India is missing the forest for the trees

Why read this story?

Editor's note: On 30 December, Prakash Javadekar kickstarted a press conference with a two-volume, 604-page tome in his hands. It was the 2019 edition of the biennial India State of Forest Report, or ISFR, and it brought good tidings. 2019 had otherwise been a year of critical opprobrium for the newly inducted environment minister. He had promised to fast-track environmental clearances, backed the controversial felling of trees in Mumbai’s Aarey Colony and proclaimed there’s no link between pollution and shorter lifespans (which saw a sharp response from the World Health Organization). The 2019 forest report, then, was a bright spot to be paraded. There was an increase of 3,976 sq. km (or 0.6%) in forest cover compared to 2017. At first glance, 0.6% may seem miniscule, but any real growth in forest cover is good, and a few thousand square kilometres are nothing to sneeze at. Forests are vital to everything from maintaining biodiversity to combating climate change. There were losses, sure: 741 sq. km of forests in tribal districts, 765 sq. km across northeast India and 330 sq. km in reserve …