Eucalyptus, acacia and teak, not Sal: Why CAG is critical of Odisha’s afforestation efforts

Subject: Environment

Section: Conservation

There was an ‘acute shortfall’ in achieving plantation targets in Odisha due to lack of coordination, working plan, improper selection of plantation sites and plant species
Odisha’s forest cover was estimated to be 51,619 square kilometres, 15 per cent of the state’s geographical area, according to the India State of Forest Report 2019.
Out of total 1,187 plantation journals selected for audit; 491 journals were scrutinised under the Compensatory Afforestation Fund Act (CAMPA), 2016
The report added that while Sal is the principal indigenous species of Odisha, teak, acacia and eucalyptus were planted as major species, affecting the native vegetation and biodiversity in the state.

India State of Forest Report 2021

The Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has released the India State of Forest Report (ISFR) 2021.
The biennial report by the Forest Survey of India (FSI) is an assessment of the country’s forest resources.

Highlights of the Report:

India’s forest and tree cover has risen by 2,261 square kilometers in the last two years with Andhra Pradesh growing the maximum forest cover of 647 square kilometers.
The total tree-and-forest cover in the country includes an increase of 1,540 square kilometres of forest cover and 721 sq km of tree cover compared to the 2019 report.
India’s total forest and tree cover is now spread across 80.9 million hectares, which is 24.62 per cent of the geographical area of the country.
The top five states in terms of increase in forest cover are Andhra Pradesh (647 sq km), Telangana (632 sq km), Odisha (537 sq km), Karnataka (155 sq km) and Jharkhand (110 sq km).
The gain in forest cover or improvement in forest canopy density may be attributed to better conservation measures, protection, afforestation activities, tree plantation drives and agroforestry.
Among the mega cities in the country, Ahmedabad has been the biggest loser when it comes to forest cover.

States with maximum forest cover:

Area-wise, Madhya Pradesh has the largest forest cover in the country followed by Arunachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Odisha and Maharashtra.
17 states/UTs have above 33 per cent of the geographical area under forest cover.
Out of these states and UTs, Lakshadweep, Mizoram, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya have more than 75 per cent forest cover.
Forest cover as a percentage of total geographical area: Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Manipur, and Nagaland.

Mangrove cover in the country:

There is an increase of 17 sq km in mangrove cover in the country as compared to the previous assessment of 2019.
Total mangrove cover in the country is 4,992 sq km.
Top three states showing mangrove cover increase are Odisha (8 sq km) followed by Maharashtra (4 sq km) and Karnataka (3 sq km).

Carbon stock:

The total carbon stock in the country’s forest is estimated to be 7,204 million tonnes and there is an increase of 79.4 million tonnes in the carbon stock of the country as compared to the last assessment of 2019.
The annual increase in the carbon stock is 39.7 million tonnes.

Forest Prone to Fires:

46% of the forest cover is prone to forest fires.
81% are extremely prone, 7.85% are very highly prone and 11.51% are highly prone.
By 2030, 45-64% of forests in India will experience the effects of climate change and rising temperatures.
Forests in all states (except Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, and Nagaland) will be highly vulnerable climate hot spots.
Ladakh (forest cover 0.1-0.2%) is likely to be the most affected.

Bamboo Forests:

Bamboo forests have grown from 13,882 million culms (stems) in 2019 to 53,336 million culms in 2021.

Concerns:

The north-east did not show positive results as the current assessment showed a decrease of forest cover to the extent of 1,020 sq km in the region.
Arunachal Pradesh lost the maximum forest cover of 257 sq km, followed by Manipur which lost 249 sq km, Nagaland 235 sq km, Mizoram 186 sq km and Meghalaya 73 sq km.
In total 140 hill districts of the country, the forest cover reduced by 902 sq km in the last two years. In the 2019 report, the forest cover in the hill regions had increased by 544 sq km.

Compensatory Afforestation Fund

The CAF Act was passed by the centre in 2016 and the related rules were notified in 2018.
The CAF Act was enacted to manage the funds collected for compensatory afforestation which till then was managed by ad hoc Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA).
- Compensatory afforestation means that every time forest land is diverted for non-forest purposes such as mining or industry, the user agency pays for planting forests over an equal area of non-forest land, or when such land is not available, twice the area of degraded forest land.
As per the rules, 90% of the CAF money is to be given to the states while 10% is to be retained by the Centre.
The funds can be used for treatment of catchment areas, assisted natural generation, forest management, wildlife protection and management, relocation of villages from protected areas, managing human-wildlife conflicts, training and awareness generation, supply of wood saving devices and allied activities.