India
-Krishna Kripa
India
has
added
2,66,000
hectares
of
forest
area
each
year
from
2010
to
2020,
placing
it
third
among
the
top
10
countries
with
the
most
significant
forest
area
gains,
as
per
a
new
report
by
the
Food
and
Agriculture
Organisation
(FAO).
The
report,
released
on
Monday,
highlighted
that
China
led
with
an
increase
of
1,937,000
hectares,
followed
by
Australia
with
4,46,000
hectares.
image
Global
Forest
Gains
Other
nations
in
the
top
10
include
Chile,
Vietnam,
Turkey,
the
United
States,
France,
Italy,
and
Romania.
The
FAO
commended
India
for
its
initiatives
in
restoring
degraded
lands
and
expanding
agroforestry
through
innovative
methods.
This
includes
a
new
national
policy
aimed
at
better
supporting
agroforestry
in
India.
The
FAO
report
also
noted
a
significant
reduction
in
deforestation
rates
in
some
countries.
For
instance,
Indonesia
saw
an
8.4
per
cent
decline
in
deforestation
from
2021
to
2022.
Similarly,
Brazil’s
Amazon
experienced
a
50
per
cent
reduction
in
deforestation
in
2023.
Impact
of
Climate
Change
The
report
stressed
that
climate
change
is
increasing
forests’ vulnerability
to
various
stressors
like
wildfires
and
pests.
Wildfire
intensity
and
frequency
are
rising.
Boreal
forests
accounted
for
nearly
one-quarter
of
carbon
dioxide
emissions
due
to
wildfires
in
2021.
In
2023,
wildfires
emitted
an
estimated
6,687
megatonnes
of
carbon
dioxide
globally.
This
figure
is
more
than
double
the
carbon
dioxide
emissions
from
the
European
Union
due
to
fossil
fuel
burning
that
year.
The
FAO
highlighted
that
wildfire
emissions
are
a
growing
concern.
Reduction
in
Mangrove
Loss
The
FAO
report
also
mentioned
that
the
rate
of
gross
global
mangrove
loss
decreased
by
23
per
cent
between
the
periods
from
2000
to
2010
and
2010
to
2020.
This
reduction
is
seen
as
a
positive
development
for
coastal
ecosystems.
In
the
United
States,
forestlands
are
expected
to
face
significant
losses
due
to
insects
and
disease.
By
2027,
about
25
million
hectares
of
forestlands
are
projected
to
experience
losses
exceeding
20
per
cent
of
host
tree
basal
area
due
to
these
factors.
The
FAO’s
findings
underscore
the
importance
of
continued
efforts
in
forest
conservation
and
restoration
globally.
