Agartala: Forest Survey of India (FSI) Report 2009 has indicated a steady increase of forest cover in northeastern India.
The report came in the wake of allegation of deforestation due to developmental activities coupled with increase of population and continuous practice of Jhumming (slash and burn method of agriculture) by the indigenous population in northeastern India.
According to the report, based on the biennial assessment the total forest cover of northeast has increased by 598 sqkm between 2005 and 2007 while the forest cover in the region has recorded at 170423 sqkm in 2007 with an annual growth of 299 sqkm.
It also underlined the ratio of forest cover of northeast which was only 5.17 per cent of the total geography of the country that contributed the 1.8 per cent to the country’s GDP.
The Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF) had been supporting with special package the implementation of afforestation programme, forest protection, survey and demarcation of forest land, forest fire control, infrastructure development for forestry personnel, improving communications, modernising forestry administration, training and capacity building of the foresters, the report added.
In order to regenerate the forest cover and degraded forests in the northeastern region, MoEF had approved as many as 141 projects in the northeastern states till last year under National Afforestation Programme (NAP) since it’s inception.
The report, however, pointed out that as per the assessment, the forest cover in Tripura had been recorded at 76.9 per cent in 2009 against the record of 56.7 per cent in 1987 followed by Arunachal Pradesh at 80.4 per cent against 76.6 percent and Meghalaya at 77.2 per cent against 73.4 per cent.
Meanwhile, Nagaland and Manipur had recorded reduction in forest cover during the period and it was recorded at 81.2 per cent in 2009 against 86.8 per cent in 2007 and 77.4 per cent against 78.3 per cent respectively.
Mizoram had recorded 91.3 per cent against 90.5 per cent and 35.3 per cent was recorded against 32.1 per cent in Assam over the period, the FSI report said, adding under NAP, an amount of 345.62 crore was released for treating 1.73 lakh hectares in 2008-09 but the fund was reduced to Rs 318.17 crore for treatment of an area of 1.03 lakh hectares. (UNI)
