In a significant boost to India’s green cover initiative, total forest and tree cover has grown by 1,445 Sq. Km since 2021, reaching 25.17 percent of the total geographical area in 2023, according to the India State of the Forest Report (ISFR) 2023. The report also suggest that India has achieved an additional carbon sink of 2.29 billion tonnes compared to 2005 levels.

The report states that India’s total forest cover increased from 713,789 sq km in 2021 to 715,343 sq km in 2023, reaching 21.76% of its geographical area. The tree cover, which grew by 1,289 sq km, now constitutes 3.41% of the country’s geographical area.

Chhattisgarh sees max green expansion

According to the data, among states, Chhattisgarh added 684 sq. km of green cover, followed by Uttar Pradesh (559 sq. km), Odisha (559 sq. km), and Rajasthan (394 sq. km). These states collectively marked the highest growth in their combined forest and tree cover.

For forest cover alone, the largest gains were seen in Mizoram (+242 sq km), Gujarat (+180 sq km) and Odisha (+152 sq km).

However, the greatest losses in forest and tree cover were recorded in Madhya Pradesh (-612.41 sq. km), Karnataka (-459.36 sq. km), Ladakh (-159.26 sq. km), and Nagaland (-125.22 sq. km).

A worrying trend highlighted in the report is the north-eastern region, which, despite having 67% of its geographical area under forest cover (174,394.70 sq. km), saw a decline of 327.30 sq. km since 2021.

The India State of Forest Report (ISFR) 2023, released by Union Forest Minister Bhupender Yadav on Saturday, also highlighted the achievement of 2.29 billion tonnes of additional carbon sink compared to the 2005 baseline. This is a significant progress toward India’s climatic goals. This brings India closer to its Paris Agreement commitment of creating 2.5 to 3.0 billion tonnes of additional carbon sink by 2030.

Mangrove ecosystems

The Mangrove ecosystems showed a significant decrease nationally. The mangrove cover of the country, which helps reduce erosion and control floods, stands at 4,991.68 sq. km, marking a net decrease of 7.43 sq. km since 2021.

Moderately dense forests and open forests have seen declines of 1,043.23 sq. km and 2,480.11 sq. km, respectively over the last 10 years.

Gujarat recorded a notable loss of 36.39 sq. km in its mangrove ecosystem. India’s total mangrove cover now stands at 4,991.68 sq. km, comprising 0.15% of the country’s total geographical area.