Context:
According to India State of Forest Report 2023 (ISFR 2023) Uttar Pradesh (UP) recorded the second-largest increase in forest and tree cover in India, with an increase of 559 sq km.
About India State of Forest Report:
- The ISFR is released every two years by the Forest Survey of India (FSI) and has been published since 1987.
- The FSI conducts a detailed assessment of the country’s forest and tree resources using satellite data and a field-based National Forest Inventory (NFI). The findings are then published in the ISFR.
- The report contains information on forest cover, tree cover, mangrove cover, growing stock, carbon stock in India’s forests, instances of forest fire, Agroforestry, etc.
- The ISFR provides detailed information on the health of forests in India, including data on forest cover and key forest characteristics.
- According to the latest ISFR 2023 report:
- The total Forest and Tree cover is 827,357 sq km, which is 25.17% of India’s total land area.
- Forest cover is 715,343 sq km (21.76% of the country’s area).
- Tree cover is 112,014 sq km (3.41% of the country’s area).
Major Findings:
- Increase in Forest and Tree Cover (compared to 2021):
- Total increase: 1,445 sq km
- Forest cover increase: 156 sq km
- Tree cover increase: 1,289 sq km
- Top Four States with Maximum Increase:
- Chhattisgarh: 684 sq km
- Uttar Pradesh: 559 sq km
- Odisha: 559 sq km
- Rajasthan: 394 sq km
- Top Three States with Maximum Increase in Forest Cover:
- Mizoram: 242 sq km
- Gujarat: 180 sq km
- Odisha: 152 sq km
- Top Three States with the Largest Forest and Tree Cover:
- Madhya Pradesh: 85,724 sq km
- Arunachal Pradesh: 67,083 sq km
- Maharashtra: 65,383 sq km
- Top Three States with the Largest Forest Cover by Area:
- Madhya Pradesh: 77,073 sq km
- Arunachal Pradesh: 65,882 sq km
- Chhattisgarh: 55,812 sq km
- Highest Forest Cover by Percentage:
- Lakshadweep: 91.33%
- Mizoram: 85.34%
- Andaman & Nicobar Islands: 81.62%
- States/UTs with Forest Cover Above 33%:
- 19 states/UTs have over 33% forest cover.
- 8 states/UTs have over 75% forest cover: Mizoram, Lakshadweep, A&N Islands, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Tripura, and Manipur.
- Mangrove Cover: 4,992 sq km in India.
Carbon Sequestration (NDC Target):
- India’s carbon stock: 30.43 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent.
- Achieved an additional 2.29 billion tonnes carbon sink, closer to the 2.5 to 3 billion tonnes target by 2030.