India's Forestry

Village in Eastern India

India has stepped up forest conservation efforts in recent years, with major project underway o establish a large swath of uninterrupted habitat through the designation of additional protected areas and expanding those already under protection. India has to converge to become Asia's largest unbroken protected forest, encompassing approximately 15,000 square kilometers (5,790 square miles) over three states.

The southwest state of Karnataka is leading efforts, declaring protections for nearly 2,600 square kilometers (1,000 square miles) of forest since 2012. Also, Karnataka has worked with adjoining states Tamil Nadu and Kerala to connect 8,766 square kilometers (3,386 square miles) of previously protected areas.

It is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and considered one of the world's eight top biodiversity "hotspot," with an estimated 1,800 species that are found nowhere else. Southern India is home to the Western Ghats, a region of hilly rainforest that skirts the western coast. Western Ghats provide migration corridors vital for wide-ranging animals such as Bengal tigers and Indian elephants. Migration corridors reduce he chances of human-wildlife conflict and make it easier for populations to mix, thereby bolstering genetic diversity and long-term chances of survival.

 Conservation in India can be a tricky issue. The country is also inhabited by more than 1.2 billion people, making the protection of vital forest areas a delicate balancing act. Most of the people live in densely-populated cities,small towns and villages scattered throughout India's wildernesses. Those people who lived within the areas that issued a high-level protection by India's Forest Department are often displaced by Indian government at a national level.

However, Karnataka has found ways around both these problems. It is overseeing forest ptotection expansion at a state level, thus allowing the project to proceed more quickly. In addition, they allow communities already residing in  he affected areas to remain there while blocking heavy industry activity  such as mining and dam development.

Whenever it is already completed, the unbroken forest expanse would contain 15 major watersheds and stretch more than 500 kilometers (300 miles) from Karnataka's northern border with Goa to its southern borders with Kerala and Tamil Nadu. Next goal is to expand forest protection near Karnataka-Kerala border and connecting fragments of forest preserves in the Western Ghats highlands.