Forest cover in India: A victim of technicalities

Balaji G, Gagandeep Sharma and Sai Shiva Jayanth R

Ecological Economics, 2022, vol. 193, issue C

Abstract: Congruency between forest cover protection and development objectives is usually difficult to achieve. However, going strictly by the official statements and reports released by the government, much like the Indian economy, Indian forest cover also seems to be on an upward trajectory, in the recent past. This in spite of the numerous incidents wherein the government has seemingly undermined forest conservation legislation and efforts and instead favored industrial development. An inquiry into the evolution of legislation on forest protection reveals that improvements in the Indian forest cover has roots in three key technicalities while the reality is complete opposite. These are the expansion of the inclusion criteria of defining forests, reduction in Minimum Mapping Area while calculating area under forests and change in the manner of forest mapping from the earlier visual mode to a digital mode. We discuss the implications of such technicalities in preserving the forest cover.

Keywords: Forest cover; Sustainable development; Forest Survey of India; Tree cover (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:ecolec:v:193:y:2022:i:c:s0921800921003657

DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolecon.2021.107306

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