Trend of Deforestation in India: A comparative Approach to identify the qualitative and quantitative change of natural vegetation cover

Natural resource has always played a significant role in any growing economy for sustainable development. Indian forests are ancient in nature and composition where it faces a severe change in the forest cover during the last five decades, but the last two decades show fluent change, particularly in those regions, where forests have the potential to improve the livelihoods of forest dwelling people, especially tribal people, who are among the most disadvantaged groups in Indian society. My study deals with the growth, composition and structure of forest areas in India during post reform period from 1991 to 2009. Forest covers areas measured by the forest survey of India every two years after 1987 and continues till today. The first assessment in 1987 was done visually on 1:1 million scales. Thereafter, up to 1999 the assessment was done on 1:250,000 scale. My study focuses the qualitative and quantitative change in the forest areas through analyzing the different classes of forest cover growth and distribution among all districts. India obtains an overall positive change of forest cover in the past two decades but these growths have not taken place in all parts of India evenly. Mostly degradation of forest has been detected in eastern part of Indian districts because of mass population pressure, development activities, agricultural expansion and mining activities, where western and south-west part of India’s districts recorded positive growth of the forest during 1991-99, caused by reforestation activities, participation of local people in management process with the help of local institution. On the other side in the period of 2001-09, declination of forest as continue to be in western part of India and northeastern part of India. But Kerala, north part of India and middle parts recorded an increase in forest areas because of reforestation activities, community forest management and proper policy implications.