The country's forest cover has increased by nearly 4000 sq km since the last assessment in 1997, though the forest plantation came down from 15.9 lakh hectares in 1997 to 15.28 lakh hectares in the 1997-99 assessment mainly on account of paucity of funds.

The latest state of forest report, 1999, estimates the total forest cover at 63.73 million hectares or 19.39 per cent of the geographical area, with dense forest accounting for 11 per cent, open forest eight per cent and mangroves 0.15 per cent of the country's land mass.

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“Though the forest cover is 19.4 per cent of the geographical area of the country, it is really heartening to note that the overall decline in the forest cover has been halted,” Environment Minister T R Baalu said releasing the report, which was based on interpretation of satellite data for the period 1996-98 and covered different states and districts of the country.

“However, paucity of funds was a major constraint facing the afforestation programmes,” Baalu said noting an allocation to the order of Rs 6,695 crore per annum was required in order to achieve one-third forest cover within the next 20 years.

Baalu would also be meeting the director general of Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) to request a meeting of donor organisations in this connection.

Bureau Report