New Delhi:

According to the latest data from the Global Forest Watch monitoring program, India has lost 2.33 million hectares of tree cover since 2000, equivalent to a 6% reduction in tree cover during this period.

Global Forest Watch, which uses satellite data and other sources to track forest changes in near real-time, said the country lost 414,000 hectares (4.1%) of moist primary forest from 2002 to 2023, accounting for 18% of the country’s forest area. Total tree cover loss during the same period.

The report states that between 2001 and 2022, Indian forests emitted 51 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalent per year and removed 141 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalent per year. This represents a net carbon sink of 89.9 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent per year.

Due to the reduction in tree cover in India, an average of 51 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent is released into the atmosphere every year. A total of 1.12 gigatons of CO2e were emitted during this period.

Forests are both carbon sinks and sources, absorbing carbon dioxide from the air as they stand or regrow, and emitting carbon dioxide as they are logged or degraded. Therefore, forest loss accelerates climate change.

Tree cover loss is not always deforestation, which generally refers to the permanent loss of natural forest cover caused by humans. It includes man-made losses and natural disturbances, as well as permanent or temporary losses. Examples of tree cover loss that may not meet the definition of deforestation include loss from logging, fire, disease, or storm damage.

Data shows that 95% of India’s tree cover loss from 2013 to 2023 occurred in natural forests.

The largest loss of tree cover occurred in 2017, reaching 189,000 hectares. The country’s tree cover decreased by 175,000 hectares in 2016 and by 144,000 hectares in 2023, the highest level in the past six years.

GFW data shows that five states accounted for 60% of all tree cover loss between 2001 and 2023.

Assam has witnessed the highest loss of tree cover at 324,000 hectares as against the average area of ​​66,600 hectares. Mizoram lost 312,000 hectares of tree cover, Arunachal Pradesh 262,000 hectares, Nagaland 259,000 hectares and Manipur 240,000 hectares.

Tree cover loss data from Global Forest Watch represent the best available spatial data on forest change around the world. However, the data has changed over time due to algorithm adjustments and satellite data improvements. Therefore, GFW reminds users not to compare old and new data, especially data before/after 2015.

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, India’s deforestation rate was 668,000 hectares per year between 2015 and 2020, ranking second in the world.

Data shows that India lost 35,900 hectares of tree cover due to fires from 2002 to 2022, with the largest loss of tree cover due to fires in 2008 (3,000 hectares).

From 2001 to 2022, Odisha had the highest rate of tree cover loss due to fire, with an average loss of 238 hectares per year. Arunachal Pradesh lost 198 hectares, Nagaland 195 hectares, Assam 116 hectares and Meghalaya 97 hectares.

Global Forest Watch refers to tree cover when talking about forest extent, losses and gains. Tree cover is a convenient metric for monitoring forest change because it can be easily measured from space using freely available medium-resolution satellite imagery. This means tree cover can be monitored frequently and at low cost over large geographical areas.

However, the presence of tree cover does not always mean forest, tree cover loss does not always mean forest loss or deforestation, and tree cover increase does not always mean forest gain or restoration.

Directly measuring these variables poses technical challenges because most forest definitions involve a combination of tree cover and land use. GFW said monitoring using satellite imagery is in some cases much more difficult, if not impossible.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)