Editorial: Aiming for healthy green cover
While India’s forest and tree cover accounts for 25 per cent of the total geographical area, more than 6.3 per cent of the country’s dense forests have been destroyed in the last two decades
Forests are not only vital indicators of a nation’s environmental health but are also a source of livelihood for millions. The recently released India State of Forest Report (ISFR) 2023 presents a picture of paradox: On one hand, India’s forest and tree cover put together accounts for 25% of the total geographical area, indicating a healthy improvement, but on the other, more than 6.3% of the country’s dense forests — amounting to 24,651 sq km — have been destroyed in the last two decades. The bulk of this loss has been offset by the rapid transformation of 15,530 sq km of non-forested or scantly forested land to dense or even very dense forests in successive two-year windows during 2003-23. It must be pointed out that these are just plantations because natural forests do not grow this fast. The ISFR-2023 accounts for 1,420 sq km of plantations becoming dense forests in the last two years. This again shows a downhill trend: areas under plantations-as-dense-forests are expanding even as the disappearance of dense forests becomes routine. Thus, the 25% figure hides forest cover loss in the biodiverse Western Ghats, the Nilgiris and the northeast, the shrinking of mangroves in the Kutch and the Andamans, and the ongoing endangerment of open natural ecosystems. According to the National Forest Policy, 1988, the national forest cover goal should be to have one-third of the total land area under forest or tree cover. Forest conservation and afforestation activities must pick up pace to reach this cover goal.
The Global Forest Goals Report 2021 of the United Nations estimates that 1.6 billion people, or one-fourth of the global population, rely on forests to meet their daily needs, livelihoods and income. It further highlights that for centuries, forests have provided socioeconomic safety nets for people and communities, especially in times of crisis such as the hardships brought upon by the Covid-19 pandemic. Forests are home to approximately 80% of all terrestrial species and play a key role in supporting and protecting all life on land. Three-fourths of emerging infectious diseases are zoonotic and usually occur when natural landscapes like forests are cleared. Maintaining healthy forests is critical for good health and well-being. Forest ecosystems are the largest terrestrial carbon sink and help absorb nearly 2 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide each year. Protecting existing forests and increasing forest cover is, therefore, the most significant nature-based solution for preventing climate change. As part of efforts to increase forest and tree cover, the government must provide financial incentives, tax benefits, and subsidies to individuals and organisations for tree planting. The restoration of degraded lands should be carried out in a mission mode through soil restoration and watershed management. In this endeavour, the governments must collaborate with industries and NGOs for funding and implementation of green projects. Seed banks and nurseries can also be established to provide quality planting material.
