Green activists and tribal community have been fighting against government-aided coal and mine expansion programmes for long now
While the green cover inside the officially recognised forests (government-owned, private or community forests) in these districts has decreased by 32 sq km, the cover outside them has risen by 2,428 sq km. West Bengal recorded a substantial increase of 2,246 sq km and Nagaland showed a decrease of 274 sq km.
Being the indigenous population of India, the tribals have been a part of the forest ecosystem for generations now. They depend heavily on forests to meet their basic and economic needs.
This boom of forests in tribal areas gives a hope for green activists and the tribal community alike as both the groups have been fighting against the government’s massive coal and mines expansion programmes.
| Change in forest cover in tribal districts | ||
| States | No. of tribal districts | Increase/decrease in last two years (sq km) |
| Andhra Pradesh | 8 | -238 |
| Arunachal Pradesh | 13 | -89 |
| Assam | 16 | -48 |
| Chhattisgarh | 9 | -40 |
| Gujarat | 8 | 5 |
| Himachal Pradesh | 3 | 4 |
| Jharkhand | 8 | 339 |
| Karnataka | 5 | 0 |
| Kerala | 9 | -311 |
| Madhya Pradesh | 18 | -73 |
| Maharashtra | 12 | -25 |
| Manipur | 9 | -100 |
| Meghalaya | 7 | 13 |
| Mizoram | 8 | -63 |
| Nagaland | 8 | -274 |
| Odisha | 12 | 544 |
| Rajasthan | 5 | -10 |
| Sikkim | 4 | -1 |
| Tamil Nadu | 6 | 25 |
| Tripura | 4 | -111 |
| Uttar Pradesh | 1 | -8 |
| West Bengal | 11 | 2,246 |
| A&N Islands | 2 | -13 |
| Dadra&Nagar Haveli | 1 | 2 |
| Daman & Diu | 1 | -0.01 |
| Lakshwadeep | 1 | 0 |
| Grand Total | 189 | 2,396 |
We are a voice to you; you have been a support to us. Together we build journalism that is independent, credible and fearless. You can further help us by making a donation. This will mean a lot for our ability to bring you news, perspectives and analysis from the ground so that we can make change together.
.png)
Comments are moderated and will be published only after the site moderator’s approval. Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name. Selected comments may also be used in the ‘Letters’ section of the Down To Earth print edition.