Tamil Nadu loses 14 sqkm of green cover in 3 years: Report

CHENNAI: Even as the forest and tree cover (green cover) in India has increased by 1,445 sqkm, Tamil Nadu has lost around 14 sqkm of the green cover since 2021. During the period, around 61 sqkm of forest cover has been lost but TN gained 47 sqkm of tree cover.

As per ‘India State of Forest Report 2023 (ISFR 2023)’ prepared by Forest Survey of India and released by Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav, on Saturday, TN’s total green cover is 24.47% – a tad lesser than the forest cover in 2021, which was 24.48%. Of the total green cover, forest cover contributes to 20.34% and tree cover contributes to 4.13%.

Across the State

However, the decadal change analysis of the forest cover in TN revealed that it has added 2,205.01 sqkm of forest cover between 2013 and 2023, which is a 9.09% increase.

Despite the overall increase, forest cover inside recorded forest areas is 23.21 sqkm lesser in 2023 when compared to 2013. Moreover, only 2.76% of Tamil Nadu is covered with very dense forest, which is 3,586.19 sqkm.

Among the districts, The Nilgiris have the highest forest cover of 66.55% followed by Kanniyakumari and Tirupattur with 60.13% and 45.78% respectively. Theni, Coimbatore and Erode have forest covers of 42.44%, 41.28% and 40.42% respectively.

On the other hand, Mayiladuthurai has the lowest forest cover of only 2.77% followed by Tiruvarur and Karur with 3.15% and 3.63%. Kancheepuram, Thoothukudi and Ranipet have only 4.35%, 5.51% and 5.23% of the area covered by forest.

In comparison, all the districts covering western and eastern ghats have higher forest cover than the delta districts. All districts in the Cauvery delta have less than 10 sqkm of forest cover.

With a mere 21.12 sqkm of forest area within 175 sqkm of its jurisdiction, Chennai has 12.07% of its land covered by forests. Shockingly, the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) that encompasses the Chennai district has only 4.66% forest cover. As per the ISFR 2021 report, the city had 5.28% of forest area.

Western Ghats districts

Recognized as a World Heritage site by Unesco for being one of the most biologically diverse hotspots in the world, the Western Ghats is the lifeline for the entire state, as all the rivers quenching the otherwise parched State originate from the hills.

Between 2013 and 2023, all the 7 districts in the Ghats, except Dindigul, have lost their forest cover. The Nilgiris has lost 123.44 sqkm of forest cover in the last decade while Coimbatore and Kanniyakumari lost 50.01 sqkm and 44.29 sqkm.

Correlating with the national trend, the area of very dense forests has increased in the Ghats region whereas the area of moderate dense forest and open forest has decreased.

Mango trees rule

An analysis of growing stock (volume of living trees) across the country has revealed that the mango trees (Mangifera indica) are the highest prevalent tree species outside the forest areas.

Around 13.25% of the growing stock is mangoes and neem trees (Azadirachta indica) comprise 7% of the growing stock. Mahua trees (Illuppai-Madhuca latifolia) and coconut trees (Cocos nucifera) contribute to 4.37% and 4.16% respectively.

Shockingly, Prosopis juliflora, an invasive alien species, contributes to 5.88% of total trees and is the third most prevalent species in the agroforestry ecosystem in the country. Prosopis juliflora is mainly found in the agricultural bunds, the ISFR 2023 said.

The report pointed out that the top most prevalent species in rural areas of TN is Prosopis juliflora followed by coconut, neem, palm and mango trees. In urban areas, coconut and neem trees lead, followed by Prosopis juliflora, moringa and mango trees.