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News18
05-08-2025
- Science
- News18
India Lost More Forest Cover Than It Gained Between 2015 & 2019, Shows IIT Bombay Study
Using a different method to track forest cover, the study revealed that India lost nearly 18 sq kms of forest for every 1 sq km gained from 2015 to 2019. India saw a net loss in forest cover from 2015 to 2019 – losing nearly 18 sq kms of forest for every 1 sq km gained – revealed a new study led by researchers from IIT Bombay and SASTRA Deemed University who tracked changes in the country's forest landscape using a newly-developed framework. The findings sharply contrast with the recent India State of the Forest Reports released by Forest Survey of India biennially, which have typically declared an increase in forest cover. An increase of nearly 3,976 sq km in forest cover shown from 2017-2019, 1540 sq km in 2019-2021 and 156.41 km2 in 2021-23 – bringing total forest cover currently to 7.15 lakh km2, almost 21.76 per cent of the total geographical area. 'Our results clearly show that most of the newly added forests during 2015–2019 were islets, highly-fragmented and ecologically vulnerable patches, which do not help much in connecting large forest areas," said co-author Prof Vasu Sathyakumar from IIT Bombay. 'Our data source has a globally validated accuracy of over 85 per cent, making our connectivity results reliable. If FSI's data were made available in GIS-compatible format, our methodology could be readily applied to it." However, the researchers noted that the two reports are not directly comparable, as FSI does not assess forest connectivity, and uses a different criterion from the Copernicus Global Land Service (CGLS) to identify forests – defining forests as areas with at least 10 per cent tree cover, based on 23.5 meters resolution satellite imagery, without distinguishing between fragmented and continuous forests. On the other hand, IIT Bombay's new framework used the CGLS dataset that applies a 15 per cent canopy threshold and a 100 m resolution. Despite this, the study underscores the need to rethink how forest data is assessed and analyzed in the country, and underscores the need to move beyond the current quantity-based afforestation approach to explicitly incorporate structural connectivity into forest planning. WHY IS THE STUDY SIGNIFICANT? The study has important implications, as it highlights questions about the effectiveness of afforestation programs across India. Even where forest cover seems to be increasing on paper, the real ecological benefits and resilience of those forests may be limited. It shows that large, connected forest support biodiversity, resilience and regeneration, while fragmented forest hinder wildlife movement and survival – critical for species like tigers that need expansive habitats to thrive and avoid human conflict. 'So, afforestation activities that led to creation of 'islets' – small, isolated forest patches – which are most vulnerable- may not meaningfully contribute to forest health or connectivity. The afforestation programmes such as CAMPA or the National Mission for a Green India can benefit by focusing on strengthening existing 'cores' – large and intact forest habitats – which are most resilient to deforestation and could potentially yield better-connected, and ecologically-sustainable forests," said co-author Prof. RAAJ Ramsankaran from IIT Bombay. According to the study, nearly half of the 56.3 sq. km. of gross forest gain occurred in Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Rajasthan, while Tamil Nadu and West Bengal together accounted for almost half of the 1,032.89 sq. km. of gross forest loss. THE NEW METHOD TO TRACK INDIA'S FOREST COVER The new framework recently published in peer-reviewed journal Environmental Monitoring and Assessment uses remote sensing data and open-source digital tools to map forest types and their connectivity at both the state and national levels. It relies on an image processing technique to detect and classify the structure of forest landscapes. The researchers applied the analysis to digital forest cover maps of India for the years 2015 to 2019, obtained from the Copernicus Global Land Service (CGLS) Land Cover Map. Unlike most previous studies on forest cover, which report only net gains or losses, this study mapped forest loss and gain separately. 'Our framework is fully extensible to finer scales, such as districts or protected areas, and can be used to analyse the impacts of linear infrastructure like roads and rail lines on forest connectivity in a more focused manner," added Prof Ramsankaran. 'This makes it a valuable tool for long-term forest monitoring, planning and informed infrastructure development in and around forested areas." view comments First Published: News india India Lost More Forest Cover Than It Gained Between 2015 & 2019, Shows IIT Bombay Study Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Indian Express
24-06-2025
- General
- Indian Express
Knowledge Nugget: Green India Mission – what does it tell us about India's fight against land degradation that UPSC aspirants must know
