Secretary, Ministry of Environment and Forests, Ajay Narayan Jha, said that India’s forest cover had expanded to a greater degree than the rest of the world’s average.
“The world over, average per capita forest cover has declined from 0.8 ha to 0.6 ha per person but in India, a net increase of 1.82% forest cover has been registered in the past 30 years. We have to add 2.5 to 3 billion tonnes to the carbon sink by 2030. This will be done by planting trees outside the forests near highways or in agro-forestry sector. Around 1000 trees would be planted on one hectare outside the forests.” – Ajay Narayan Jha
He went on to state that India could boast of having a staggering 24% forest cover. Additionally 7 billion tonnes of carbon sink could be measured within the country. Carbon sink is a natural reservoir which absorbs carbon. This acts as a natural aide in the fight against the effects of global warming.