New Delhi, May 15 (IANS) India is ranked among the top 10 countries where the forest cover has increased over the years, according to an SBI Research report released on Thursday.
While India’s forest cover remained constant from 1991-2011, it increased after that.
“The relationship between urbanisation and forest cover is U shaped…early-stage urbanisation leads to deforestation, but as urbanisation progresses, there is an increase in policies such as urban greening, forest conservation programmes, and sustainable land-use planning, which results in an eventual recovery of forest cover,” according to the SBI report.
India is urbanising rapidly. According to Census 2011, India’s urban population was 31.1 per cent of the total population, which is expected to increase to 35-37 per cent in census 2024.
Beyond 40 per cent urbanisation rate, the effect on forest cover becomes positive… Thus, more and more programmes like Smart Cities Mission and Atal Mission For Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) are essential to integrate green infrastructure and enhance urban ecological resilience, it added.
According to the current assessment, the total forest cover in the India’s mega cities is 511.81 km2, which is 10.26 per cent of the total geographical area of the cities. Delhi has the largest forest cover followed by Mumbai and Bengaluru.
The maximum gain in forest cover (2023 over 2021) is seen in Ahmedabad, followed by Bengaluru, while the maximum loss in forest cover is seen in Chennai and Hyderabad. The forestry sector contributes around 1.3-1.6 per cent to India’s GVA, supporting industries like furniture, construction, and paper manufacturing.
India is estimated to have 35 billion trees; this translates into only Rs 100 GVA per tree.
The report also points out that India is a land with asymmetric forest cover and increasing in states like Odisha, Mizoram and Jharkhand …North-East and Hilly states (like Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh) have more geographical area under forest cover…States like UP, Bihar, Rajasthan, Haryana, Punjab, etc. have less than 10 per cent of their geographical area under forest cover.
Expanding biodiversity hotspots and incentivising private sector participation can enhance forest sustainability, and investing in afforestation projects through Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and carbon offset markets can enhance conservation funding. Strengthening enforcement against encroachment through satellite monitoring and digital databases can protect critical forest areas, the report states.
The government has undertaken various initiatives, such as the Smart Cities Mission and AMRUT, to integrate green infrastructure and enhance urban ecological resilience in line with the postulated U-shaped hypothesis. This will give rise to better institutional capacity that supports both urban growth and environmental conservation, the report added.
–IANS
sps/svn
Disclaimer
The information contained in this website is for general information purposes only. The information is provided by BhaskarLive.in and while we endeavour to keep the information up to date and correct, we make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to the website or the information, products, services, or related graphics contained on the website for any purpose. Any reliance you place on such information is therefore strictly at your own risk.
In no event will we be liable for any loss or damage including without limitation, indirect or consequential loss or damage, or any loss or damage whatsoever arising from loss of data or profits arising out of, or in connection with, the use of this website.
Through this website you are able to link to other websites which are not under the control of BhaskarLive.in We have no control over the nature, content and availability of those sites. The inclusion of any links does not necessarily imply a recommendation or endorse the views expressed within them.
Every effort is made to keep the website up and running smoothly. However, BhaskarLive.in takes no responsibility for, and will not be liable for, the website being temporarily unavailable due to technical issues beyond our control.
For any legal details or query please visit original source link given with news or click on Go to Source.
Our translation service aims to offer the most accurate translation possible and we rarely experience any issues with news post. However, as the translation is carried out by third part tool there is a possibility for error to cause the occasional inaccuracy. We therefore require you to accept this disclaimer before confirming any translation news with us.
If you are not willing to accept this disclaimer then we recommend reading news post in its original language.