Defying global trends, India increases forest cover by 8,021 sq km in two years: State of the Forest Report

New Delhi: The forest and tree cover of the country has increased by 8,021 square kilometres over the last two years, a latest government assessment said on Monday. India’s total forest and tree cover stands around 8 lakh square kilometres which is 24.39 percent of the total geographical area, it said. The India State of the Forest Report 2017 was released by Union Environment minister Harsh Vardhan and Minister of State for Environment Mahesh Sharma. [caption id=“attachment_2807420” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representative image. Reuters[/caption] According to the report, the total forest cover is 7,08,273 square kilometres, while the total forest and tree cover is 8,02,088 square kilometres of the total geographical area of the country. “Although there has been a decline in the forest cover world over, it is great that India’s forest cover is increasing and we stand 10th in the world,” Vardhan said while releasing the report. The survey has for the first time assessed water bodies.