The Forest Survey of India (FSI), Dehradun, under the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change, has been conducting biennial assessments of forest cover since 1987, publishing the findings in the India State of Forest Report (ISFR). The publication of the latest ISFR 2023 has been delayed due to the expansion of its scope, with the inclusion of data from 751 districts, compared to 638 districts covered in previous reports.
Between April 1, 2019, and March 31, 2024, the Ministry approved the diversion of 95,724.99 hectares of forest land for non-forestry purposes. This process is governed under the Van (Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan) Adhiniyam, 1980, which mandates prior approval from the Central Government for such diversions. To mitigate the impact of forest land diversion, the National Authority, under the Compensatory Afforestation Fund Act, 2016, has approved 252,000.44 hectares for compensatory afforestation from 2019 to 2024, as part of the Annual Plan of Operations (APOs) submitted by various States and Union Territories.
As per ISFR guidelines, forest cover includes all lands exceeding one hectare in the area with a tree canopy density of more than 10%, irrespective of ownership or legal status. This definition encompasses recorded forest areas as well as orchards, bamboo, and palm plantations. This information was shared by Union Minister of State for Environment, Forest, and Climate Change, Shri Kirti Vardhan Singh, in a written response in the Rajya Sabha.
