Statsguru: India's forest and tree cover at 25.17% of total land area

The 18th edition of the India State of Forest Report (ISFR), 2023, was recently released by the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change (MoEFCC). The report highlighted that India’s forest and tree cover constituted 25.17 per cent of the country’s total land, an increase from 20.64 per cent in 2003.

 

Further, an analysis of ISFR reports from 2003-23 reveals a consistent decline in the forest cover of the eight northeastern states from 1,73,297 sq km in 2003 to 1,68,569 sq. km in 2023. 

 

Forest cover in the hill districts remained roughly static with a significant rise in very dense forests, followed by a commens­urate loss in the moderately dense and open forests.  

 

Forest fire detections saw a considerable drop from the 2020-21 cycle. Odisha and Madhya Pradesh witnessed the bulk of forest fire incidents. 

 

More than half of Kerala and West Bengal’s forest cover accounted for trees outside forest (TOF) or plantations.  

 

Mangrove cover recorded marginal incremental gains since 2003, but mangrove areas in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands fell consistently by 63 sq km from 2003 to 2023.  

 

Odisha and West Bengal saw the highest number of human fatalities owing to conflicts with tigers and elephants in the past five years.