Logakanthi.
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➢ Forest is a renewable resource as it can replenish
itself overtime when uninterrupted
➢ Over 1.6 billion people depend on forests for food
or fuel, and some 70 million people worldwide -
including many Indigenous communities - call
forests home.
40% of the total area of the country was under forest
cover at the time of independence
According to the India State of Forest Report 2019, the
Indian forest cover is around 24.56% of its total
geographical area contrary to the requirement of 33%
forest cover to maintain good ecological health
The country has lost around 9.38 million hectares of
forest cover between 1991 and 2019
Madhya Pradesh has largest forest cover followed by
Arunachal Pradesh in the country
Highest percentage of forest cover is in the states of
Mizoram, followed by Lakshdweep
Types of Forest Characteristics Location
Moist evergreen forest Heavy rainfall (>250cm); thick Western Ghats, North-Eastern
undergrowth; rich biodiversity states
Tropical evergreen forest High rainfall(>200cm); dense Andaman & Nicobar Islands,
vegetation; diverse species Western Ghats, North-East
India
Tropical deciduous forest Moderate rainfall (70-200cm); Central India, Foothills of
seasonal leaf shedding Himalayas
Semi-arid areas of Gujarat,
Scrub Forest Low rainfall (<70cm);small Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh
trees and bushes
Desert Vegetation Very low rainfall; Cacti and Thar desert, Rajasthan
thorny bushes
Mangrove Forests Tidal areas; protect coastline; Sundarbans, Coasts of Andhra
unique flora and fauna Pradesh, Odisha
Coniferous Forests High Altitude with snow fall Upper Himalayan region
Biodiversity
Water recharge and improve water quality
Clean the air
Improve the soil and prevent soil erosion
Moderate the temperature and weather
Act as carbon sink
Aesthetic beauty
➢ Commercial Use
➢Fuel
➢Fodder
➢Products like paper
➢Timber for construction
➢Medicine
➢Honey, gum, resins
➢ Ecological Use
➢Production of Oxygen
➢Carbon Sink
➢Regulate the water cycle
➢Prevent soil erosion
➢Pollution moderator
➢Habitat
➢ Aesthetic Use
➢Recreation and tourism
➢ Deforestation – It is the process of removal or
elimination of forest resources due to natural or
man-made activities
➢ The per capita availability of forest land in India is
0.08 hectares as against the world average of 0.8
hectares.
➢ Construction of dams
➢ Mining
➢ Overgrazing
➢ Increased demand for timber
➢ Increased demand for agricultural land
➢ Shifting cultivation and monoculture
➢ Fuel requirement
➢ Forest Fire
➢ Loss of Biodiversity
➢ Loss of homes of tribal people and poverty
➢ Landslide and flood
➢ Loss of topsoil
➢ Depletion of water resource
➢ Spreading of disease
➢ Fueling of global warming
Deforestation that resulted from extensive ship building by Britishers
made them adopt scientific forestry in India and made them create
Reserved and Protected Forests
The Forest Conservation Act of 1980 - This marked a crucial shift
by requiring central permission for sustainable Agro-forestry in forest
areas
The National Forest Policy of 1988 - This represented a significant
and categorical shift from purely commercial concerns to
emphasising the ecological role of forests and promoting
participatory management.
➢ Joint Forest Management
o In pursuance of the directions established in National Forest
Policy, 1988, the GOI issued a set of broad directions to the state
governments, on 1 June 1990, about the involvement of
village communities and village organizations in forest
management.
o The forest area under consideration will be
protected/managed jointly by the local community and the forest
department, and the ownership of the area remains with the state.
o 25 states have passed enabling resolutions for involvement of
local people in forest management by June 2001
➢ The Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest
Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act of 2006 was
enacted to recognise and vest forest rights in forest-
dwelling communities, such as Scheduled Tribes, and
others who have resided in these forests for generations
➢ Forest Conservation Rule 2022
