Indian Economy News

Total forest and tree cover increased by 2,261 square kilometres in India as per the India State of Forest Report (ISFR) 2021

Mr. Ashwini Kumar Choubey, Minister of State for Environment, Forest, and Climate Change, informed that as per the India State of Forest Report (IFSR) 2021, the total forest cover of the country has increased by 1,540 square kilometres, tree cover has increased by 721 square kilometres, and total forest and tree cover has increased by 2,261 square kilometres at the national level as compared to the previous assessment in the ISFR 2019. The total forest cover of the country is 713,789 square kilometres which is 21.72% of the geographical area of the country. 

The Forest Survey of India (FSI), Dehradun, an organization under the Ministry assesses the forest cover of the country biennially since 1987 and the findings are published in ISFR.

The Minister stated that States/UTs engage in afforestation and tree-planting activities to improve ecosystems and expand the country's forest cover. Under several centrally sponsored programmes, such as the Green India Mission, the Ministry offers funding support to States and UTs to complement and support their efforts. One of the eight Missions listed under the National Action Plan on Climate Change is the National Mission for a Green India (GIM). By engaging in plantation activities in both forested and non-forested areas, it seeks to protect, restore, and enhance India's forest cover and combat climate change. So far, a sum of US$ 88.9 million (Rs. 728.21 crores) has been released to sixteen States and one union territory for afforestation activities, over an area of 136,808 hectares. 

Further, it was noted that the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change is implementing Nagar Van Yojana (NVY) since 2020 which aims at the creation of Nagar Vans and 200 Nagar Vatika in the country from 2020-21 to 2024-25,  under the funds available under National Compensatory Afforestation Fund (CAMPA). States and UTs use the CAMPA fund to carry out compensatory afforestation in accordance with approved annual plans of operations to make up for the loss of forest and tree cover as a result of diverting forest territory for development projects. 

Disclaimer: This information has been collected through secondary research and IBEF is not responsible for any errors in the same.