Is India Among the Few Countries Experiencing a Rise in Forest Cover?

New Delhi, May 15 (NationPress) India is now among the top 10 nations where the forest cover has shown significant growth over the years, as per a report released by SBI Research on Thursday.

While the country's forest cover remained stable from 1991 to 2011, it saw a notable increase thereafter.

The SBI report states, "The relationship between urbanisation and forest cover is U-shaped... initial urbanisation leads to deforestation, but as urbanisation advances, policies such as urban greening, conservation programs, and sustainable land-use planning emerge, resulting in a recovery of forest cover."

India is experiencing rapid urbanisation. According to the 2011 Census, 31.1 percent of India's population resided in urban areas, and this figure is projected to rise to 35-37 percent in the upcoming 2024 Census.

Once urbanisation surpasses a 40 percent threshold, its impact on forest cover becomes positive. Therefore, initiatives such as the Smart Cities Mission and Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) are vital for integrating green infrastructure and boosting urban ecological resilience, the report emphasizes.

The current evaluation indicates that the total forest cover in India's major cities amounts to 511.81 km², accounting for 10.26 percent of the total geographical area of these cities. Delhi leads in forest cover, followed by Mumbai and Bengaluru.

The greatest increase in forest cover from 2021 to 2023 was observed in Ahmedabad, with Bengaluru also seeing significant gains, while Chennai and Hyderabad experienced the largest reductions in forest area. The forestry sector contributes approximately 1.3-1.6 percent to India's Gross Value Added (GVA), supporting industries such as furniture, construction, and paper manufacturing.

India is estimated to host 35 billion trees, which equates to merely Rs 100 GVA per tree.

The report further identifies India as a nation with uneven forest cover, with increases in states like Odisha, Mizoram, and Jharkhand. The North-Eastern and hilly states (like Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh) have a greater geographical area designated as forest cover, while states like UP, Bihar, Rajasthan, Haryana, and Punjab have less than 10 percent of their geographical area under forest cover.

Enhancing biodiversity hotspots and encouraging private sector involvement can further bolster forest sustainability. Investing in afforestation projects through Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and carbon offset markets can improve conservation funding. Strengthening enforcement against encroachment with satellite monitoring and digital databases can safeguard critical forest areas, as noted in the report.

The government has launched various initiatives, such as the Smart Cities Mission and AMRUT, to integrate green infrastructure and enhance urban ecological resilience, aligning with the U-shaped hypothesis. This will foster improved institutional capacity that supports both urban expansion and environmental conservation, the report concludes.