18th India State of Forest
Report 2023:
Minister for Environment, Forest and
Climate Change released the ‘India State of Forest Report 2023' (ISFR 2023) at
Forest Research Institute, Dehradun.
- The ISFR is brought out by the Forest Survey of India (FSI) on a biennial basis since 1987.
- FSI report based on interpretation of Remote Sensing satellite data and field based National Forest Inventory (NFI), and the results are published in the ISFR.
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ISFR Report 2023 |
Key Points of the ISFR 2023:
- The report contains information on forest cover, tree cover, mangrove cover, growing stock, carbon stock in India’s forests, instances of forest fire, Agroforestry, etc.
- As per the present report, the total Forest and Tree cover is 8,27,357sq km, which is 25.17 percent of the geographical area of the country.
- The Forest Cover has an area of about 7,15,343sq km (21.76%) whereas the Tree Cover has an area of 1,12,014 sq km (3.41%).
- As compared to 2021, there is an increase of 1445 sq km in the forest and tree cover of the country which includes 156 sq km increase in the forest cover and 1289 sq km increase in tree cover.
Highlights of ISFR 2023 vs. ISFR 2021
Particulars |
ISFR 2023 |
ISFR 2021 |
Total Forest
and Tree Cover |
25.17% (8,27,357 sq km) |
24.62% |
Net Forest Cover |
21.76% (7,15,343 sq km) |
21.71% |
Net Tree Cover |
3.41% (1,12,014 sq km) |
2.91% |
Mangrove Cover |
4,992 sq km |
4,999 sq km |
Top States by Forest and Tree Cover
Largest Forest and Tree Cover
(Area-Wise)
1. Madhya
Pradesh: 85,724 sq km
2. Arunachal
Pradesh: 67,083 sq km
3. Maharashtra:
65,383 sq km
Largest Forest and Tree Cover
(Percentage-Wise)
1. Lakshadweep:
92%
2. Mizoram:
88.03%
3. Andaman
& Nicobar Islands: 81.95%
Largest Forest Cover (Area-Wise)
1. Madhya
Pradesh: 77,073 sq km
2. Arunachal
Pradesh: 65,882 sq km
3. Chhattisgarh:
55,831 sq km
Largest Forest Cover (Percentage-Wise)
1. Lakshadweep:
91.33%
2. Mizoram:
85.34%
3. Andaman
& Nicobar Islands: 81.62%
Largest Tree Cover (Area-Wise)
1. Maharashtra:
14,525 sq km
2. Rajasthan:
10,841 sq km
3. Uttar
Pradesh: 8,951 sq km
Largest Tree Cover (Percentage-Wise)
1. Chandigarh:
18.58%
2. Delhi:
11.87%
3. Kerala:
7.48%
Trends in Forest and Tree Cover
States with Maximum Increase
·
Chhattisgarh: 683.62 sq km
·
Uttar Pradesh: 559.19 sq km
·
Odisha: 558.57 sq km
·
Rajasthan: 394.46 sq km
States with Maximum Decrease
·
Madhya Pradesh: −612.41 sq km
·
Karnataka: −459.36 sq km
·
Ladakh: −159.26 sq km
· Nagaland: −125.22 sq km
Mangrove Cover
·
Total Mangrove Cover: 4,992 sq
km (0.15% of India’s total geographical area).
·
Change Since 2021: Decrease of
7.43 sq km.
·
Top States with Mangrove Cover:
1. West
Bengal
2. Gujarat
3. Andaman & Nicobar Islands
Interesting Observation: Except for Gujarat and the Andaman & Nicobar Islands, all other regions recorded an increase in mangrove cover.
Regional Performance and Trends
States with More Than 33%
Forest Cover
·
19 States/UTs, including Mizoram, Lakshadweep,
Arunachal Pradesh, and Nagaland.
Northeastern Region
·
Forest and tree cover: 67% of the geographical
area.
