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

“Cancer is just a mind game”

Dr. Ananda Shankar Jayant, a Padma Shri awardee, inspired audiences for decades through her mastery of Bharatanatyam and Kuchipudi. But it was her journey through cancer that taught some of life`s most powerful lessons in courage and resilience.

Why Swami Vivekananda is the pathfinder for our times

Swami Vivekananda for Our Times  Edited and compiled by Rajiv Sikri, with Introduction by S. Gurumurthy Rupa Publications, 552 pages, Rs 695  

Five ways to realise the potential of India’s handicraft and handloom sector

India`s economic ambitions are increasingly defined by the industries of the future. Semiconductors, electronics, artificial intelligence and advanced manufacturing dominate policy conversations. Yet one of India`s largest employment-intensive sectors continues to occupy a surprisingly marginal place in ec

Beyond toilets: Why open defecation persists in rural India

Despite the awareness campaigns on sanitation across India, open defecation (OD) is practised openly and widely in both rural and urban areas. Research shows that rural respondents are well aware of the negative impacts of OD, yet this awareness does not lead to toilet construction or use. In rural North I

What unpaid nation builders want from policymakers

The Supreme Court recently described homemakers as “nation builders” and fixed a notional monthly income of Rs 30,000 for them in motor accident compensation cases. The judgment was not about wages. It was about compensation. Yet it inadvertently raised a larger economic question: If a homemake

What the US–Iran peace deal means for India

After months of rising tensions, the United States and Iran have reached a memorandum of understanding called the "Islamabad Agreement." This agreement allows for the immediate reopening of the Strait of Hormuz without tolls and provides Iran with relief from sanctions, depending on its complianc





Archives

Current Issue

Opinion

Facebook Twitter Google Plus Linkedin Subscribe Newsletter

Twitter