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India’s total forest and tree cover has grown by 1,445 square kilometres — an area equivalent to Delhi — reaching 827,357 sq km or 25.17% of the country’s geographical area, according to data released by the government on Saturday that also revealed a complex picture where increased coverage through plantations runs parallel to significant degradation of natural forests.
The latest biennial State of Forest report by the Forest Survey of India, delayed by more than a year, showed that while India’s green cover has grown to encompass 25.17% of its geographical area, almost all the growth (149.13 sq km out of 156.41 sq km) has occurred outside natural forests through plantations and agroforestry. (HT Archive)
The latest biennial State of Forest report by the Forest Survey of India, delayed by more than a year, showed that while India’s green cover has grown to encompass 25.17% of its geographical area, almost all the growth (149.13 sq km out of 156.41 sq km) has occurred outside natural forests through plantations and agroforestry.
At the same time, over 92,000 sq km of natural forests have degraded from dense to open categories in the past decade, raising concerns about the quality of India’s forest resources despite the headline growth in numbers.
“I am happy to introduce here the achievements made by our country in an important area of carbon sequestration,” said Bhupender Yadav, Union environment minister, at the report’s launch at the Forest Research Institute in Dehradun.
“An increase of 149.42 Mt of CO2 equivalent of carbon stock has been reported as compared to assessment of previous ISFR. Further, I am happy to announce that India has recorded 2.29 billion tons CO2 as compared to base year 2005. I am quite confident that India will achieve target of the carbon sequestration submitted under Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) to United Nations Climate Change Convention (UNCCC).”
However, forest analysts point to concerning trends beneath the headline numbers. “The report provides decadal granular data on degradation of forest cover from higher canopy density classes to open scrub and non-forest. The total number of polygons impacted is massive – over 1 crore (10012716) covering 92,989.39 km2 and a major cause of concerns,” said Chetan Agarwal, a Gurugram-based forest analyst. “The report gives a positive perspective that this area is available for future restoration. The FSI must be commended for sharing this information and may also consider sharing the polygons in public domain to allow FD staff and citizens to see the change in their polygons and areas of interest, and also provide crowdsourced ground truthing.”
The report indicates significant progress toward India’s climate goals, with the country achieving 2.29 billion tonnes of additional carbon sink compared to the 2005 baseline. This brings India closer to its Paris Agreement commitment of creating 2.5 to 3.0 billion tonnes of additional carbon sink by 2030. The current assessment shows India’s total carbon stock has reached 30.43 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent.
The granular data reveals that most forest growth occurred outside recorded forest areas (RFAs), primarily through plantations and agroforestry. Of the 156.41 sq km increase in forest cover, only 7.28 sq km was within RFAs, while 149.13 sq km was outside.
Within RFAs, the picture is more concerning. The report documents significant losses: 1,234.95 sq km of moderately dense forests and 1,189.27 sq km of open forests disappeared. While very dense forests increased by 2,431.50 sq km, the overall pattern suggests a transformation in forest quality and character.
The report presents a varied picture across states. Madhya Pradesh leads with the largest forest and tree cover (85,724 sq km), followed by Arunachal Pradesh (67,083 sq km) and Maharashtra (65,383 sq km). Chhattisgarh showed the maximum increase in combined forest and tree cover (684 sq km), followed by Uttar Pradesh (559 sq km), Odisha (559 sq km), and Rajasthan (394 sq km).
In terms of pure forest cover increase, Mizoram led with 242 sq km, followed by Gujarat (180 sq km) and Odisha (152 sq km). However, some states showed significant decreases, with Madhya Pradesh recording the largest decline, followed by Karnataka, Ladakh, and Nagaland.
The northeastern region, despite containing 67% of its geographical area under forest cover (174,394.70 sq km), presents a worrying trend with a decrease of 327.30 sq km since 2021. This decline in one of India’s most biodiverse regions raises significant ecological concerns.
The Western Ghats eco-sensitive areas lost 58.22 sq km of forest cover over the past decade. While very dense forest increased by 3,465.12 sq km, moderately dense and open forests decreased by 1,043.23 sq km and 2,480.11 sq km respectively, indicating a changing forest structure.
Mangrove ecosystems showed a net decrease of 7.43 sq km nationally. Gujarat recorded the most significant decline of 36.39 sq km, though Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra showed some gains.
The report’s release comes amid controversy over the Van Amendment Act 2023, which exempts unclassed forests from protection. These forests, comprising 119,265 sq km or 16.6% of total forest cover, are now potentially vulnerable to diversion for infrastructure projects. The legislation has been challenged in the Supreme Court, which issued an interim order upholding the broader definition of forests from the 1996 Godavarman judgement.
Fire monitoring data showed 203,544 hotspots in 2023-24, a decrease from 223,333 in 2021-22. Uttarakhand, Odisha, and Chhattisgarh emerged as the states with highest fire incidents.
The 2023 report includes new chapters on agroforestry and “Important characteristics of India’s forests.” The total bamboo bearing area has increased by 5,227 sq km since 2021, reaching 154,670 sq km. Total tree green cover under agroforestry was estimated at 127,590.05 sq km in 2023, showing an increase of 21,286.57 km (20.02%) compared to 2013.
“Besides providing vital information for monitoring the country’s forest and tree resources, the report serves as a useful source of information for the policy makers, planners, state forest departments, research organisation, line agencies involved in various developmental works, academicians, civil society and others interested in natural resource conservation and management,” Yadav said. He added that “the audit and analysis of forest cover are important for policy making. It is important to know the status of forest resources in the country, given our relationship with nature.”
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