Losing green cover: India lost original forests 70 times Delhi's area in 14 years

In the number of years it took Ram to complete his vanvaas and return back to Ayodhya after defeating Ravana, India has lost original forests 70 times Delhi’s area. According to the Hindustan Times, India may have lost close to 10.6 million hectares in just 14 years – between 1999 to 2013. This is more than three times the reported increase in the nation’s forest cover in this period and 15% of India’s existing green cover. This fact came to light after the Forest Survey of India (FSI) changed the way they calculate forest area. Until 1999, the FSI calculated forest cover only over the traditional or legally notified forest areas, which was the green wash area in the Survey of India topography maps of India.  Where as now, it now includes plantations as well as orchards apart from traditional forests. Environment minister Prakash Javadekar released the biennial report “India State of Forest Report 2013” on 7 July  stating that the forest cover continues to stand at 21 percent of the country’s geographical area that includes forest cover, tree cover mangroves cover and growing stock inside and outside the forest areas. [caption id=“attachment_1716615” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Representational Image. Reuters[/caption] According to the biennial state of forest reports (SFRs) from the ministry of environment, forest and climate change (MoEFCC), there is an increase of 5871 sq km in the forest cover of the country. The total forest and tree cover of the country stands at 78.92 million hectare which is 24.01 percent of the geographical area of the country when compared to the assessment of 2011. Delhi has the largest forest cover out of three metropolitan cities while the country’s green cover is over 23 per cent, Mumbai has the second largest forest cover while Chennai has the lowest green cover as per the government data, according to a PTI report released in February. In the winter session of parliament, the Environment Minister said that his ministry has not received any report that forestland is decreasing at a fast pace in and around metropolitan cities. He said that the Forest Survey of India, Dehradun has been carrying out mapping and assessment of forest resources in the country biennially since 1987 and the India State of Forest Report 2013 is the latest report published by it which contains information regarding forest cover in all states and Union Territories (UTs). He said that the management and protection of forest is primarily the responsibility of concerned states and UTs but there are central acts such as India Forest Act 1927, Forest (conservation) Act 1980 and state acts and rules to deal with issues related to protection and management of forest areas. He added that there is no specific proposal to amend the Forest (Act) 1980 and that there is no proposal to open data base centres at central level for monitoring forest area. (With PTI inputs)