13 Jan 2022

There has been an overall decadal decline in forest cover across India’s 52 tiger reserves as well as its sole Lion Conservation Area (LCA) of Gir in Gujarat, the latest report of the Forest Survey of India (FSI).

The overall decrease in forest cover across the 52 tiger reserves in the last decade has been 22.62 square kilometres (sq km), according to the biennial India’s State of Forest Report 2021, published by the FSI.

Some 20 of the 52 tiger reserves have shown an increasing trend. These range from 1.28 sq km in Pakke (Arunachal Pradesh) to 238.80 sq km in Buxa (West Bengal).

Buxa, in fact, has recorded the highest decadal growth in forest cover in the country. It is followed by Anamalai in Tamil Nadu (120.78 sq km) and Indravati in Chhattisgarh (64.48 sq km).

But the 32 remaining reserves have shown a declining trend, ranging from 0.06 sq km in Orang in Assam to 118.97 sq km in Kawal in Telangana. Bhadra (53.09 sq km) in Karnataka and Sundarbans in West Bengal (49.95 sq km) have also witnessed sharp declines in forest cover.

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