ISFR is a biennial publication of Forest Survey of India (FSI), MoEFCC. It was 1st published in 1987 (ISFR 2023 is 18th report).
Key Findings of Report:
- Total forest and tree cover: Increased to 25.17% of geographical area compared to 2021 assessment (24.62%).
- It includes 21.76% Forest cover and 3.41% Tree cover.
- Maximum increase: Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh, Odisha, and Rajasthan.
- 19 states/UTs have forest cover above 33% of area. Out of these eight states/UTs namely Mizoram, Lakshadweep, A & N Island, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Tripura, and Manipur have forest cover above 75 percent.
- National Forest Policy, 1988 provides for having a minimum of 1/3rd of total land area of country under forest or tree cover as a national goal.
- Mangrove cover: Total mangrove cover is 4,992 km2 in country (Decrease of 7.43 km2 compared to 2021).
- Gujarat saw a decrease whereas Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra saw an increase.
- Target under Nationally Determined Contributions: Carbon stock has reached 30.43 Bt of CO2 equivalent, indicating that India has reached 2.29 Bt of additional carbon sink (compared to 2005) as against target of 2.5 to 3.0 Bt by 2030.
- Extent of bamboo bearing area: Estimated at 1, 54,670 km2 (Increase of 5,227 km2 as compared to 2021).
