Constantly Declining Forest Cover – North East India

The forest cover of northeastern states has reduced by 1,020 square kilometres in the past two years. Arunachal Pradesh has lost 257 sq km of forest cover, the highest out of all north-eastern states according to the forest report of 2021 released by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.

The north-eastern region alone accounts for 76% of the vanished forest cover of India in the past 20 years and Assam alone accounts for 14% of it. Constant floods and growing cultivation are the ones to blame and, as a result, 269 sq km of forest cover has been lost from 2000 to 2021 in Assam.

Difference between Forest cover loss and deforestation
Forest cover loss is different from deforestation. Forest cover can refer to trees planted by humans as well as natural forests. Forest cover loss is the removal of tree canopy through human or natural causes, including fire, floods or extreme weather conditions whereas deforestation is straight cutting down of trees.