Alarming Decline: Assam’s Forest Cover Shrinks by Over 83 Sq Km in Two Years – Urgent Action Needed!

The India State of Forest Report (ISFR) 2023 highlights a decline in Assam’s forest cover by over 83 square kilometers between 2021 and 2023. The state’s current total forest and tree cover stands at 30,415.01 square kilometers. This was announced by Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Bhupendra Yadav, during the report’s launch at the Forest Research Institute in Dehradun. Contrary to Assam’s decrease, a nationwide increase in forest and tree cover by 1,445 square kilometers has been recorded since 2021.

Assam’s forest area is 28,313.55 square kilometers, accounting for 36.10 percent of the state’s geographical area, complemented by a tree cover of 10,718.28 square kilometers. The ISFR reports a reduction in forest and tree cover by 83.92 square kilometers in the state. In terms of forest density, 4.07 percent of Assam’s forests are categorized as very dense forest (VDF), 12.45 percent as moderately dense forest (MDF), and 19.58 percent as open forest (OF).

Assam is among the top five states with significant forest cover reduction within the recorded forest area (RFA)/green wash (GW) category. Other states with notable decreases include Tripura (116.90 sq km), Telangana (105.87 sq km), Andhra Pradesh (83.47 sq km), and Gujarat (61.22 sq km).

Within the RFA/GW category in Assam, moderate density forests (MDF) decreased by 134.32 percent and scrublands by 18.41 percent from 2021 to 2023. However, very dense forests (VDF) increased by 43.63 percent, open forests (OF) by 4.03 percent, and non-forest areas by 105.07 percent. Conversely, outside RFA/GW, VDF decreased by 0.75 percent, MDF by 0.53 percent, and non-forest areas by 98.37 percent, though OF increased by 76.18 percent and scrublands by 23.47 percent.

Nationally, India’s forest and tree cover now spans 827,357 square kilometers, equivalent to 25.17 percent of the country’s total area. This includes 715,343 square kilometers (21.76 percent) under forest cover and 112,014 square kilometers (3.41 percent) under tree cover.

Original Source: https://www.indiatodayne.in/assam/story/assams-forest-cover-decreased-by-over-83-sq-km-between-2021-2023-report-1141909-2024-12-22?utm_source=rssfeed
Category :
Tags:
Publish Date: 2024-12-22 14:30:00