Lok Sabha Question No. 4840 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-03-23
Subject: Forest Conservation and Environmental Protection Measures
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: Ms. S Jothimani, Shri Sanatan Pandey

## MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4840

TO BE ANSWERED ON 23.03.2026

## Forest Conservation and Environmental Protection Measures

## 4840. MS. S JOTHIMANI: SHRI SANATAN PANDEY:

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

- (a)   the current status of forest cover in the country, along with the data on forest area increased or decreased during the last five years, State/UT and year-wise;
- (b)  the details of impact of decreasing forest on the forest dwellers/climate in case of its decline;
- (c)  the  measures  taken  by  the  Government  to  tackle  deforestation  and  forest  degradation, particularly in ecologically sensitive areas and the budget allocation for afforestation and reforestation programmes during the last five years and the current year;
- (d)   whether the Government has undertaken any assessment of the impact of industrial, mining and  infrastructure  projects  on  forest  cover  and  if  so,  the  details  and  outcomes  of  such assessments;
- (e)  the  steps  being  taken  to  strengthen  the  protection  of  wildlife  and  forest  ecosystems, including capacity building, enforcement mechanisms and funding for wildlife protection programmes; and
- (f)    whether  the  Government  has  a  long-term,  comprehensive  strategy  for  enhancing biodiversity conservation and ensuring climate resilience through forest and eco-system restoration and the timeline for its implementation?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER  OF  STATE  IN  THE  MINISTRY  OF  ENVIRONMENT,  FOREST  AND CLIMATE CHANGE (SHRI KIRTI VARDHAN SINGH)

- (a) & (b) 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 forest cover of the country is 7,15,342.61 square kilometer which is 21.76% of the total geographical area of the country. The forest cover of the country has  increased  by  3,093.14 square  kilometer  as  compared  to  the  ISFR  2019.  The State/UT wise details of change in forest cover in the country is given in Annexure-I .

- (c) & (e) The protection, and management of forest & wildlife is primarily the responsibility of the State Governments/Union Territory Administrations. There are legal frameworks for the protection and management of forest & wildlife of the country which include, the  Indian  Forest  Act,  1927;  the  Van  (Sanrakshan  Evam  Samvardhan)  Adhiniyam, 1980; the Wildlife   (Protection) Act, 1972 and the State Forest Acts and Rules, etc.

Further,  to  increase  the  forest  and  tree  cover,  the  Ministry  provides  technical  and financial support to the States and Union Territories (UTs) under various schemes and programmes  such  as  National  Mission  for  a  Green  India  (GIM),  Compensatory Afforestation  Fund  Management  and  Planning  Authority  (CAMPA),  Nagar  Van

Yojana, Mangrove Initiative for Shoreline Habitats & Tangible Incomes (MISHTI), etc.

The Ministry has approved/allocated funds under various afforestation and reforestation schemes. Under the Green India Mission (GIM), an amount of ₹676.19 crore has been approved/released during 2020-21 to 2025-26 (till date) for afforestation and  eco-restoration  activities.  Further,  under  Nagar  Van  Yojana  (NVY),  funds amounting  to  ₹522.27  crore  have  been  released  since  2020-21.  In  addition,  under MISHTI (Mangrove Initiative for Shoreline Habitats and Tangible Incomes), ₹88.44 crore  has  been  released  since  its  inception  in  2024-25  till  2025-26  (till  date).  The National Authority CAMPA has approved an outlay of ₹48,945.47 crore for Annual Plan of Operations of the States/UTs CAMPA during 2020-21 to 2025-26 (till date). These  schemes  and  programmes  together  constitute  the  major  interventions  for afforestation, reforestation and ecological restoration in the country.

Further,  a  plantation  campaign  ' एक पेड़ माँ क े नाम #Plant4Mother'  has  also  been launched on the occasion of World Environment Day 2024 and in the current year also to  undertake  plantation  activities  across  the  country.    This  campaign  follows  the 'Whole of Government' and 'Whole of Society' approach with participation of all stakeholders  for  increasing  the  green  cover  in  the  country.  The  campaign  has contributed large scale plantation aiding the enhancement of green cover in the country.

The Government of India also supplements the efforts of the States/UTs in management & protection of wildlife by providing financial assistance under Centrally Sponsored Schemes  such  as  Development  of  Wildlife  Habitats  (DWH)  and  Project  Tiger  & Elephant.  Further,  as  outlined  in  the  National  Wildlife  Action  Plan  (2017-31), emphasis is laid on strengthening and expanding the Protected Area network, adopting a landscape approach to conservation, integrating climate change concerns, enhancing research,  human  resource  development,  and  promoting  community  participation. Further, the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) has been established to strengthen enforcement and curb illegal wildlife trade in the country.

In addition, the National Action Plan on Forest Fires, 2018 provides a comprehensive framework for prevention, detection, control and management of forest fires through capacity building, use of modern technology, community participation and strengthening of forest fire management systems.

- (d) The ISFR assessment does not attribute forest  cover change  exclusively to specific sectors such as industrial, mining or infrastructure projects. ISFR 2023 has recorded that  the  positive  changes  in  forest  cover  arise  due  to  natural  growth  of  vegetation, afforestation initiatives, improved protection of plantations and forest areas, increase in trees outside forests, and regeneration in shifting cultivation areas, while negative changes  occur  due  to  harvesting  of  short-rotation  plantations,  shifting  cultivation, encroachment and natural calamities such as storms, floods and landslides.
- (f) The National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP) 2024-2030, provides an overarching framework for conservation of biological diversity, sustainable use of its components  and  fair  and  equitable  sharing  of  benefits  arising  out  of  the  use  of biological resources, with a defined implementation period up to 2030.

