About India State of Forest Report 2021: Plantations, invasive species… what all India counts as ‘forest’

News: Forest Survey of India has recently released its reports which show an increase in forests by 2,261 square kilometres. But, various researchers and environmentalists do not agree with this claim.

What are the findings of the Forest Survey of India?

What are the arguments presented by the environmentalists?

Definition of forests: It was set by FSI in 2001. According to the definition,  a mere 10% of a hectare of land which has trees, is regarded as a forest. This criterion should need to be looked at critically.

New parameters: In 2001, FSI adopted a fully digital analysis workflow, which changed its definition of a forest. According to the report, private tea gardens, coconut plantations in suburban areas, and offices were counted as ‘very dense’, ‘moderately dense’, and ‘open’ forests.

Environmentalists disagree with these parameters, as natural forests and plantations are two very different things. A forest is a web of relationships, where it harbours more biodiversity and provides more for livelihoods. While plantation is more of single species, where more timber is produced.

How there are discrepancies in the Forest Survey of India Report?

According to a paper published in 2002, there was a loss of over 14,000 hectares of forest between 1999 and 2001. But, FSI had claimed there was a gain of over 50,000 hectares in forest cover in the same period.

How the survey should be conducted?

According to environmentalists, a survey:

– Should measure the quality of forests like which are the major kinds of forests, what’s theirs location and area represented by it.

– Should show the ecological, social, economic, and cultural state of forests.

– Should take into account threats to existing forests

– Should not only focus on trees alone to represent the status of forests. It’s a limited approach and looked more like a tool to show compliance with the Centre’s national and international climate goals.

Source: This post is based on the article “Plantations, invasive species… what all India counts as ‘forest’” published in the Down to Earth on 28th January 2022.