Lok Sabha Question No. 449 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2017-07-18
Subject: Forest Areas
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT,  FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: RAMESH POKHRIYAL NISHANK

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.  449 TO BE ANSWERED ON 18.07.2017

## Forest Areas

## 449.  DR. RAMESH POKHRIYAL 'NISHANK':

Will  the  Minister  of  ENVIRONMENT,  FOREST  AND  CLIMATE  CHANGE  be  pleased  to state:

- (a) the details of forest areas  in various States in the country;
- (b) the reasons for increase/decrease in the forest area in the States during the last five years; and
- (c) the names of the States where the forest areas has increased during the last three years and the target set by the Government for this purpose in the coming year?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER FOR ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE

## (DR. HARSH VARDHAN)

- (a)  &  (b)  Forest  Survey  of  India,  Dehradun  a  subordinate  organization  under  Ministry  of Environment, Forest and Climate Change carries out the assessment of forest cover of the country biennially and the findings are published in India State of Forest Report. As per the latest report i.e. India State of Forest Report 2015, the total forest cover of the country is 7,01,673 square kilometers which is 21.34% of the total geographical area  of  the  country.  There  is  a  net  increase  of  3775  square  kilometers  in  the  forest cover of the country as compared with forest cover as per India State of Forest Report2013. Further, the tree cover of the country is estimated to be 92,572 square kilometers which is 2.82% of the total geographical area of the country. The total forest and tree cover  of  the  country  as  per  India  State  of  Forest  Report-2015  is  7,94,245  square kilometers which is 24.16% of the geographical area of the country. The detailed list showing forest cover and change in forest cover States/UTs wise is given in Annexure I. The name of the States/UTs showing increase/decrease in the forest cover alongwith reasons are given in Annexure- II and Annexure-III.
- (c) As  per  India  State  of  Forest  Report-2015,  the  forest  cover  has  increased  in  19 States/UTs  namely,  Tamil  Nadu,  Kerala,  Jammu  &  Kashmir,  Karnataka,  Uttar Pradesh,  Rajasthan,  Andhra  Pradesh,  Andaman  and  Nicobar  Islands,  West  Bengal, Himachal  Pradesh,  Delhi,  Goa,  Gujarat,  Jharkhand,  Manipur,  Odisha,  Chandigarh, Daman& Diu and Puducherry. There is no state-specific target for increase in forest cover in the coming years. However, as per the National Forest Policy-1988, national goal  should  be  to  have  minimum  of  one-third  of  the  total  land  area  of  the  country under forest or tree cover. In the hills and in mountainous regions, the aim should be to maintain two-third of the area under such cover in order to prevent erosion and land degradation and to ensure the stability of the fragile eco-system.

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## Annexure I

## Annexure referred to in reply to part (a) of the Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 449 due for answer on 18.07.2017 regarding 'Forest Areas'

## Change in Forest Cover in States/UTs as per India State of Forest Report (ISFR) - 2015 (Area in square Kilometers)

| States/UTs          | Geographical Area   | Total Forest Cover 2015   | Total Forest Cover 2013   |   Change in Forest Cover |   Change Percent |
|---------------------|---------------------|---------------------------|---------------------------|--------------------------|------------------|
| Andhra Pradesh      | 1,60,204            | 24,424                    | 24,357                    |                    67    |             0.27 |
| Arunachal Pradesh   | 83,743              | 67,248                    | 67321                     |                   -73    |            -0.11 |
| Assam               | 78,438              | 27,623                    | 27671                     |                   -48    |            -0.17 |
| Bihar               | 94,163              | 7,288                     | 7291                      |                    -3    |            -0.04 |
| Chhattisgarh        | 1,35,191            | 55,586                    | 55621                     |                   -35    |            -0.06 |
| Delhi               | 1,483               | 189                       | 180                       |                     9    |             4.75 |
| Goa                 | 3,702               | 2,224                     | 2219                      |                     5    |             0.22 |
| Gujarat             | 1,96,022            | 14,660                    | 14653                     |                     7    |             0.05 |
| Haryana             | 44,212              | 1,584                     | 1586                      |                    -2    |            -0.13 |
| Himachal Pradesh    | 55,673              | 14,696                    | 14683                     |                    13    |             0.09 |
| Jammu & Kashmir     | 2,22,236            | 22,988                    | 22538                     |                   450    |             1.96 |
| Jharkhand           | 79,714              | 23,478                    | 23473                     |                     5    |             0.02 |
| Karnataka           | 1,91,791            | 36,421                    | 36132                     |                   289    |             0.79 |
| Kerala              | 38,863              | 19,239                    | 17922                     |                  1317    |             6.85 |
| Madhya Pradesh      | 3,08,245            | 77,462                    | 77522                     |                   -60    |            -0.08 |
| Maharashtra         | 3,07,713            | 50,628                    | 50632                     |                    -4    |            -0.01 |
| Manipur             | 22,327              | 16,994                    | 16990                     |                     4    |             0.02 |
| Meghalaya           | 22,429              | 17,217                    | 17288                     |                   -71    |            -0.41 |
| Mizoram             | 21,081              | 18,748                    | 19054                     |                  -306    |            -1.63 |
| Nagaland            | 16,579              | 12,966                    | 13044                     |                   -78    |            -0.6  |
| Odisha              | 1,55,707            | 50,354                    | 50347                     |                     7    |             0.01 |
| Punjab              | 50,362              | 1,771                     | 1772                      |                    -1    |            -0.06 |
| Rajasthan           | 3,42,239            | 16,171                    | 16086                     |                    85    |             0.53 |
| Sikkim              | 7,096               | 3,357                     | 3358                      |                    -1    |            -0.03 |
| Tamil Nadu          | 1,30,058            | 26,345                    | 23844                     |                  2501    |             9.49 |
| Telangana           | 114,865             | 21,591                    | 21759                     |                  -168    |            -0.78 |
| Tripura             | 10,486              | 7,811                     | 7866                      |                   -55    |            -0.7  |
| Uttar Pradesh       | 2,40,928            | 14,461                    | 14349                     |                   112    |             0.77 |
| Uttarakhand         | 53,483              | 24,240                    | 24508                     |                  -268    |            -1.11 |
| West Bengal         | 88,752              | 16,828                    | 16805                     |                    23    |             0.14 |
| A&N Islands         | 8,249               | 6,751                     | 6711                      |                    40    |             0.59 |
| Chandigarh          | 114                 | 22,.03                    | 17.26                     |                     4.77 |            21.65 |
| Dadra &Nagar Haveli | 491                 | 206                       | 213                       |                    -7    |            -3.4  |
| Daman &Diu          | 112                 | 19.61                     | 9                         |                    10.61 |            52.73 |
| Lakshadweep         | 32                  | 27.06                     | 27.06                     |                     0    |             0    |
| Puducherry          | 480                 | 55.38                     | 50.06                     |                     5.32 |             9.61 |
| Grand Total         | 32,87,263           | 701,673                   | 697898                    |                  3775    |             0.54 |

