Cover Story | Urban Forestry
Forests essential to maintain balance between ecology & economy in cities The India State of Forest Report (ISFR) is a biennial report released by the Indian government that details the extent of green cover in the country. The 2019 edition of the ISFR highlights the fact that the green cover in major cities has in fact increased significantly over the years. It is not often the case that growth in infrastructure and green cover are simultaneous for an urban area Akshit Pushkarna Editorial Assistant
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he ISFR report of 2017-19 was released by Prakash Javadekar, Union Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) on December 30. Javadekar said, “It gives me satisfaction to note that despite the immense biotic pressure on the country’s forests, the forest and tree cover continues to show an increasing trend over the years. This is the result of sustained conservation, protection and afforestation efforts implemented on the ground under the policies of the National Government and State Governments. It also reflects the
28 February 2020 | www.urbanupdate.in
direct impact of various Government schemes in the recent years, like ‘Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana’ which has considerably reduced the dependence of rural households on forests for fuelwood.”
Some Doubts that arose
The report shows encouraging signs in India’s campaign to achieve the pledged 33-35% reduction in the “emissions intensity” by 2030. But it has also raised doubts as some facts do not align with the results. First, the report defines forest cover as a piece of
