Study OAS ·
Environmental Accounting on Forest 2025
What’s the News?
- The Ministry of Statistics & Programme Implementation (MoSPI) released the “Environmental Accounting on Forest - 2025” report under the SEEA (System of Environmental Economic Accounts) framework, during the 29th Conference of Central & State Statistical Organisations (CoCSSO).
- This is India’s first dedicated forest-accounting publication, compiling national and state-level data across forest extent, condition, and ecosystem services.
- The report monetises forest services (provisioning, regulating, cultural) and quantifies physical changes in forests to inform planning, climate policy, and natural capital accounting.
Forest Accounts & Trends
- Physical Asset / Extent Accounts
- Between 2010-11 and 2021-22, India’s forest cover rose by 17,444.61 sq km (≈ 22.50 %), reaching 7.15 lakh sq km, which is ~21.76 % of the country’s geographical area.
- From 2013 to 2023, a net increase of 3,356 sq km in Recorded Forest Area (RFA) (largely due to reclassifications and boundary adjustments).
- States leading gains: Kerala (+4,137), Karnataka (+3,122), Tamil Nadu (+2,606) sq km.
- Condition Accounts
- Growing stock (volume of usable wood in live trees) rose by 305.53 million cubic metres (≈ 7.32 %) between 2013-2023.
- Top contributors: Madhya Pradesh (136 mil m³), Chhattisgarh (51), Telangana (28); UT: Andaman & Nicobar (77) m³.
- Service Accounts (Valuation)
- Provisioning services (timber + non-timber) value rose from ₹ 30.72 thousand crore to ₹ 37.93 thousand crore (≈ 0.16 % of GDP in 2021-22).
- Regulating services (Carbon retention) value increased 51.82 % (from ₹ 409.1 to ₹ 620.97 thousand crore). In 2021-22, this equals ~2.63 % of GDP.
- Major state contributors: Arunachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Assam for carbon services; Maharashtra, Gujarat, Kerala for provisioning.
Additional Info
- UN SEEA Framework:
- Adopted by MoSPI in 2018 to integrate environmental data with national accounts.
- Enables valuation of ecosystem services and supports evidence-based policymaking for sustainable development.
- Data Sources:
- India State of Forest Report (ISFR) by Forest Survey of India.
- Forestry Statistics by Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE).
- National Accounts Statistics, NCAVES India Report, and other official datasets.
- Policy Relevance:
- Supports National Forest Policy (1988) goal of 33% forest cover.
- Aligns with Net Zero Emissions target by 2070 and NDC commitments under the Paris Agreement.
- Informs Green GDP estimation and ecosystem-based adaptation strategies under National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC).