Question : Denudation of Forests Area

(a) the details of actual forest cover against the targets fixed during the last three years and the current year, State-wise;
(b) whether large-scale deforestation has taken place in the country and if so, the details of the area where denudation of forests has taken place including the total land area lost due to deforestation during the last five years, State-wise along with the reasons therefor;
(c) the steps taken by the Government to check further denudation of forest area in the country;
(d) whether the Government proposes to launch a new initiative involving local-level institutions and private sector to expand forest cover in the country, especially in the rural areas and if so, the details thereof including the efforts made by the Government in this regard; and
(e) the steps taken by Government for the conservation of forests in the country which are decreasing day by day due to deforestation and the total land area lost due to deforestation during the last five years, State-wise?

MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE
(SHRI ASHWINI KUMAR CHOUBEY)

(a) The National Forest Policy, 1988 envisages that a minimum of one-third of the total land area of the country should be under forest or tree cover. In the hills and in mountainous region, 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.

The assessment of forest cover and tree cover of the country is carried out biennially by Forest Survey of India and the findings are published in India State of Forest Report (ISFR). ISFR-2019 is the latest report in the series. As per ISFR 2019, total Forest and Tree cover of the country is 8,07,276 square kilometers which is 24.56% of the geographical area of the country. State/UT-wise details of Forest and Tree cover as per ISFR-2015, ISFR-2017 and ISFR-2019 are provided at Annexure-I which show that overall at the national level Forest and Tree Cover has increased by 13,209 square kilometers between ISFR- 2015 and ISFR-2019.

(b) No, Sir. During the last five years (i.e. 2016-17 to 2020-21) 82,893.61 hectare forest area has been diverted for non-forestry purposes. The State and Union Territory wise details are given at Annexure-II.

(c) For development purposes, non forestry use of forest land is allowed under the provision of Forest (Conservation) Act, after following due process to minimise diversion of forest area, and felling of trees with mandatory Compensatory Afforestation and required mitigation measures.

(d) Local people are involved regularly through Joint Forest Management Committee and Eco-Development Committee by State Forest Department for afforestation/rehabilitation of degraded forests and adjoining areas.

(e) Various schemes are being implemented by Central and State Government/Union Territory (UT) Administration for improvement of forest cover in the country. These include National Afforestation Programme (NAP) and Green India Mission (GIM), being implemented by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. Afforestation activities are also taken up under various programmes/schemes such as Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, Compensatory Afforestation Funds under Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA). In addition State and UT Government also implement various schemes of afforestation.

The multi-departmental efforts have yielded good results in conserving and developing forest and tree cover as evident from the fact that the Forest and Tree cover as reported in the latest India State of Forest Report (ISFR) 2019 has increased by 13,209 sq km as compared to that of ISFR 2015 assessment. The State and Union Territory wise details of forest area diverted for non-forestry purposes are given at Annexure-II.

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