India’s forest cover decreasing: FSI

A total of 367 sq km lost in last two years

brajesh

Brajesh Kumar | February 7, 2012



India’s forest cover has decreased by 367 sq km in the last two years with the maximum amount of forest cover disappearing from the northeast states and Andhra Pradesh.

According to the Forest Survey of India (FSI) report 2011 released today while a total of 867 sq km was lost in 12 states and union territories (mainly the northeast), 15 states registered an aggregate increase of 500 sq km. 

Among those states and UTs that have lost forest cover as compared to FSI report 2009, Andhra Pradesh topped the list with 281 sq km followed by Manipur(190 sq km), Nagaland (146 sq km), Arunachal Pradesh (74 sq km), Mizoram (66 sq km) Meghalaya (46 sq km).

Out of 15 states and UTs that registered and increase in the forest cover, Punjab accounted for 100 sq km, Jharkhand 83 sq km, and Tamil Nadu 74 sq km.

FSI officials said the 281 sq km reduction of forest cover in Andhra Pradesh was primarily due to the felling of tree by Maoists. “In six to seven months the Maoists have cut large swaths of forest largely in Khammam district,” said T Chaterjee, MoEF secretary.

In the northeast the prevalent practice of shifting cultivation was cited as the reason behind the decline in forest cover.
For states that registered increase in forest cover a combination of agro-forestry practices and aggressive planting by the local community yielded rich dividends.

Dehradun based FSI has been publishing a series of biennial assessment reports about the forest cover in the country since 1987. The FSI report 2011 is the twelfth report in the series.   
 

Comments

 

Other News

Rubio denies US foreknowledge of Starlink restrictions in Ukraine

US secretary of state Marco Rubio has said he was unfamiliar with the Wall Street Journal report suggesting Elon Musk had decided to throttle Starlink services in Ukraine, but rejected claims that Washington had ordered the restrictions to pressure Kyiv.   “There was no

Can AI change India’s breast cancer story?

Breast cancer has become a public-health challenge in India. The greatest opportunity is to find cancers earlier. Artificial intelligence (AI) is opening a new era in breast cancer detection. AI systems can analyse mammograms and other breast-imaging studies, identify subtle abnormalities and assist radi

Farm stability in the time of climate change

Indian agriculture is experiencing significant climate volatility, while the world economy seems to be in a highly volatile situation. Economic indices from various countries show that they need to recalibrate their strategies to withstand economic headwinds. In such a challenging situation, a country li

El Niño threatens India’s Rabi crops

India’s southwest monsoon ended with a 13% rainfall deficit in 2026, its weakest performance in a decade, raising concerns over agricultural production, water security and the upcoming rabi season. With El Niño expected to persist into early 2027, experts warn that declining soil moisture, dep

Regulating the data advantage: India’s new e-Commerce framework

For over a decade, India’s e-commerce story has rested on a simple premise: platforms connect buyers and sellers, while data fuels efficiency, personalisation, and scale. However, as the market matured, its structure has revealed a growing imbalance. E-commerce platforms, especially marketplace ent

Changing weather patterns, climate change responsible for Nepal floods

The interaction between active Western Disturbances, increased atmospheric moisture and the region’s complex topography aswell as global warming are important factors behind intense rainfall in the Himalayas, leading to flash floods in Nepal, according to meteorologists. Nepal

Upcoming Conferences



-->

Archives

Current Issue

Opinion

Facebook Twitter Google Plus Linkedin Subscribe Newsletter

Twitter