Nationally, Assam has lost the maximum forest cover in the entire country of the very dense category of forest, 17 sq km in last two years. The moderately dense type of forest in Assam has also decreased by 152 sq km - the highest in the country, according to the report.
According to the report, Arunachal Pradesh now has a forest cover of 67,410 sq km, Assam has 27,673 sq km, Mizoram 19,117 sq km, Meghalaya 17,275 sq km, Manipur 17,090 sq km, Nagaland 13,318 sq km, Tripura 7,977 sq km and Sikkim 3,359 sq km. Only in Assam, which has lost 19 sq km of forest cover between 2009 and 2011, the decrease has been attributed to "illicit felling, encroachments in militancy-affected areas and shifting cultivation practice."
According to the report, the northeastern region has a forest cover of 1,73,219 sq km, which constitutes 66.07% of its geographical area. The region constitutes just 7.98% of the total geographical area of the country, but accounts for nearly a fourth of India's total forest cover. Read the full report here.
Source: Prabin Kalita, TNN, Guwahati.
