Overview

• Researchers found India lost 1,032.9 sq km of forest versus just 56.3 sq km gained from 2015 to 2019, equating to nearly 18 sq km lost for every 1 sq km gained.
• More than half of newly added forest cover comprised small, isolated “islets” that fail to connect larger forest landscapes and support biodiversity.
• Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Rajasthan contributed almost 50 percent of gross gains, while Tamil Nadu and West Bengal accounted for nearly half of total losses.
• The study’s methodology contrasts with the Forest Survey of India’s reports by applying a 15 percent canopy threshold at 100 m resolution and explicitly measuring connectivity.
• Authors propose an extensible, open-source framework published in Environmental Monitoring and Assessment to guide connectivity-driven afforestation under national programmes.