GUWAHATI: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has directed all states and Union Territories (UTs) to submit detailed reports on tree loss, emphasising that the issue is a “pan-India” concern. This order came during a hearing on the alleged loss of 2.33 million hectares of tree cover in India since 2000.
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In its order dated November 18, a bench comprising judicial member Justice Sudhir Agarwal and expert member Afroz Ahmad acknowledged the submissions from the Survey of India regarding forest cover data, which is maintained by the Forest Survey of India (FSI).
The tribunal instructed the FSI’s Director General in Dehradun to produce a report detailing the country’s forest cover from 2000 onwards. The report is to provide updates at five-year intervals up to March 2024, with a specific focus on the northeast region.
The NGT also directed all states and UTs to submit their assessments, including the current forest status, reasons for deforestation, and the measures undertaken for conservation and forest management.
The decision followed a recent dispute between the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), the FSI, and the Global Forest Watch. The ministry and FSI refuted the claims of Global Forest watch that India had lost approximately six per cent of its forest cover since 2000, as reported by the global monitoring organisation.
