Assam has witnessed a significant decline of 83 sq km in its forest and tree cover between 2021 and 2023, as per the India State of Forest Report (ISFR) 2023.
The findings, launched by Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupendra Yadav in Dehradun, highlight a nationwide increase of 1,445 sq km in green cover, even as Assam grapples with a worrying loss.
The state’s total forest and tree cover now stands at 30,415.01 sq km, comprising 28,313.55 sq km of forest area, which constitutes 36.10 per cent of Assam’s total geographical area, and 10,718.28 sq km of tree cover.
The ISFR 2023 indicates a 4.07 per cent share of Assam’s forest area as very dense forest (VDF), 12.45 per cent as moderately dense forest (MDF), and 19.58 per cent as open forest (OF).
The decrease of 83.92 sq km in Assam’s green cover places it among the top five states with the highest recorded forest loss in the recorded forest area (RFA)/green wash (GW) category.
Nationally, India’s forest and tree cover has reached 827,357 sq km, which represents 25.17 per cent of the country’s geographical area. Of this, forest cover comprises 715,343 sq km (21.76 per cent), while tree cover accounts for 112,014 sq km (3.41 per cent).
Top contributors to forest loss
Tripura recorded the largest decrease in forest cover within RFA/GW at 116.90 sq km, followed by Telangana with 105.87 sq km, Assam with 86.66 sq km, Andhra Pradesh with 83.47 sq km, and Gujarat with 61.22 sq km.
In Assam, MDF within RFA/GW decreased sharply by 134.32 per cent between 2021 and 2023, along with an 18.41 per cent decline in scrub.
However, VDF within RFA/GW saw a notable rise of 43.63 per cent, OF increased by 4.03 per cent, and non-forest (NF) area surged by 105.07 per cent.
Outside the RFA/GW, Assam recorded a 0.75 per cent decline in VDF, a 0.53 per cent drop in MDF, and a substantial 98.37 per cent reduction in NF.
On the other hand, OF increased significantly by 76.18 per cent, while scrub rose by 23.47 per cent.
The ISFR findings have raised alarm over the state’s declining forest resources, which are crucial for its ecological balance and biodiversity.
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