Lok Sabha Question No. 329 (STARRED), answered on 2025-03-24
Subject: Forest/Green Coverage
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: Prof. Sougata Ray

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

## LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO: 329

TO BE ANSWERED ON 24.03.2025

## Forest/Green Coverage

## 329*.   PROF. SOUGATA RAY:

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

- (a) the area of forest/green coverage of the country, State-wise;
- (b) whether the Government has taken any steps to encourage bamboo like plantations in the reserved forests to ensure availability of enough food and water to avoid wildlife encroachments in the habitat areas nearby the reserve forests;
- (c) if so, the details thereof;
- (d) whether the Forest Survey of India proposes to consider plantations in agriculture lands as forest cover; and
- (e) if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

MINISTER FOR ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE (SHRI BHUPENDER YADAV)

- (a) To (e) The statement is laid on the table of the House.

****

## Statement referred to in reply to part (a) to (e) of Lok Sabha Starred Question No.329 due for reply on 24.03.2025 regarding 'Forest/Green Coverage' by Prof. Sougata Ray:

- (a) Forest Survey of India (FSI), Dehradun, an organization under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, carries out the assessment of forest and tree cover of the country biennially and the findings are published in the 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 the National Forest Inventory.

As  per  ISFR  2023,  the  total  forest  and  tree  cover  of  the  country  is  8,27,356.95  square kilometer which is 25.17 per cent of the geographical area of the country. This includes 7,15,342.61 square kilometer as forest cover and 1,12,014.34 square kilometer as tree cover. The current assessment shows an increase of 1445.81 square kilometer in the forest and tree cover as compared to the last assessment of 2021. This includes 156.41 square kilometer in the forest cover and 1289.40 square kilometer in the tree cover.  The State/UT-wise, details of forest and tree cover is given in the Annexure-I .

- (b) &(c) The protection, conservation and management of forest and tree resources is primarily the responsibility of the State Governments/Union Territory Administrations. India is one of the few countries in the world that has a scientific system of forest management. The working plans are the main instrument for the scientific management of Forests in India. The forests in India are managed for a multitude of reasons like maintaining environmental stability, conserving  natural  heritage,  checking  soil  erosion  and  denudation  of  catchment  areas, checking the extension of dunes, increasing tree and forest cover with people involvement, increasing the productivity of forests and wildlife conservation, etc.  The conservation and development of forest primarily involves strategies like afforestation through natural/artificial regeneration, protection and management. The species for afforestation/plantation  under  the  various  schemes  are  selected  based  on  the  ecological conditions and other local factors. The native forest species are encouraged for plantation in the forest areas giving importance to trees with multiple uses. Forest Management Plans includes the prescriptions for the need for wildlife conservation.

In  addition,  the  Ministry  provides  technical  and  financial  support  to  the  States  /UTs  for protection,  conservation  and  management  of  forests  in  the  country.  Under  centrally sponsored schemes, namely, 'Development of Wildlife Habitats' and 'Project Tiger and Elephant',  funds  are  provided  for  conservation  and  management  of  protected  areas,  to address the issue of man-animal conflict, their habitat and corridors, recovery of critically endangered species and its habitats. etc. The activities under the "Development of Wildlife Habitats" also includes protection and management of wildlife habitats like eradication of weeds, development of grass lands and enrichment plantation.

- (d)&(e) According to Decision 19/CP.9 of the Kyoto Protocol, the definition of a forest can vary from one country to another, depending on the country's capacities and capabilities. Accordingly, India  has  adopted  the  structural  definition  of  forest  which  include  a  10%  threshold  for minimum tree canopy cover and a minimum area of 1 hectare with trees in these areas should have the potential to reach a minimum height of 2 metre at maturity in their natural habitat.

Accordingly, as per ISFR, the 'Forest cover' refers to all lands, more than or equal to one hectare in area, with a tree canopy of more than or equal to 10%, irrespective of ownership and legal status; and includes orchards, bamboo, and palm. Hence, plantations in agriculture lands as forest cover are included in forest cover if they meet the above mentioned criteria.

