India’s forest loss declines in 2024; Assam loses maximum tree cover

India lost a total of 348,000 hectares of humid primary forest between 2002 and 2024. This damage is about 5.4% of the nation’s total humid primary forest and makes up 15% of all tree cover lost in India during that time. India lost 103,000 hectares of humid primary forest from 2019 to 2024, which is almost 14% of the total tree cover loss during such years.

The data also shows the yearly loss of humid primary forests: 14,500 hectares in 2019, 17,000 in 2020, 18,300 in 2021, and 16,900 in 2022. However, the positive aspect is that India gained 1.78 million hectares of tree cover between 2000 and 2020. This growth made up about 1.4% of the world’s total tree cover increase.

Assam had lost maximum tree cover between 2001 and 2024, with 340,000 hectares lost. Other states that lost a large number of trees were Mizoram (334,000 hectares), Nagaland (269,000), Manipur (255,000), and Meghalaya (243,000). This data shows India’s challenge in protecting its forests.