Deforestation in India remains a pressing issue, though its nature is more nuanced than it might appear at first glance. On paper, India has reported a gradual increase in its overall forest and tree cover over the years.
According to official reports by the Forest Survey of India, forest and tree cover now accounts for roughly a quarter of the country’s total land area.
However, these figures can be somewhat misleading because the official definition of forest includes not only natural forests but also plantations, degraded lands and even urban green spaces.
This means that large-scale plantations of commercial species like eucalyptus or acacia might be counted in the same way as biodiverse, old-growth forests, despite having vastly different ecological value.
Central India, parts of the Northeast and the Himalayan belt are hotspots where forests are being cleared for mining, infrastructure projects, agriculture, and urban expansion.
The construction of roads, rail lines, and dams — often in the name of development — has led to the fragmentation and loss of large tracts of natural forest.
Additionally, shifting cultivation practices in the Northeast, which have traditionally been part of local agricultural cycles, have become more frequent and less sustainable due to increasing population pressure and land scarcity, contributing further to deforestation.
Illegal logging and mining have also taken a heavy toll, particularly in states like Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Odisha, where dense forests are often cleared with minimal oversight.
Despite the reported gains in forest cover, satellite-based assessments and independent environmental monitoring tools like Global Forest Watch often tell a more sobering story, showing a steady decline in dense, natural forests over the last two decades.
This reflects a worrying trend: while India may be gaining green cover in terms of area, it is losing the richness and ecological integrity of its natural forests. The tension between development and conservation continues to define the country’s approach to its forests, making it an area of ongoing debate and concern.