The Assam government has informed the National Green Tribunal (NGT) that shifting cultivation, inter-State border encroachment and diversion of forest land for development projects are major factors behind the recent decline in the State’s forest cover.

According to the India State of Forest Report 2023, Assam lost 86.66 square kilometres of forest cover between 2021 and 2023 within its Recorded Forest Area/Green Wash.

Key Findings

• Despite the recent decline, Assam recorded a net increase of 748.65 square kilometres (2.72%) in forest cover between 2013 and 2023, according to the State’s submission.
• Dima Hasao accounted for the largest share of the recent decline. 
  • This is mainly due to jhum cultivation in Unclassed State Forest areas and diversion of 95.55 square kms of forest land for development projects between 2020 and 2025.
• Cachar and Hailakandi witnessed forest-cover declines of over 16 square kms each, attributed by the State to encroachment along the Mizoram border.
• Chirang recorded a decline of around 14 square kms, which the government linked to local encroachment.
• The State also stated that more than 100 square kms of encroached forest land had been cleared but had not yet regenerated.

Institutional Challenges and NGT Recommendations

An amicus curiae report highlighted limited administrative control over Unclassed State Forests (USF) and difficulties arising from inter-State boundary disputes. It recommended:

• Forming a joint committee involving the Union Environment Ministry, Survey of India and forest departments of Assam and Mizoram to examine border encroachment.
• Developing a policy for sustainable management of Unclassed State Forests in consultation with local autonomous councils.
• Strengthening monitoring of compensatory afforestation, including plantation survival rates, native species selection and ecological restoration.
• Providing sustainable agricultural alternatives and livelihood support to communities practising shifting cultivation.

Exam Hook: Key Takeaway

Assam’s forest conservation challenge requires stronger governance of Unclassed State Forests, resolution of border disputes, sustainable alternatives to shifting cultivation and ecologically meaningful compensatory afforestation.

One-line wrap: Forest conservation in Assam must balance development and community livelihoods with the protection and regeneration of ecologically valuable forest landscapes.