Canary in the canopy

Context: Through history, forests for humans have been sites of shelter, food,
livelihoods, protection, and strength of spirit. According to the new India
State of Forest Report 2023, 25% of India’s land is covered by forests or
trees, on its face a healthy figure and a step closer to the National Forest
Policy’s prescriptions. But big numbers always hide problems.
Post-Independence, India’s forest governance has been typified by attempts to
break free from European colonialists’ insular view of forests as sources of
timber, codified in laws the country inherited. Two significant achievements in
this regard were the Forest (Conservation) Act 1980 and the Forest (Rights) Act
2006.

ISFR 2023

·       Forest
and Tree Cover: The total forest and tree cover of the country is
8,27,356.95 km2 which is 25.17% of the geographical area (GA) of the
country.  

·       Increase
in Forest and Tree Cover: The country's forest and tree cover has increased
by 1,445.81 km², with a 156.41 km² rise in forest cover compared to 2021. 

Ø  Maximum increase
(Forest and Tree Cover) - Chhattisgarh (684 sq km) followed by Uttar Pradesh
(559 sq km), Odisha (559 sq km) and Rajasthan (394 sq km).

Ø  Maximum Increase
(Forest Cover) - Mizoram (242 sq km) followed by Gujarat (180 sq km) and Odisha
(152 sq km). 

Ø  Largest Decrease
- Madhya Pradesh (612.41 km²) followed by Karnataka (459.36 km²), Ladakh
(159.26 km²), and Nagaland (125.22 km²).

·       Top
Three States: Area wise top three states having largest forest
cover are Madhya Pradesh (77,073 sq km) followed by Arunachal Pradesh (65,882
sq km) and Chhattisgarh (55,812 sq km). 

·       High
Forest Cover: 19 states/UTs have above 33% of the geographical
area under forest cover.  

·       Carbon
Stock: The country's forest carbon stock is estimated at 7,285.5 million
tonnes, with an increase of 81.5 million tonnes compared to 2021. 

·       Regional
Performance: The Western Ghats Eco-Sensitive Areas (WGESA) covers 60,285.61 km², with
44,043.99 km² (73%) under forest cover. 

·       Mangrove
Cover: India's mangrove cover is 4,991.68 km², representing 0.15% of the total
geographical area, with a net decrease of 7.43 km² since 2021. 

·       Forest
Fire: The top three states with the most fire incidents in the 2023-24 season
are Uttarakhand, Odisha, and Chhattisgarh.

Key points

·       Overview: Recently, the
Ministry for Environment, Forest and Climate Change released the 18th India
State of Forest Report 2023 (ISFR 2023). ISFR is brought out by the Forest
Survey of India (FSI) on a biennial basis since 1987.

·       Trend
in Forestry Parameters Between 2013-2023: Increase in Greenery -
The forest cover of the country has shown an increase of 16,630.25 km2. The
tree cover has shown an increase of 20,747.34 km2. Mangrove cover of the
country has increased by 296.33 km2.

Soil Health - There is a
general improvement in soil health (87.16% of shallow to deep soil as against
83.53% in 2013) reflected by improvement in humus.

Biotic
influences - Biotic influences on forests have also come down to 26.66% from 31.28%
in 2013 which indicates improved floral biodiversity, and improved surroundings
for faunal biodiversity.