Climate change to impact forests in India

India's second National Communication to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, released by Environment Minister Jayanthi Natarajan said that the assessment of climate impacts showed that at the national level, 45 per cent of forested grids are likely to undergo changes.

In the report, a digital forest map of the country was used to determine spatial location of all the forested areas. This map was based on a high-resolution mapping, wherein the entire area of India was divided into over 165,000 grids. Out of these, 35,899 grids were marked as forested grids --along with the forest density and forest types.

Vulnerability assessment showed that the sensitive forested grids are spread across India.

"However, their concentration is higher in the Upper Himalayan stretches, parts of Central India, northern Western Ghats and Eastern Ghats," said the report prepared by the Environment Ministry towards fulfillment of the reporting obligation under the Convention.

"Most of the mountainous forests --sub-alpine and alpine forest, the Himalayan dry temperature forest and the Himalayan moist temperature forests-- are susceptible to the adverse effects of climate change," it said.

In contrast, north-eastern forests, southern Western Ghats and the forested region of Eastern India are estimated to be the least vulnerable. (MORE)