Alarming: 25 distts in MP witness sharp decline in forest cover
   Date :06-Jan-2020

Alarming 25 distts in MP
 
 
By Ankita Garg :
 
Talking to ‘The Hitavada’ Ajay Dubey, Secretary Prayatna said, “Population of tigers in Madhya Pradesh has topped the list on country level but at the same time declining forest cover is a matter of grave concern.
FOREST cover in India has increased by 5188 square kilometer as compared to Indian State of Forest Report (ISFR) 2017 but 25 districts in Madhya Pradesh have witnessed sharp decline in its forest cover has set the alarm bells ringing. The report has been prepared based on the satellite image of ISRO. Highest jungle areas have shrunk in Sehore forest division, while Panna district has marked highest forest cover. Ujjain district has not even one per cent of forest cover as compared to its entire area. The district has forest cover on 0.59 per cent land only. Nearly 25 per cent land area of the country is under forest and tree cover as per latest report of Union Environment, Forest and Climate Change Ministry. However, remaining 25 districts of MP have shown marginal increase in forest cover.
 
There are 10 districts in Madhya Pradesh with below 10 per cent forest cover and 17 districts below 20 per cent forest cover. Only two districts, including Balaghat and Sheopur, in Madhya Pradesh have shown 50 per cent of area as forest and tree cover. There are 10 districts with above 35 per cent forest cover. Talking to ‘The Hitavada’ Ajay Dubey, Secretary Prayatna said, “Population of tigers in Madhya Pradesh has topped the list on country level but at the same time declining forest cover is a matter of grave concern.
 
Though a few districts have shown marginal rise in tree and forest cover but 25 districts have witnessed decline.” The report has been prepared based on the satellite image of ISRO. Last survey report of forest cover was released in year 2017. In the past two years, the State has marked 68.49 square kilometer of additional jungle in its premises. 25.14 per cent area of Madhya Pradesh is surrounded with trees and forest cover. In 2017, forest cover of the State was 25.11 per cent. There are 17 districts excluded from the list of very dense forest areas list. ASFR report is being published by Forest Survey of India (FSI) and this was the 16th survey. This includes forest cover, tree cover, mangrove cover, biodiversity and fire monitoring.