PARLIAMENT QUESTION:- Forest Cover in the Country.
• GUDIBANDI SUDHAKAR REDDY

 

PARLIAMENT QUESTION:- Forest Cover in the Country

 02 DEC 2024  Delhi (prajaamaravati);

Forest Survey of India (FSI), Dehradun, an organization under the Ministry carries out the assessment of forest cover biennially. As per the latest India State of Forest Report (ISFR) 2021, the total forest cover of the country is 7,13,789 square kilometer which is 21.71% of the geographical area of the country. The State/UT wise details of forest cover in the country during the last five years are given in Annexure.

The forest and tree cover has increased by 7449 square kilometer as per the assessment in ISFR 2021 in comparison to assessment in ISFR 2017.  As there is no loss of forest and tree cover, the question of increase in emission of carbon dioxide due to loss of forest & tree cover does not arise.

The contradiction between India State of Forest Report 2021 and Global Forest Watch data may be due to difference in the definition of forest cover and tree cover adopted in these two reports.

The Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980, was amended through a gazette notification dated 4th August, 2023 and the revised provisions came into effect from 1st December, 2023.The amendments are being implemented to promote the conservation, management and restoration of forests, support ecologically sustainable development, ensure ecological security, preserve cultural and traditional values related to forests and address economic needs while advancing carbon neutrality.

Annexure

 

State/UT wise details of Forest Cover from ISFR 2017 to ISFR 2021

                                                                                                                    

(Area in square kilometre)

State/UT

Geographical Area

ISFR 2017 

ISFR 2019

ISFR 2021 

Andhra Pradesh

1,62,968

28,147

29,137

29,784

Arunachal Pradesh

83,743

66,964

66,688

66,431

Assam

78,438

28,105

28,327

28,312

Bihar

94,163

7,299

7,306

7,381

Chhattisgarh

1,35,192

55,547

55,611

55,717

Delhi

1,483

192.41

195.44

195

Goa

3,702

2,229

2,237

2,244

Gujarat

1,96,244

14,757

14,857

14,926

Haryana

44,212

1,588

1,602

1,603

Himachal Pradesh

55,673

15,100

15,434

15,443

Jharkhand

79,716

23,553

23,611

23,721

Karnataka

1,91,791

37,550

38,575

38,730

Kerala

38,852

20,321

21,144

21,253

Madhya Pradesh

3,08,252

77,414

77,482

77,493

Maharashtra

3,07,713

50,682

50,778

50,798

Manipur

22,327

17,346

16,847

16,598

Meghalaya

22,429

17,146

17,119

17,046

Mizoram

21,081

18,186

18,006

17,820

Nagaland

16,579

12,489

12,486

12,251

Odisha

1,55,707

51,345

51,619

52,156

Punjab

50,362

1,837

1,849

1,847

Rajasthan

3,42,239

16,572

16,630

16,655

Sikkim

7,096

3,344

3,342

3,341

Tamil Nadu

1,30,060

26,281

26,364

26,419

Telangana

1,12,077

20,419

20,582

21,214

Tripura

10,486

7,726

7,726

7,722

Uttar Pradesh

2,40,928

14,679

14,806

14,818

Uttarakhand

53,483

24,295

24,303

24,305

West Bengal

88,752

16,847

16,902

16,832

A & N Islands

8,249

6,742

6,743

6,744

Chandigarh

114

21.56

22.03

22.88

Dadra & Nagar Haveli and  Daman& Diu

602

227.49

227.49

227.75

Jammu & Kashmir **

2,22,236

23,241

 

21,358

21,287

Ladakh

2,254

2,272

Lakshadweep

30

27.10

27.10

27.10

Puducherry

490

53.67

52.41

53.30

Grand Total

3,287,469

7,08,273

7,12,249

713,789

** From ISFR 2019 onwards Jammu & Kashmir was divided into two UTs viz. Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh.

 

This information was given by Union Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Shri Kirti Vardhan Singh in a written reply in the Lok Sabha today.

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