Uttarakhand and Ladakh. The total cumulative forest area reduction in all 13 states is from 222,534 sq. km to 219,866 sq.km.
Ashwini Kumar Choubey, Minister of State in the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, has tabled the information in the Rajya Sabha. He said the increase in forest cover may be attributed to conservation measures, enhanced protection measures in the plantation as well as in traditional forest areas, expansion of Tree Outside Forest.
