Lok Sabha Question No. 1257 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-07-25
Subject: Forest Depletion
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT,  FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: Mimi Chakraborty

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO: 1257

TO BE ANSWERED ON: 25.07.2022

## Forest Depletion

## 1257.    MS. MIMI CHAKRABORTY:

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

- (a) whether the Government has assessed forest depletion in the North East region over the years and if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor;
- (b) whether Government has conducted consultations with stakeholders from the North East Region and the West Bengal Government regarding proposed amendments to the Forest (Conservation) Act thereto and if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor; and
- (c) the reasons India did not join 100 plus world leaders in signing the Glasgow declaration in November 2021, to halt and reverse deforestation and land degradation by 2030?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER  OF  STATE  IN  THE  MINISTRY  OF  ENVIRONMENT,  FOREST  AND CLIMATE CHANGE

(SHRI ASHWINI KUMAR CHOUBEY)

- (a) Forest Survey of India (FSI), Dehradun, an organization under the Ministry carries out the assessment of forest cover of the country biennially since 1987 and the findings are published in India State of Forest Report (ISFR). The forest cover assessment is a wall-to-wall mapping exercise based on remote sensing supported by intensive ground verification and field data from National Forest Inventory. As per latest ISFR 2021, the total forest cover of the country is 7,13,789 square kilometres which is 21.71 % of the  geographical  area  of  the  country.  The  total  forest  cover  of  the  country  has increased by 12,294 square kilometre at the national level in last seven years (ISFR2015 to ISFR-2021).

As per ISFR-2021, the North East Region of the country shows an overall decrease of 1,020  square  kilometre  of  forest  cover  as  compared  to  the  previous  assessment  of 2019. The loss in forest cover in the North East States may be attributed mainly to developmental activities, natural calamities and anthropogenic pressure.

The  State  wise  details  of  change  in  forest  cover  in  the  North  East  region  in  India between ISFR 2011 to ISFR 2021 is given below:-

## (Area in square kilometre)

| State             | Total forest cover as per ISFR 2011   | Total forest cover as per ISFR 2021   | Change in forest cover w.r.t. ISFR 2011   |
|-------------------|---------------------------------------|---------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------|
| Arunachal Pradesh | 67,410                                | 66,431                                | -979                                      |
| Assam             | 27,673                                | 28,312                                | 639                                       |
| Manipur           | 17,090                                | 16,598                                | -492                                      |
| Meghalaya         | 17,275                                | 17,046                                | -229                                      |
| Mizoram           | 19,117                                | 17,820                                | -1,297                                    |
| Nagaland          | 13,318                                | 12,251                                | -1,067                                    |
| Sikkim            | 3,359                                 | 3,341                                 | -18                                       |
| Tripura           | 7,977                                 | 7,722                                 | -255                                      |
| Total             | 1,73,219                              | 1,69,521                              | -3,698                                    |

- (b) The  Ministry  has  received  suggestions  from  various  Ministries,  State  Governments and  stakeholders  regarding  amendments  in  the  Forest  (Conservation)  Act,  1980.  In this  regard,  a  public  Consultation  paper  containing  the  details  on  the  proposed amendments was circulated for inviting comments/suggestions from various stakeholders including those in the North East region and  West Bengal in October, 2021.
- (c) India has not joined, due to reference to trade as an area in the Glasgow Declaration on Forests and Land Use in November 2021 .

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