Climate  resilience  is  integrated  into  national  and  regional  development  planning through the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC), which comprises nine Missions, including those focused on adaptation in water, agriculture, habitat, human health,  and  the  Himalayan  ecosystem.  Further,  34  States/UTs  have  prepared  State Action Plans on Climate Change (SAPCCs) that outline context-specific adaptation strategies.  The  National  Adaptation  Fund  for  Climate  Change  (NAFCC)  supports vulnerable  States/UTs  in  implementing  such  measures.  India  has  also  reduced  the emission intensity of its GDP by 36% between 2005 and 2020, and its Long-Term LowCarbon Development Strategy identifies key transitions - such as low-carbon energy systems,  sustainable  transport,  resilient  urban  design,  industrial  decoupling,  and enhanced  forest  and  vegetation  cover  -  to  strengthen  climate-resilient  development pathways.

*******

Annexure referred to in reply to part (a) of the Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 4840 due  for  answer  on  23.03.2026  regarding  'Forest  Conservation  and  Environmental Protection Measures'

State/UT wise change in Forest Cover between ISFR 2019 and ISFR 2023

(Area in Square kilometre)

| S.No.   | State/UT                            | Forest Cover (ISFR 2019)   | Forest Cover (ISFR 2023)   | Change in Forest Cover   |
|---------|-------------------------------------|----------------------------|----------------------------|--------------------------|
| 1       | Andhra Pradesh                      | 29,137.00                  | 30,084.96                  | 947.96                   |
| 2       | Arunachal Pradesh                   | 66,688.00                  | 65,881.57                  | -806.43                  |
| 3       | Assam                               | 28,327.00                  | 28,313.555                 | -13.45                   |
| 4       | Bihar                               | 7,306.00                   | 7,532.45                   | 226.45                   |
| 5       | Chhattisgarh                        | 55,611.00                  | 55,811.75                  | 200.75                   |
| 6       | Delhi                               | 195.44                     | 195.28                     | -0.16                    |
| 7       | Goa                                 | 2,237.00                   | 2,265.72                   | 28.72                    |
| 8       | Gujarat                             | 14,857.00                  | 15,016.64                  | 159.64                   |
| 9       | Haryana                             | 1,602.00                   | 1,614.26                   | 12.26                    |
| 10      | Himachal Pradesh                    | 15,434.00                  | 15,580.35                  | 146.35                   |
| 11      | Jharkhand                           | 23,611.00                  | 23,765.78                  | 154.78                   |
| 12      | Karnataka                           | 38,575.00                  | 39,254.27                  | 679.27                   |
| 13      | Kerala                              | 21,144.00                  | 22,059.36                  | 915.36                   |
| 14      | Madhya Pradesh                      | 77,482.00                  | 77,073.44                  | -408.56                  |
| 15      | Maharashtra                         | 50,778.00                  | 50,858.53                  | 80.53                    |
| 16      | Manipur                             | 16,847.00                  | 16,585.46                  | -261.54                  |
| 17      | Meghalaya                           | 17,119.00                  | 16,966.84                  | -152.16                  |
| 18      | Mizoram                             | 18,006.00                  | 17,990.46                  | -15.54                   |
| 19      | Nagaland                            | 12,486.00                  | 12,222.47                  | -263.53                  |
| 20      | Odisha                              | 51,619.00                  | 52,433.56                  | 814.56                   |
| 21      | Punjab                              | 1,849.00                   | 1,846.09                   | -2.91                    |
| 22      | Rajasthan                           | 16,630.00                  | 16,548.21                  | -81.79                   |
| 23      | Sikkim                              | 3,342.00                   | 3,358.40                   | 16.40                    |
| 24      | Tamil Nadu                          | 26,364.00                  | 26,450.22                  | 86.22                    |
| 25      | Telangana                           | 20,582.00                  | 21,179.04                  | 597.04                   |
| 26      | Tripura                             | 7,726.00                   | 7,584.77                   | -141.23                  |
| 27      | Uttar Pradesh                       | 14,806.00                  | 15,045.80                  | 239.80                   |
| 28      | Uttarakhand                         | 24,303.00                  | 24,303.83                  | 0.83                     |
| 29      | West Bengal                         | 16,902.00                  | 16,832.33                  | -69.67                   |
| 30      | A&N Islands                         | 6,743.00                   | 6,732.92                   | -10.08                   |
| 31      | Chandigarh                          | 22.03                      | 25                         | 2.97                     |
| 32      | Dadra& Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu | 227.49                     | 225.62                     | -1.87                    |
| 33      | Jammu &Kashmir                      | 21,122.00                  | 21,346.39                  | 224.39                   |
| 34      | Ladakh                              | 2,490.00                   | 2,285.92                   | -204.08                  |
| 35      | Lakshadweep                         | 27.1                       | 27.06                      | -0.04                    |
| 36      | Puducherry                          | 52.41                      | 44.31                      | -8.10                    |
| Grand   | Total                               | 7,12,249.47                | 7,15,342.61                | 3,093.14                 |