Deforestation in India: Consequences and Sustainable Solutions

Abstract

Deforestation is one of the most pressing environmental issues that the world is facing currently. It is the conversion of forested land to non-forested land by humans. Deforestation occurs when a land dominated by naturally occurring trees is converted to provide certain services in response to the human demand. The indiscriminate felling of trees has resulted in a reduction of 3.16% in the global forest cover from 1990 to 2015. Although India has seen an increment in the total forest cover of ca. 1%, still there are certain regions in the country that have sought a decrease in the forest cover. The main reasons attributed to the reduction in forest cover are shifting cultivation, rotational felling, other biotic pressures, diversion of forest lands for developmental activities, etc. Continuous illicit cutting of trees has impacted the microclimatic conditions, hydrological cycle, soil quality, biodiversity, etc. of the country, thereby making the country more vulnerable for any uneventful happening. Sustainable forest management practices, alternatives for shifting cultivation, promotion of plantation outside the forest and the usage of certified forest products, etc. are some of the measures that can be adopted to curb the rate of deforestation.

Woody Species Composition, Plant Communities, and Environmental Determinants in Gennemar Dry Afromontane Forest, Southern Ethiopia

“…However, this plant genetic resource of Ethiopia has been reduced due to deforestation for agricultural land, timber products, fuelwood, settlement, and other anthropogenic effects [ 9 – 11 ]. Forest degradation causes not only depletion of the forest resources but also leads to loss of other fauna and flora as it is home for these fauna and flora, soil degradation, soil erosion, reduction in underground water and annual precipitation, and other natural resource depletion [ 12 ].…”

Monitoring land sensitivity to desertification using the ESAI approach and evaluation of the key indicators: A spatio‐temporal study in India

“…Our quality index analysis (Figure 2) and ESAI map (Figure 3) also supported this idea by illustrating that the states with high drought prone area (Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Rajasthan) present higher sensitivity toward desertification and vice versa. The drought conditions not only influence the soil but also the hydrological cycle as well, influencing the climate in turn and thus causing a severe case of desertification (Kumari, Banerjee, Kumar, & Kumar, 2019). The intense desertification in the states of Rajasthan, Gujarat, Ladakh is also the result of lack of precipitation, aridity along with deforestation and unplanned cultivation (Gupta & Ansari, 2014; Memon, Vyas, & Ft, 2016; Raghuvanshi, Moharana, Saxena, & Saha, 2020; Varghese & Singh, 2016).…”

Could India be the origin of next COVID-19 like epidemic?

“…A very significant reason behind the deforestation in India is economic development. According to a 2018 report, the government has cleared nearly 14,000sq km of forests to accommodate 23,716 industrial projects across India over the last 30 years (Al Jazeera Media Network, 2018; Kumari et al, 2019;Scroll. In Network, 2016).…”