Meghalaya is a little less green with a survey of its forest cover showing a decline of around 84 sq km between 2021 and 2023.
The latest India State of Forest Report (ISFR) was released by the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change recently.
According to the report, Meghalaya lost 84.07 sq km of its forest cover between 2021 and 2023. This decline forms a part of the broader pattern of deforestation across the ecologically significant North East region, which collectively contributes 21.08 percent of India’s total forest and tree cover despite occupying just 7.98 percent of the country’s land area.
The report did not mention why Meghalaya’s forest cover has declined but human activities are the probable cause. These include growth of land given over to farming, infrastructure development, increased human habitations, etc.
The report did specify jhum cultivation as a problem, saying, “While jhum cultivation holds cultural and economic importance for local communities, its ecological costs are immense. This technique involves clearing forest areas, which leads to habitat fragmentation and soil degradation, posing long-term risks to the state’s biodiversity and environment.”
Among other North East states, Nagaland recorded the highest forest cover loss at 125.22 sq km, followed by Tripura (100.22 sq km) and Assam (83.92 sq km).
