Forests are not only vital indicators of a nation’s environmental health but are also a source of livelihood for millions. The recently released India State of Forest Report (ISFR)-2023 presents a picture of paradox: On the one hand, India’s forest and tree cover put together accounts for 25% of the total geographical area, indicating a healthy improvement, but on the other, more than 6.3% of the country’s dense forest – amounting to 24,651 sq kms – have been destroyed in the last two decades. The bulk of this loss has been offset by the rapid transformation of 15,530 sq kms of non-forested or scantly forested land to dense or even very dense forests in successive two-year windows during 2003-23.
It must be pointed out that these are just plantations because natural forests do not grow this fast. The ISFR-2023 accounts for 1,420 sq kms of plantations becoming dense forests in the last two years. This again shows a downhill trend: areas under plantations-as-dense-forests are expanding even as the disappearance of dense forests becomes routine. The saving grace is that Arunachal Pradesh is among the top three states having the largest forest and tree cover as per the ISFR report. This is encouraging for the state but much is needed to save the forests in the state. In the name of development, rampant destruction of forests is being done. Development cannot be done by destroying the environment. There has to be balance.