Supreme Court Criticizes Delhi Government Over Neglect of Capital’s Green Cover
Supreme Court Criticizes Delhi Government Over Neglect of Capital’s Green Cover
Sub :Env
Sec: Ecosystem
Why in News
The Supreme Court reprimanded the Delhi government’s Forest Department for its lack of action in improving the city’s green cover. This rebuke comes after the department failed to submit a report detailing comprehensive steps taken to enhance the capital’s greenery, which the court had previously requested over three months ago.
What is Green Cover?
Green cover refers to all vegetation, including trees, forests, grasslands, wetlands, and farmlands, that contributes to the greening of an area. It includes natural forests, man-made forests (plantations), and other vegetation that helps maintain ecological balance and provide various environmental benefits.
Components of Green Cover
Forest Cover: This includes natural forests and plantations with a canopy density above 10%.
Tree Cover: Refers to trees growing outside forests, including urban trees, farmland, and roadside plantations.
Grasslands and Shrubs: Vegetation that contributes to ecological balance but doesn’t qualify as forest cover.
Importance of Green Cover
Carbon sequestration to mitigate climate change.
Improving air quality by absorbing pollutants.
Regulating the water cycle and preventing soil erosion.
As of 2023-2024, Delhi’s green cover stands at around 23.06% of its total geographical area, with various efforts being made to increase this figure.
On a national scale, India’s overall forest and tree cover increased to 24.62% of its total land area, according to the 2021 report by the Forest Survey of India. The country has been working toward achieving the national goal of 33% green cover.
Supreme Court’s Reprimand
The Supreme Court, criticized the Forest Department for showing a “complete lack of interest” and a “lacklustre” approach in increasing Delhi’s green cover.Despite directions issued in June 2024, the Forest Department had not yet provided a plan or steps to enhance the green cover in the city.
Constitutional Provisions Related to Forest Conservation:
Article 48-A: Directs the state to protect and improve the environment and safeguard forests and wildlife.
Article 51-A(g): Lays down the duty of every citizen of India to protect and improve the natural environment, including forests.
India State of Forest Report
It is an assessment of India’s forest and tree cover, published every two years by the Forest Survey of India under the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change.
The first survey was published in 1987, and ISFR 2021 is the 17th.
India is one of the few countries in the world that brings out such every two years, and this is widely considered comprehensive and robust.
With data computed through wall-to-wall mapping of India’s forest cover through remote sensing techniques, the ISFR is used in planning and formulation of policies in forest management as well as forestry and agroforestry sectors.
Forest Cover is defined as “An area more than 1 ha in extent and having tree canopy density of 10 percent and above”.
Tree Cover is defined as “Tree patches outside recorded forest areas exclusive of forest cover and less than the minimum mappable area of one hectare”.
Three categories of forests are surveyed
Very Dense Forests (canopy density over 70%),
Moderately Dense Forests (40-70%) and Open Forests (10-40%),
Scrubs (canopy density less than 10%)