·
Declining Trend: All
Northeastern states except Mizoram (increase of 178 sq km) recorded a reduction
in forest cover.
Western Ghats
·
First-time assessment revealed a loss of
58.22 sq km of forest cover in the eco-sensitive areas since 2013.
Concerns: Disappearance of Dense Forests
·
Loss Since 2021: 3,913 sq km.
·
Loss Over Two Decades (Since 2003): 24,651
sq km (over 6.3% of dense forests).
Bamboo Bearing Area
·
Total Bamboo Area: 1,54,670 sq km
(increase of 5,227 sq km since 2021).
·
Top States: Madhya Pradesh >
Arunachal Pradesh > Maharashtra > Odisha.
India’s Carbon Stock
·
Total Carbon Stock: 30.43 billion tonnes
of CO2 equivalent.
· India’s Achievement: 2.29 billion tonnes of additional carbon sink created since 2005, progressing towards the target of 2.5-3.0 billion tonnes by 2030.
ISFR 2023 reports 25.17% forest and tree
cover in India, with increases in forest area, bamboo, and carbon stock,
highlighting progress toward carbon sequestration targets and environmental
sustainability.
Some Key terms and definitions from the India
State of Forest Report (ISFR):
The ISFR is a comprehensive report on the forests and trees in India,
published by the Union Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change
(MoEFCC). The first ISFR was published in 1987. |
UPSC Civil
Services Examination Previous Year’s Questions (PYQs) UPSC PYQs Prelims Q. Consider the following States: (2019)
With reference to the States mentioned above, in terms of percentage
of forest cover to the total area of State, which one of the following is the
correct ascending order? (a) 2-3-1-4 (b) 2-3-4-1 (c) 3-2-4-1 (d) 3-2-1-4 Answer: (c) Q. A particular State in India has the following characteristics:
(2012)
Which one among the following States has all the above
characteristics? (a) Arunachal Pradesh b) Assam (c) Himachal Pradesh (d) Uttarakhand Answer: (a) UPSC PYQ Mains Q. Examine the status of forest resources of India and its
resultant impact on climate change (2020). Q. Discuss the causes of depletion of mangroves and explain their
importance in maintaining coastal ecology (2019) |
Frequently Asked
Questions (FAQ) on ISFR (India State of Forest Report)
1. What is
the ISFR Report?
The India State of
Forest Report (ISFR) is a biennial assessment published by the Forest
Survey of India (FSI). It provides comprehensive data on forest cover, tree
cover, mangrove cover, carbon stock, biodiversity, and other related aspects
of India’s forests. 2. What is the total
Forest and Tree cover in India according to the latest ISFR report?
The total Forest and
Tree cover in India is 8,27,357 sq km, which constitutes 25.17% of the
geographical area of the country. 3. What are the
components of Forest and Tree cover?
4. What is the change
in forest and tree cover compared to the previous assessment?
5. Which states have
shown the highest increase in forest and tree cover?
The top four states
with maximum increase are:
6. Which state has the
largest area of forest and tree cover?
The top three states
area-wise are:
7. Which state has the
highest forest cover in percentage terms?
8. What is the current
mangrove cover in India?
The total mangrove
cover in India is 4,992 sq km. 9. What is India’s
bamboo-bearing area?
The estimated
bamboo-bearing area is 1,54,670 sq km, with an increase of 5,227 sq km
compared to the 2021 assessment. 10. What is the total
carbon stock in India’s forests?
The total carbon stock
is estimated to be 7,285.5 million tonnes, with an increase of 81.5 million
tonnes compared to the last assessment. 11. How many states/UTs have more than 33% of their area under forest
cover?
A total of 19
states/UTs have more than 33% forest cover, out of which 8 states/UTs (e.g.,
Mizoram, Lakshadweep, Arunachal Pradesh) have forest cover above 75%. 12. What is the significance of the ISFR report?
The ISFR helps:
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