280% Surge in Projects in India's Wildlife Sanctuaries and National Parks in 2023-24

India experienced a significant 280% rise in the number of projects recommended within wildlife sanctuaries and national parks for 2023-24 compared to 2022-23, as per data presented in Parliament on Monday. Union Minister of State for Environment Kirti Vardhan Singh informed the Lok Sabha about this increase.

The minister revealed that from April 2019 to March 2023, a total of 95,724.99 hectares of forest area was diverted for non-forestry use under the Van Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan Adhiniyam, 1980. This diversion spanned over five years.

Forest Land Diversion

Between April 1, 2019, and March 31, 2023, 8,731 requests for forest land diversion were approved. This resulted in a total of 95,724.99 hectares being allocated for non-forestry purposes. Madhya Pradesh led with the highest diversion at 22,614.74 hectares.

Following Madhya Pradesh, Odisha diverted 13,621.95 hectares, Arunachal Pradesh diverted 8,744.78 hectares, Gujarat diverted 7,402.97 hectares, and Uttar Pradesh diverted 6,184.64 hectares for non-forestry use during this period.

Project Approvals Over the Years

In national parks and wildlife sanctuaries across India, project approvals have varied over the years. In 2019-20, there were 71 approved projects. This number increased to 85 in 2020-21 and then to 154 in 2021-22. However, it slightly decreased to 150 in 2022-23 before surging to 421 in 2023-24.

The government data also highlighted that during this period, a total of 179 mining proposals were approved. These approvals led to the diversion of an additional 18,922.98 hectares of forest land.

Compensatory Afforestation Efforts

Compensatory afforestation efforts saw a decline in recent years. In the fiscal year 2023-24, afforestation was carried out on only 29,440.39 hectares of land. This was the lowest in five years.

In contrast, compensatory afforestation covered more extensive areas in previous years: 35,718.16 hectares in 2019-20, 36,000.59 hectares in 2020-21, and peaked at 42,151.06 hectares in 2021-22 before reducing to 39,263.19 hectares in 2022-23.

The data underscores the ongoing trend of forest land diversion for various non-forestry uses while highlighting the fluctuating efforts towards compensatory afforestation over recent years.