Take a look at the essential events, concepts, terms, quotes, or phenomena every day and brush up your knowledge. Here's your knowledge nugget for today Green India Mission, Land degradation and restoration. The Union Government on June 17 released a revised roadmap for the National Mission for Green India, also known as the Green India Mission. In addition to the core objectives of increasing and restoring forest and green cover, the mission will focus on restoration in the Aravalli ranges, Western Ghats, Himalayas and mangroves. Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav released the revised document for 2021-2030 period at Jodhpur at an event marking the World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought. In this context, let's know about the Green India Mission (GIM) and understand land degradation and desertification. 1. The National Mission for a Green India or GIM was launched in 2014 as one of the eight missions under India's National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC). Its main objective is to combat climate change by increasing forest and tree cover, and the ecological restoration of degraded ecosystems and forests. 2. It also aims to improve the livelihoods of communities dependent on forest produce. One of the core objectives of the mission was to increase forest and tree cover on 5 million hectares and improve the quality of forest cover on another 5 million hectares. 3. The activities under GIM are concentrated in states based on mapping of ecological vulnerability, potential for sequestration (the process by which plants and trees store carbon using photosynthesis), forest and land degradation, and restoration potential. 4. In the revised GIM plan, a central focus will be on the restoration and saturation of vulnerable landscapes through regionally conducive best practices. It will include area and landscape-specific restoration activities in three important mountain ranges – the Aravallis, the Western Ghats, and the Indian Himalayas, along with the mangrove ecosystems. For example, GIM interventions will be synced with the Centre's recently launched Aravalli Green Wall project. 5. The revised mission document also projected, based on estimates of the Forest Survey of India (FSI), that India could achieve a carbon sink of 3.39 billion tonnes, from the combination of all restoration activities. This will require an increase in forest and tree cover over an estimated 24.7 million hectares. With the revamped GIM emphasizing restoration and saturation of vulnerable landscapes, it's also important to understand, what is land degradation, and what are its key drivers? 1. According to the Convention on Combating Desertification- Land degradation means reduction or loss in arid, semi-arid and dry sub-humid areas of the biological or economic productivity and complexity of rainfed cropland, irrigated cropland, or range, pasture, forest and woodlands resulting from land uses or from a process or combination of processes, including processes arising from human activities and habitation patterns such as: soil erosion caused by wind and/or water; deterioration of the physical, chemical and biological or economic properties of the soil; long-term loss of natural vegetation. 2. Amitabh Sinha writes– 'A variety of factors, both natural and human-induced, are known to be affecting the productivity of land, and making them desert-like. Increasing populations and the resultant rise in demand for food and water, feed for cattle, and a wide variety of ecosystem services these offer, have prompted human beings to clear forests, use chemicals, cultivate multiple crops, and over-exploit groundwater. This has affected both the health and productivity of the land. Natural processes such as rising global temperatures increase the frequency and intensity of droughts, and changing weather patterns have put further pressure on the land.' 1. Land is an essential part of ecosystems. Ensuring healthy and productive land is vital for maintaining natural balance. Land restoration is crucial in this process. 2. According to the United Nations Convention on Combating Desertification (UNCCD)- Land restoration is the ecological process to restore a natural and safe landscape for humans, wildlife, and plant communities. 3. Land restoration paves the way to protect our ecosystems, create economic development, help prevent natural disasters such as floods, and increase soil productivity and food supplies. In short, land restoration is vital if we are to protect the environment, build resilience to drought, and help feed a growing global population. 1. The 18th biennial State of Forest Report (ISFR-2023) was released by Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav in December last year at the Forest Research Institute in Dehradun. The ISFR is released biennially and involves forest cover mapping of the country using satellite data. 2. India's green cover has exceeded the 25% threshold with 8,27,357 sq km (25.17%) of the country now under forest (21.76%) and tree (3.41%) cover. Of this, 4,10,175 sq km is classified as dense forests. 3. The net forest cover has increased by 156.41 sq km between 2021 and 2023 taking the geographical area under forest cover to 21.76 per cent, a paltry rise of 0.05 per cent compared to the 2021 assessment. With the increase in the net forest area, the total area under the forest cover is now 7,15,342.61 sq km. 4. There is the sharpest growth in tree cover. It has increased from 2.91% in 2021 to 3.41% in 2023 leading to an increase of 1,285.4 sq km. 5. An assessment of forest cover across the Western Ghats was done for the first time. It showed that the area earmarked as eco-sensitive by the Centre lost 58.22 sq km of forest cover since 2013. Mangrove species have seen a decrease of 7.43 sq km in the country compared to 2021. 6. Among states, the maximum rise in forest and tree cover was seen in Chhattisgarh (683.62 sq km), followed by Uttar Pradesh (559.19 sq km), Odisha (558.57 sq km) and Rajasthan (394.46 sq km). On the other hand, the maximum decrease was seen in Madhya Pradesh (612.41 sq km), followed by Karnataka (459.36 sq km), Ladakh (159.26 sq km) and Nagaland (125.22 sq km). 7. Area-wise, the top three states with the largest forest and tree cover are Madhya Pradesh (85,724 sq km) followed by Arunachal Pradesh (67,083 sq km) and Maharashtra (65,383 sq km). (1) What is/are the importance of the ' United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification' ? (UPSC CSE 2016) 1. It aims to promote effective action through innovative national programmes and supportive international partnerships. 