Why is it in the news?

• India lost 2.33 million hectares (Mha) of tree cover since 2000, representing a 6% decrease in tree cover from 2001 to 2023.

More about the news

• Tree cover includes tree patches less than 1 hectare and isolated trees outside recorded forests, while forest cover is defined as areas more than 1 hectare with a tree canopy density of 10% and above.
• Five states—Assam, Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, and Manipur—accounted for 60% of all tree cover loss between 2001 and 2023.
• From 2001 to 2022, a net carbon sink of 89.9 million tons was observed in India.
• Lakshadweep has the largest relative plantation area at 76%.
• Deforestation caused 3.3% of tree cover loss between 2001 and 2022.
• Climate change contributes to extreme heat, increasing wildfires, and subsequent loss of tree cover. The highest tree cover loss due to fires was observed in Odisha followed by Arunachal Pradesh from 2001 to 2022.
• India has implemented initiatives like the Green India Mission to increase forest/tree cover by 5 Mha and improve the quality of forest/tree cover on another 5 Mha of forest/non-forest lands.
• The Nagar Van Yojana aims to enhance green cover in urban and peri-urban areas.