Table of Contents
CURRENT AFFAIR
- The Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change recently released the biennial “India State of Forest Report (ISFR)” for 2019 .
- The report is published by the Forest Survey of India (FSI).
- ISFR 2019 is the 16th report in the series.
WHAT IS THE ISFR?
- The report is published by the Forest Survey of India (FSI).
- FSI has been mandated to assess the forest and tree resources of the country including wall-to-wall forest cover mapping in a biennial cycle.
- Starting 1987, 16 assessment have been completed so far. ISFR 2019 is the 16th report in the series.
- The 2019 report for the first time has assessed the qualitative nature of the forest cover, including listing its biodiversity and the type of plants and trees found.
FINDINGS
- Area-wise, Madhya Pradesh has the largest forest cover in the country.
- This is followed by Arunachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Odisha and Maharashtra.
- In terms of forest cover as percentage of total geographical area, the top 5 States are:
- Mizoram (85.41%)
- Arunachal Pradesh (79.63%)
- Meghalaya (76.33%)
- Manipur (75.46%)
- Nagaland (73.1%)
- India’s forest cover has increased by 3,976 sq km or 0.56% since 2017.
- The biggest loss is under the tropical semi- evergreen head in SFR 2019 – close to 23,500 sq km.
- Of India’s 7.12 lakh sq km forest cover, 52,000 sq km is plantations.
- The total mangrove cover in the country is 4,975 sq km.
- Top three states showing mangrove cover increase are Gujarat (37 sq km) followed by Maharashtra (16 sq km) and Odisha (8 sq km).
- The extent of bamboo bearing area of the country has been estimated 16 million
- Under the current assessment, the total carbon stock in the country’s forest is estimated at around 7,100 million tonnes.
FOREST COVER IN TRIBAL DISTRICTS
- The total forest cover in the tribal districts is 4,22,351 sq km, which is 37.54% of the geographical area of these districts.
- There has been a decrease of 741 sq km of forest cover within the Recorded Forest Area/ Green Wash (RFA/GW) in the tribal districts and an increase of 1,922 sq km outside.
DECLINE OF FOREST COVER IN NORTH EASTERN REGION
- Total forest cover in the North Eastern region is 1,70,541 sq km, which is 65.05% of its geographical area.
- There has been a decrease of forest cover to the extent of 765 sq km (0.45%) in the region.
- Except Assam and Tripura, all the States in the region show decrease in forest cover.
WETLANDS
- Wetlands occur where water meets land. They include mangroves, peatlands and marshes, rivers and lakes, deltas, floodplains and flooded forests, rice-fields, and even coral reefs. Wetlands exist in every country and in every climatic zone, from the polar regions to the tropics, and from high altitudes to dry regions.
- The total number of wetlands located within the RFA/GW is 8.13%.
- Amongst the States, Gujarat has the largest area of wetlands within RFA in the country followed by West
FOREST PRODUCE
- Dependence of fuelwood on forests is the highest in the State of Maharashtra, whereas, for fodder, small timber and bamboo, dependence is highest in Madhya Pradesh.
BASIC OBJECTIVES THAT SHOULD BE FULFILLED TO INCREASE GREEN COVER
- Maintenance of environmental stability through preservation and, where necessary, restoration of the ecological balance that has been adversely disturbed by serous depletion of the forests of the country.
- Checking soil erosion and denudation
- Massive afforestation and social forestry programmes
- Increasing the productivity of forests to meet essential national needs.
- Encouraging efficient utilisation of forest produce.
- Minimise pressure on existing forests.
- Conserving the natural heritage of the country.
CONCLUSION
- India is among few countries in the world where forest cover is consistently increasing.
- In the present assessment, the total forest and tree cover of the country is 80.73 million hectare which is 56 percent of the geographical area of the country.
- The government applauded that this is very encouraging for us as it means that we are on the right track to achieve our Paris Agreement commitment of 2.5 -3 billion carbon sinks.
NATIONAL FOREST POLICY, 1988
- The policy aims at maintaining of environmental stability.
- It looks at conserving the natural heritage of the country by preserving the remaining natural forests.
- Increasing forest/tree cover in the country through massive afforestation and social forestry programmes.
- Creating a massive people’s movement for achieving these objectives and to minimise pressure on existing forests.
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