India State of Forest Report (ISFR) 2021

• The biennial India State of Forest Report (ISFR) 2021 recorded an overall gain of 1,540 sq km of forests since 2019 released on Wednesday 12th January 2022 by Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav.
• He emphasised on “maintaining the quality of forest” as the government’s top priority. The report, however, testifies to the continuing loss of natural old-growth forests across the country.

Forest Survey of India

• FSI is a national organisation responsible for the assessment and monitoring of the forest resources of India regularly.
• It functions under the Ministry of Environment and Forests.
• It is headquartered in Dehradun, Uttarakhand.
• It was founded in 1981.
• FSI is one of the major national survey organisations in India.
• The organisation’s precursor was the ‘Pre-investment Survey of Forest Resources’ (PISFR), a project started in 1965 with aid from UNDP and FAO.
• Shri Anoop Singh, IFS, present Director General, Forest Survey of India.

Image Source: Business Standard

New Inclusions in ISFR 2021:

• It has for the first time assessed forest cover in tiger reserves, tiger corridors and the Gir forest which houses the Asiatic lion.
• The forest cover in tiger corridors has increased by 37.15 sq km (0.32%) between 2011-2021, but decreased by 22.6 sq km (0.04%) in tiger reserves.
• Forest cover has increased in 20 tiger reserves in these 10 years, and decreased in 32.
• Buxa (West Bengal), Anamalai (Tamil Nadu) and Indravati reserves (Chhattisgarh) have shown an increase in forest cover while the highest losses have been found in Kawal (Telangana), Bhadra (Karnataka) and the Sunderbans reserves (West Bengal).
• Pakke Tiger Reserve in Arunachal Pradesh has the highest forest cover, at nearly 97%.

Key findings of the report:

• According to the report, India's total forest and tree cover is now spread across 80. 9 million hectares, which is 24. 62 per cent of the geographical area of the country.
• The top five states in terms of increase in forest cover are Andhra Pradesh (647 sq km), Telangana (632 sq km), Odisha (537 sq km), Karnataka (155 sq km) and Jharkhand (110 sq km).
• Area-wise, Madhya Pradesh has the largest forest cover in the country followed by Arunachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Odisha and Maharashtra.
• The report also added that the north-east did not show positive results as the current assessment showed a decrease of forest cover to the extent of 1,020 sq km in the region.
• Arunachal Pradesh lost the maximum forest cover of 257 sq km, followed by Manipur which lost 249 sq km, Nagaland 235 sq km, Mizoram 186 sq km and Meghalaya 73 sq km.
• The report said 17 states/UTs have above 33 per cent of the geographical area under forest cover.
• Out of these states and UTs, Lakshadweep, Mizoram, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya have more than 75 per cent forest cover, while 12 states/UTs (Manipur, Nagaland, Tripura, Goa, Kerala, Sikkim, Uttarakhand, Chhattisgarh, Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu, Assam, Odisha) have forest cover between 33 per cent to 75 per cent.
• The report also said in total 140 hill districts of the country, the forest cover reduced by 902 sq km in the last two years.
• In the 2019 report, the forest cover in the hill regions had increased by 544 sq km.
• It also recorded an increase of 17 sq km in mangrove cover in the country as compared to the previous assessment of 2019.
• Total mangrove cover in the country is 4,992 sq km.
• Top three states showing mangrove cover increase are Odisha (8 sq km) followed by Maharashtra (4 sq km) and Karnataka (3 sq km).
• Bamboo forests have grown from 13,882 million culms (stems) in 2019 to 53,336 million culms in 2021.
• The total carbon stock in the country's forest is estimated to be 7,204 million tonnes and there is an increase of 79.4 million tonnes as compared to the last assessment of 2019.
• The annual increase in the carbon stock is 39.7 million tonnes.

Major Concerns:

• 35.46% of the forest cover is prone to forest fires. Out of this, 2.81% is extremely prone, 7.85% is very highly prone and 11.51% is highly prone.
• By 2030, 45-64% of forests in India will experience the effects of climate change and rising temperatures.
• There is a 1,582 sq km decline in moderately dense forests, or “natural forests”.
• The decline in the Northeastern states has been attributed to a spate of natural calamities, particularly landslides and heavy rains, in the region as well as to anthropogenic activities such as shifting agriculture, the pressure of developmental activities and felling of trees.

About 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.