Annexure-I

## Annexure referred to in reply to part (a) of the Lok Sabha Starred Question No. 329 due for answer on 24.03.2025 regarding 'Forest/Green Coverage' by Prof. Sougata Ray

State/UT wise Forest and Tree Cover (As per ISFR 2023)

(Area in square kilometer)

| S.No.   | State /UT                          | Forest Cover   | Tree Cover   | Forest &Tree Cover   |
|---------|------------------------------------|----------------|--------------|----------------------|
| 1       | Andhra Pradesh                     | 30,084.96      | 5,340.02     | 35,424.98            |
| 2       | Arunachal Pradesh                  | 65,881.57      | 1,201.63     | 67,083.20            |
| 3       | Assam                              | 28,313.55      | 2,101.46     | 30,415.01            |
| 4       | Bihar                              | 7,532.45       | 2,370.21     | 9,902.66             |
| 5       | Chhattisgarh                       | 55,811.75      | 6,538.70     | 62,350.45            |
| 6       | Delhi                              | 195.28         | 176.03       | 371.31               |
| 7       | Goa                                | 2,265.72       | 257.82       | 2,523.54             |
| 8       | Gujarat                            | 15,016.64      | 6,632.29     | 21,648.93            |
| 9       | Haryana                            | 1,614.26       | 1,693.02     | 3,307.28             |
| 10      | Himachal Pradesh                   | 15,580.35      | 855.07       | 16,435.42            |
| 11      | Jharkhand                          | 23,765.78      | 3,637.55     | 27,403.33            |
| 12      | Karnataka                          | 39,254.27      | 7,779.15     | 47,033.42            |
| 13      | Kerala                             | 22,059.36      | 2,905.94     | 24,965.30            |
| 14      | Madhya Pradesh                     | 77,073.44      | 8,650.14     | 85,723.58            |
| 15      | Maharashtra                        | 50,858.53      | 14,524.88    | 65,383.41            |
| 16      | Manipur                            | 16,585.46      | 209.82       | 16,795.28            |
| 17      | Meghalaya                          | 16,966.84      | 720.56       | 17,687.40            |
| 18      | Mizoram                            | 17,990.46      | 567.80       | 18,558.26            |
| 19      | Nagaland                           | 12,222.47      | 394.02       | 12,616.49            |
| 20      | Odisha                             | 52,433.56      | 6,163.45     | 58,597.01            |
| 21      | Punjab                             | 1,846.09       | 1,475.15     | 3,321.24             |
| 22      | Rajasthan                          | 16,548.21      | 10,841.12    | 27,389.33            |
| 23      | Sikkim                             | 3,358.40       | 48.33        | 3,406.73             |
| 24      | Tamil Nadu                         | 26,450.22      | 5,370.72     | 31,820.94            |
| 25      | Telangana                          | 21,179.04      | 3,517.66     | 24,696.70            |
| 26      | Tripura                            | 7,584.77       | 247.56       | 7,832.33             |
| 27      | Uttar Pradesh                      | 15,045.80      | 8,950.92     | 23,996.72            |
| 28      | Uttarakhand                        | 24,303.83      | 1,231.14     | 25,534.97            |
| 29      | West Bengal                        | 16,832.33      | 2,938.12     | 19,770.45            |
| 30      | A &NIslands                        | 6,732.92       | 26.97        | 6,759.89             |
| 31      | Chandigarh                         | 25.00          | 21.18        | 46.18                |
| 32      | Dadra &Nagar Haveli and Daman &Diu | 225.62         | 36.83        | 262.45               |
| 33      | Jammu &Kashmir                     | 21,346.39      | 3,666.97     | 25,013.36            |
| 34      | Ladakh                             | 2,285.92       | 893.02       | 3,178.94             |
| 35      | Lakshadweep                        | 27.06          | 0.20         | 27.26                |
| 36      | Puducherry                         | 44.31          | 28.89        | 73.20                |
|         | Total                              | 7,15,342.61    | 1,12,014.34  | 8,27,356.95          |