Forest Cover in Andhra Pradesh Increases by Over 95 Sq. Km Across 10 Districts

The forest cover in Andhra Pradesh has expanded by approximately 95.59 sq. km. across 10 districts, according to Kirti Vardhan Singh, Union Minister of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change. The Minister made this announcement in Parliament on Monday in response to a query by Nellore MP Vemireddy Prabhakar Reddy.

Among the districts, Vizianagaram and SPSR Nellore recorded the highest increase in forest cover, with 35.35 sq. km. and 17.77 sq. km., respectively. Other districts that saw an increase include:

Konaseema: 10.68 sq. km.

Krishna: 9.34 sq. km.

West Godavari: 9.16 sq. km.

Srikakulam: 6.04 sq. km.

Kakinada: 4.12 sq. km.

Sri Sathya Sai: 0.78 sq. km.

Guntur: 0.25 sq. km.

The Minister also highlighted findings from the India State of Forest Report (ISFR) 2023, which was released on December 21, 2024. The report indicates a net increase of 1,445.81 sq. km. in forest and tree cover across the country since ISFR 2021. The total forest and tree cover in India now stands at 8.27 lakh sq. km., which constitutes 25.17% of the nation's geographical area.

Furthermore, the forest cover alone in India is 7.15 lakh sq. km., which includes the eco-sensitive Western Ghats region. Over the last 10 years, the country has seen a net increase of 16,630.25 sq. km. in forest cover between ISFR 2013 and ISFR 2023. This includes 3,465.12 sq. km. of additional very dense forest in the Western Ghats.

The increase in forest cover is a positive indicator of the country’s efforts in environmental conservation and afforestation initiatives.