India's Forest Cover Debate: Official Data Challenges Global Claims

The Union Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Change, along with the Forest Survey of India, contests data from the Global Forest Watch, which claimed significant tree cover loss in India since 2000. They assert that India's forest cover has actually increased and aligns with international criteria.

The Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) and the Forest Survey of India (FSI) have disputed the findings of the Global Forest Watch project, which reported that India lost 2.33 million hectares of tree cover since 2000.

In a joint reply to the National Green Tribunal, the MoEFCC and FSI highlighted discrepancies in Global Forest Watch's assessment methods. They emphasized that the FSI's evaluations, based on remote sensing data and 17 forest cover assessments conducted between 1987 and 2021, showed an increase in tree and forest cover.

The reply underlined that Forest Survey of India's criteria for forest cover aligns with international standards and criticized Global Forest Watch for not following these norms. Assertions were made about India's net increase in forest cover and carbon sequestration, portraying the country as a net carbon sink.

(With inputs from agencies.)