Kashmir’s shrinking green cover: Over 27,000 hectares of forest lost in two decades, say Experts
By: Our Special Correspondent
Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir has witnessed a significant decline in its forest cover over the last two decades, with official data revealing a loss of approximately 27,800 hectares.
The figures, drawn from the latest Forest Survey of India (FSI) 2023 report, indicate that the Union Territory’s forest area has reduced from 21,387 square kilometers in 2001 to 21,109 square kilometers in 2023.
Environmental experts and local stakeholders have termed the trend alarming, warning that continued deforestation could have serious implications for Kashmir’s ecological balance, water resources, and biodiversity.
“This may appear marginal on paper, but the ground reality is far more severe. Dense forests are fragmenting, and encroachments are rising even in previously protected areas,” said a forestry researcher at SKUAST-Kashmir.
Key districts affected include Baramulla, Anantnag, Kupwara, and Ramban, where large stretches of green cover have either been thinned out or lost entirely due to a combination of anthropogenic and climatic factors.
Officials and environmentalists have attributed the forest loss to a number of persistent challenges:
Illegal logging and timber smuggling: Remote forest belts in Lolab, Pir Panjal, and Tral continue to face unchecked felling and smuggling of timber, despite legal safeguards.
Urban expansion and development projects: Infrastructure development, including road widening, hydropower construction, and housing projects, have resulted in forest clearance across several areas.
Encroachments: Agricultural expansion and settlement activities have reportedly encroached upon forest lands in Shopian, Pulwama, and Budgam.
Climate change, Rising temperatures and erratic precipitation patterns are affecting vegetation growth and altering forest composition.
The loss of forest cover is already manifesting in tangible ways. Environmental indicators suggest increased occurrences of landslides in Ramban and Doda, reduced water retention in Kupwara and Anantnag, and growing human-wildlife conflict due to the shrinking habitat of species such as the endangered Kashmir stag (Hangul) and the Asiatic black bear.
“The cascading effects on water security, soil health, and wildlife are deeply worrying. We are at risk of crossing a point of no return,” the SKUAST -K researcher said.
In response to growing concerns, the Jammu and Kashmir Forest Department has launched several greening initiatives. Notably, the Green J&K Drive, launched in 2021, has seen the planting of over 1.5 crore saplings across the Union Territory.
“Reforestation efforts are underway, and we are working on community engagement, protection measures, and afforestation of degraded lands,” said a forest official.
However, conservationists argue that mere plantation drives are insufficient unless accompanied by strict action against encroachment, sustainable land-use planning, and stronger community forest protection committees.
If current trends persist, researchers estimate that Kashmir could lose an additional 5 to 7 percent of its remaining forest cover by 2035, potentially triggering a deeper environmental crisis affecting water availability, agricultural productivity, and local livelihoods.
“Forest conservation must be integrated into every development policy. Without it, we risk irreversible ecological damage,” the SKUAST -K researcher said.
The findings underscore the urgent need for a coordinated and sustained response involving government agencies, civil society, and local communities to arrest further forest degradation in the ecologically fragile region of Jammu and Kashmir
