GUWAHATI: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has called for responses from the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), the Survey of India (SoI), and the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) following a report that India has lost 2.33 million hectares of tree cover since 2000. This development comes after the NGT took suo motu cognisance of a news report titled "India lost 2.33 million hectares of tree cover since 2000: Global Forest Watch," published on April 13, 2024.
The tribunal also noted that 95% of tree cover loss in India from 2013 to 2023 occurred in natural forests. The data indicated that five states—Assam, Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, and Manipur—accounted for 60% of the total tree cover loss between 2001 and 2023. Assam experienced the highest loss with 324,000 hectares.
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The NGT bench, comprising Chairperson Justice Prakash Shrivastava, judicial member Justice Arun Kumar Tyagi, and expert member A Senthil Vel, noted the report's findings that India lost 414,000 hectares of humid primary forest from 2002 to 2023. This loss represents 18% of the total tree cover loss during the same period.
The report, based on data from Global Forest Watch (GFW), highlighted that between 2001 and 2022, Indian forests emitted 51 million tons of CO2 equivalent annually but removed 141 million tons, resulting in a net carbon sink of 89.9 million tons per year. Overall, 1.12 gigatons of CO2 equivalent were emitted due to tree cover loss during this period.
The NGT emphasised that forests serve as both carbon sinks and sources, and the loss of tree cover accelerates climate change. According to the food and agriculture organisation, India's deforestation rate was 668,000 hectares per year between 2015 and 2020, the second highest globally.
The NGT expressed concerns about potential violations of the Forest Conservation Act, 1980, the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981, and the Environment Protection Act, 1986. The tribunal has scheduled the matter for further hearing on August 28, 2024.
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In its order, the NGT directed the Survey of India to submit a detailed report on the forest cover in India, specifically focusing on the northeast region from 2000 onwards, with updates at five-year intervals until March 2024. The report is to be submitted at least one week before the next hearing date.
