New Delhi: India’s total forest cover has increased 0.56% over the last two years, according to the latest India State of the Forest Report 2019. India is among the few countries in the world where both forest and tree cover has shown a consistent increase.
The report, released by Union Minister of Environment, Forests and Climate Change, Prakash Javadekar, here on Monday, shows an increase of 3,976 sq km (0.56%) forest cover at the national level as compared to 2017. The total forest cover of India is now estimated at 7,12,249 sqkm which is 21.67% of the geographic area of the country.
The tree cover, which refers to small patches of less than 1 hectare outside forests, is estimated at 95,027 sq km which is 2.89% of the geographical area.
Karanataka, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala have recorded the highest increase in the forest cover, much of which has been attributed to the conservation activities both within and outside the recorded forest areas. These states are followed by Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh.
The Forest Survey of India, which also mapped the mangrove cover in the coastal areas spread across 12 states and Union Territories, found an increase of 54 sq km or 1.1% in such cover from the previous assessment.
As a matter of concern, the report also showed that nearly 22% of the forest in the country are highly prone to forest fires. This was estimated using forest fire detection data compiled by the FSI over the last 13 years.
The survey is carried out using remote sensing technique followed by field survey resulting in a forest cover map of India on 1:50,00,000 scale. At present, Madhya Pradesh has the largest area under forest cover followed by Arunachal Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.
