Previous Year Question
As per the ‘India State of Forest Report–2021’ which of the following States has registered maximum increase in the forest cover during the last two years?
Andhra Pradesh
Assam
Arunachal Pradesh
Kerala
Correct Answer: A
Detailed Solution
According to the India State of Forest Report 2021 (ISFR 2021), Andhra Pradesh recorded the highest increase in forest cover of 647 square kilometres between 2019 and 2021. The state's total forest cover increased from 29,137 square kilometres in 2019 to 29,784 square kilometres in 2021. This represented an increase of approximately 2.22%.
The three states recording the highest increase in forest cover nationally were Andhra Pradesh (647 sq km), Telangana (632 sq km), and Odisha (537 sq km), respectively. Among the other options, Kerala recorded an increase of 109 square kilometres, whereas Assam and Arunachal Pradesh experienced declines of 15 and 257 square kilometres, respectively.
The India State of Forest Report 2021 was released on 13 January 2022. The report is prepared by the Forest Survey of India (FSI), Dehradun. FSI operates under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and assesses the country's forest and tree cover every two years. The assessment uses satellite imagery and field verification.
According to the report, India's total forest and tree cover accounted for 24.62% of its geographical area. Compared with 2019, the combined forest and tree cover increased by 2,261 square kilometres, comprising an increase of 1,540 square kilometres in forest cover and 721 square kilometres in tree cover. Madhya Pradesh had the largest forest cover by area, whereas Mizoram (84.53%) had the highest forest cover as a percentage of its total geographical area.