## Annexure II

## Annexure referred to in reply to part (b) of the Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 449 due for answer on 18.07.2017 regarding 'Forest Areas'

## States showing gain in forest cover and reasons for gain.

| S. No.   | State/UTs        | Change (Km2)   | Reasons for gain                                                       |
|----------|------------------|----------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 1        | Tamil Nadu       | 2,501          | Successful agro forestry practices, better conservation of forests etc |
| 2        | Kerala           | 1,317          | Commercial plantations                                                 |
| 3        | Jammu & Kashmir  | 450            | Improvement of scrub areas to forest areas                             |
| 4        | Karnataka        | 289            | Plantation activities                                                  |
| 5        | Uttar Pradesh    | 112            | Plantation activities and better protection                            |
| 6        | Rajasthan        | 85             | Plantation activities and better protection                            |
| 7        | Andhra Pradesh   | 67             | Plantation activities                                                  |
| 8        | A&N Ireland      | 40             | Increase in mangrove cover and conservation and protection activities  |
| 9        | West Bengal      | 23             | Plantation activities and coppice growth                               |
| 10       | Himachal Pradesh | 13             | Plantation and conservation activities                                 |
| 11       | Others Delhi     | 9              | Plantation and protection mostly in ToF area.                          |
| 12       | Goa              | 5              | Increase in mangroves areas.                                           |
| 13       | Gujarat          | 7              | Increase in mangroves cover and plantation activities.                 |
| 14       | Jharkhand        | 5              | Plantation and Protection activity                                     |
| 15       | Manipur          | 4              | Plantation and Conservation activity                                   |
| 16       | Odisha           | 7              | Better Conservation in mangroves and plantation activities             |
| 17       | Chandigarh       | 4.8            | Plantation and protection activities                                   |
| 18       | Daman &Diu       | 10             | Commercial plantations                                                 |
| 19       | Puducherry       | 5              | Plantations                                                            |
|          | Total            | 4955           |                                                                        |

## Annexure III

## Annexure referred to in reply to part (b) of the Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 449 due for answer on 18.07.2017 regarding 'Forest Areas'

## States showing decline in forest cover and reasons for decline

| Sl. No.   | States/UTs          |   Change (km2) | Reasons for decline                                                           |
|-----------|---------------------|----------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 1         | Mizoram             |           -306 | Shifting cultivation and other Biotic pressure                                |
| 2         | Uttarakhand         |           -268 | Rotational felling and diversion of forest lands for developmental activities |
| 3         | Telangana           |           -168 | Shifting cultivation and other Biotic pressure                                |
| 4         | Nagaland            |            -78 | Shifting cultivation and other Biotic pressure                                |
| 5         | Arunachal Pradesh   |            -73 | Shifting cultivation and diversion of forest lands for development activities |
| 6         | Meghalaya           |            -71 | Shifting cultivation and other Biotic pressure                                |
| 7         | Madhya Pradesh      |            -60 | Rotational felling, submergence of forest cover encroachment etc              |
| 8         | Tripura             |            -55 | Shifting cultivation and encroachment on forest lands                         |
| 9         | Assam               |            -48 | Rotational felling, Shifting cultivation, Biotic pressure etc.                |
| 10        | Chhattisgarh        |            -35 | Rotational felling, diversion of forest land for other activities etc         |
| 11        | Dadra &Nagar Haveli |             -7 | Heavy biotic pressure                                                         |
| 12        | Maharashtra         |             -4 | Rotational felling, diversion of forest land, encroachment etc.               |
| 13        | Bihar               |             -3 | Interpretational changes.                                                     |
| 14        | Haryana             |             -2 | Rotational felling and diversion of land for non forestry purposes.           |
| 15        | Punjab              |             -1 | Rotational felling                                                            |
| 16        | Sikkim              |             -1 | Road construction, shifting cultivation and land slide                        |
|           | Total               |          -1180 |                                                                               |