Mining, Naxal activities take toll on state forest cover

Rampant illegal mining and increased Naxal violence in the state have taken a toll on the forest cover in the state. According to India State of Forest Report 2011, based on interpretation of satellite data recorded during October 2008-March 2009, very dense forest (VDF) and moderately dense forest (MDF) in the state has declined by 41 sq kms.

The VDF in the state decreased from 7,073 sq kms in 2009 to 7,060 sq kms in 2011 while the MDF area has come down by 28 sq kms from 21,394 sq kms to 21,366 sq kms during the same period.

On the contrary, the open forest cover has increased by 89 sq kms and non forest cover has gone up by 70 sq kms compared to the previous report published in 2009.

Compared with the previous assessment (satellite data of October to December 2006), the state has shown a gain of 48 sq kms in overall forest cover. “The increase in forest cover is mainly due to conservation measures and improvement in scrub areas owing to plantation of bamboo and teak species,” states the report.

The state has a total geographical area of 1, 55,707 sq. kms. As per the latest census, only 31.41 per cent of this area, comprising 48,903 sq kms, is forested area.

While the forest cover in districts like Angul, Bargarh, Dhenkanal, Keonjhar, Khandhamal, Mayurbhanj,Nawarangpur, Nayagarh, Rayagada, Sundergarh have declined, Ganjam district has added 28 sq km of forest followed by Kalahandi (25 sq km), Khurda ( 19 sq km), Koraput (16 sq km).

Maximum forest loss has been reported Naxal infested Kandhamal district (15 sq. kms). This is followed by Keonjhar (13 sq kms) and Sundergarh (11 sq kms) due to the illegal mining activities. Every two years, the Forest Survey of India (FSI) conducts an assessment of the forest cover in the country with the help of satellite remote sensing techniques.