2. It has a special/particular focus on South Asia and North Africa regions, and its Secretariat facilitates the allocation of a major portion of financial resources to these regions. 3. It is committed to bottom-up approach, encouraging the participation of local people in combating the desertification. Select the correct answer using the code given below: (a) 1 only (b) 2 and 3 only (c) 1 and 3 only (d) 1, 2 and 3 (2) Consider the following: 1. Industrial and mining activities 2. Demographic pressure 3. Frequent Droughts 4. Deforestation How many of the above are the causes of land degradation? (a) Only one (b) Only two (c) Only three (d) All four (Sources: Revised Green India Mission plan: Centre to focus on Aravalli, Western Ghats restoration, India's net forest cover sees paltry rise of 156.41 sq km; decrease in mangroves and Western Ghats cover, Explained: How world is losing fertile land) Subscribe to our UPSC newsletter. Stay updated with the latest UPSC articles by joining our Telegram channel – Indian Express UPSC Hub, and follow us on Instagram and X. 🚨 Click Here to read the UPSC Essentials magazine for June 2025. Share your views and suggestions in the comment box or at Roshni Yadav is a Deputy Copy Editor with The Indian Express. She is an alumna of the University of Delhi and Jawaharlal Nehru University, where she pursued her graduation and post-graduation in Political Science. She has over five years of work experience in ed-tech and media. At The Indian Express, she writes for the UPSC section. Her interests lie in national and international affairs, governance, economy, and social issues. You can contact her via email: ... Read More
Indian Express
17-06-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Revised Green India Mission plan: Centre to focus on Aravalli, Western Ghats restoration
The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change will focus on restoration of vulnerable landscapes like Aravallis and Western Ghats mountain ranges, along with mangroves and Indian Himalayan region, as per the revised Green India Mission (GIM) document. Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav released the revised document for 2021-2030 period at Jodhpur Tuesday, at an event marking the World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought. The revised document stated that a 'micro-ecosystem' approach will be adopted to make interventions in the vulnerable landscapes like Aravallis, Western Ghats, arid regions of North West India, mangroves and the Indian Himalayan region. The National Mission for a Green India was launched in February 2014 by the UPA government and is one of the eight core missions under India's National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC). GIM's main objective is to protect, restore, and enhance India's forest and tree cover, using a blend of climate adaptation and mitigation strategies. One of the core objectives of the mission was to increase forest and tree cover on 5 million hectares of forest and non-forest land and improve the quality of forest cover on another 5-million hectares. The revised mission document also projected, based on estimates of the Forest Survey of India (FSI), that India could achieve a carbon sink of 3.39 billion tonnes, from the combination of all restoration activities. This will require an increase in forest and tree cover over an estimated 24.7 million hectares. As part of its commitments under the Nationally Determined Contribution, the National Mission for Green India aims to create an additional carbon sink of 2.5 to 3 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent through additional forest and tree cover. This is planned through restoration of open forests, tree plantation on wastelands, and plantations along railway lines and national highways, among other places. As per FSI's estimates, the largest potential of creating additional carbon sinks lies in the restoration of forests which have impaired in the last 15 to 20 years, along with restoration of open forests, agroforestry. India's net forest cover had increased only by 156.41 square kilometres between 2021 and 2023, as per the 2023 state of India's forest report. The country recorded loss of old growth forest, mangrove cover and saw a decline in forest cover across the Western Ghats, the report had said. Vulnerable landscapes like Western Ghats, the document said, will be restored through regionally conducive best practices for holistic landscape management including planting of native tree species, with high carbon sequestration potential. There would also be soil and moisture conservation activities to achieve land degradation neutrality. The Western Ghats eco-system, the document said, has degraded due to extensive deforestation, felling of trees and illegal mining of minerals. This has caused extensive pollution, worsening of air and water quality, depletion of groundwater and increased human-wildlife conflict. The mission's interventions were started in the year 2015-16 and about 11.22 million hectares of area could be included under plantations till 2020-21, as per the revised document. An award-winning journalist with 14 years of experience, Nikhil Ghanekar is an Assistant Editor with the National Bureau [Government] of The Indian Express in New Delhi. He primarily covers environmental policy matters which involve tracking key decisions and inner workings of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. He also covers the functioning of the National Green Tribunal and writes on the impact of environmental policies on wildlife conservation, forestry issues and climate change. Nikhil joined The Indian Express in 2024. Originally from Mumbai, he has worked in publications such as Tehelka, Hindustan Times, DNA Newspaper, News18 and Indiaspend. In the past 14 years, he has written on a range of subjects such as sports, current affairs, civic issues, city centric environment news, central government policies and politics. ... Read More
