{"id":43889,"date":"2025-05-22T20:23:35","date_gmt":"2025-05-22T14:53:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/?p=43889"},"modified":"2025-05-22T20:23:57","modified_gmt":"2025-05-22T14:53:57","slug":"global-forest-watch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/22-05-2025\/global-forest-watch","title":{"rendered":"Global Forest Watch"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS3\/Environment<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>India lost 18,200 hectares (ha) of primary forest in 2024 <strong>compared to 17,700 hectares in 2023,<\/strong> according to new data from <strong>Global Forest Watch (GFW).<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Global Findings<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Tropical primary forest loss: <\/strong>6.7 million hectares lost globally \u2013 nearly double 2023\u2019s figures.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Fires Surpass Agriculture as Leading Cause: <\/strong>For the first time in over two decades, fires became the primary driver of tropical forest loss, accounting for nearly 50% of the total.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The combination of climate change and El Ni\u00f1o led to record-breaking heat and drought, creating conditions ripe for wildfires.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Regional Impacts:<\/strong> Brazil accounted for 42% of global tropical forest loss.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Bolivia experienced a 200% increase in forest loss, surpassing the Democratic Republic of Congo for the first time.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Indian Findings<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Overall Tree Cover Loss Decreases: <\/strong>India saw a 6.9% decrease in total tree cover loss between 2023 and 2024, indicating some progress in forest conservation efforts.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Increase in Humid Primary Forest Loss: <\/strong>Contrarily, humid primary forest loss increased by 5.9% in 2024, highlighting ongoing challenges in preserving old-growth forests.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Surge in Fire-Related Forest Loss:<\/strong> Fire-induced primary forest loss escalated to 950 hectares in 2024, marking a 158% increase from the previous year.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Regional Hotspots:<\/strong> The Northeastern states, including Assam, Nagaland, and Mizoram, have been the most affected, primarily due to shifting cultivation, agricultural expansion, and logging.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation:<\/strong> India had the second highest rate of <strong>deforestation <\/strong>in the world between 2015 and 2020, losing about 6,68,000 hectares of forest per year.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What are India&#8217;s Initiatives to Combat Forest Loss?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Policy and Legislative Measures:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Forest Conservation Act, 1980 (Amended 2023): <\/strong>Regulates the diversion of forest land for non-forest purposes, with recent amendments aiming to streamline processes.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>National Forest Policy, 1988:<\/strong> Aims to maintain at least 33% of India&#8217;s geographical area under forest or tree cover.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Compensatory Afforestation Fund Act, 2016 (CAMPA): <\/strong>Ensures funds collected from forest land diversion are used for afforestation and eco-restoration.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Afforestation and Reforestation Programs:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Green India Mission:<\/strong> Part of the National Action Plan on Climate Change, focusing on enhancing forest cover and ecosystem services.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>State-Level Initiatives:<\/strong> For instance, Uttar Pradesh&#8217;s plan to plant 35 crore saplings in 2025 to increase green cover.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Community Engagement and Rights:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Joint Forest Management (JFM): <\/strong>Collaborative management of forests involving local communities and forest departments.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Forest Rights Act, 2006: <\/strong>Recognizes the rights of forest-dwelling communities, empowering them to manage and conserve forests.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Technological Interventions:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Satellite Monitoring:<\/strong> Utilization of satellite data for real-time monitoring of forest cover and illegal activities.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Mobile Applications: <\/strong>Development of apps like &#8216;My Plants&#8217; to record plantation data and engage the public in afforestation efforts.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>International Collaborations:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Forest-PLUS 3.0: A U.S.-India initiative aimed at strengthening sustainable forestry practices and enhancing climate resilience.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-background\" style=\"background-color:#fff2cc\"><tbody><tr><td><strong>Global Forest Watch<\/strong><br>&#8211; <strong>The World Resources Institute (WRI)<\/strong> established Global Forest Watch in <strong>1997 <\/strong>as a part of the<strong> forest frontiers initiative.<\/strong><br>&#8211; It is an<strong> online platform<\/strong> that provides data and tools for monitoring forests.\u00a0<br>&#8211; GFW allows anyone to <strong>access near real-time information<\/strong> about where and how forests are changing around the world.<br>&#8211; GFW serves a<strong> variety of users <\/strong>including governments, the private sector, NGOs, journalists, universities, and the general public.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Way Ahead<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Empower Local Communities<\/strong>: Accelerate the recognition of Community Forest Resource (CFR) rights under the Forest Rights Act, 2006, ensuring that forest-dwelling communities have legal authority to manage and conserve their traditional forests.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Leverage Technology for Monitoring and Management: <\/strong>Implement AI-based systems and satellite imagery for real-time monitoring of forest health, wildlife movements, and illegal activities, enhancing responsiveness and enforcement.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Strengthen Legal and Policy Frameworks: <\/strong>Critically assess recent amendments to the Forest Conservation Act to ensure they balance development needs with ecological preservation, maintaining stringent protections for primary forests.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Promote Sustainable Livelihoods and Eco-Tourism: <\/strong>Encourage agroforestry practices that integrate tree cultivation with agriculture, providing economic benefits to farmers while enhancing green cover.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.business-standard.com\/india-news\/india-lost-18-200-hectares-of-primary-forest-in-2024-global-data-125052101149_1.html\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>BS<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<h3><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h3>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">India lost 18,200 hectares (ha) of primary forest in 2024 compared to 17,700 hectares in 2023, according to new data from Global Forest Watch (GFW).<\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Indian Findings<\/strong><\/h3>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">Overall Tree Cover Loss Decreases: India saw a 6.9% decrease in total tree cover loss between 2023 and 2024, indicating some progress in forest conservation efforts.<\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">Increase in Humid Primary Forest Loss: Contrarily, humid primary forest loss increased by 5.9% in 2024, highlighting ongoing challenges in preserving old-growth forests.<\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">Surge in Fire-Related Forest Loss: Fire-induced primary forest loss escalated to 950 hectares in 2024, marking a 158% increase from the previous year.<\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">Regional Hotspots: The Northeastern states, including Assam, Nagaland, and Mizoram, have been the most affected, primarily due to shifting cultivation, agricultural expansion, and logging.<\/li>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/22-05-2025\/global-forest-watch\" class=\"btn btn-primary btn-sm float-end\">Read\u00a0More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-43889","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-current-affairs"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43889","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=43889"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43889\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":43903,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43889\/revisions\/43903"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=43889"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=43889"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=43889"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}