NEW DELHI: The State of India’s Forests Report (ISFR) has for the first time mapped climate change hotspots in the country under three scenarios of future periods of 2030, 2050 and 2085. It observed that Ladakh, Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand are expected to see the highest temperature increase, while the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, West Bengal, Goa, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh could cope with the slightest increase in temperature over these short, medium and long periods.
The hotspots report also shows that the northeastern states and the upper Malabar coast are expected to see the greatest increase in rainfall, while part of the northeastern states like Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim and northwestern parts of the country like Ladakh, J&K and Himachal Pradesh are expected to experience “least increase and sometimes even decline” in rainfall.
The mapping of climate change hotspots in forest areas of the country was carried out by Forest Survey of India in collaboration with Birla Institute of Technology & Science (BITS) Pilani (Goa campus).
“The collaborative study was carried out with the aim of mapping climate hotspots on the forest canopy in India, using a computer model-based projection of temperature and precipitation data for the three future time periods,” said the Minister of the Environment.
The data for this purpose was obtained from the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD). The idea behind the mapping was to determine the impact of climate change on forests, species composition and associated biodiversity. It will help policymakers take appropriate mitigation and adaptation actions to protect forest areas and biodiversity.
In addition, the report also shared data on its assessment of carbon stock by the increase or decrease in forest covers in different parts of the country. The total carbon stock in the Indian forest is estimated at 7,204 million tons. Overall, it shows an increase of 79.4 million tonnes in the country’s carbon stock compared to the last assessment in 2019, noting an annual increase of 39.7 million tonnes.
It shows how increasing forest cover would increase the carbon sink – an important natural tool for combating climate change through carbon sequestration (the process of storing carbon in a carbon pool).
The hotspots report also shows that the northeastern states and the upper Malabar coast are expected to see the greatest increase in rainfall, while part of the northeastern states like Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim and northwestern parts of the country like Ladakh, J&K and Himachal Pradesh are expected to experience “least increase and sometimes even decline” in rainfall.
The mapping of climate change hotspots in forest areas of the country was carried out by Forest Survey of India in collaboration with Birla Institute of Technology & Science (BITS) Pilani (Goa campus).
“The collaborative study was carried out with the aim of mapping climate hotspots on the forest canopy in India, using a computer model-based projection of temperature and precipitation data for the three future time periods,” said the Minister of the Environment.
The data for this purpose was obtained from the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD). The idea behind the mapping was to determine the impact of climate change on forests, species composition and associated biodiversity. It will help policymakers take appropriate mitigation and adaptation actions to protect forest areas and biodiversity.
In addition, the report also shared data on its assessment of carbon stock by the increase or decrease in forest covers in different parts of the country. The total carbon stock in the Indian forest is estimated at 7,204 million tons. Overall, it shows an increase of 79.4 million tonnes in the country’s carbon stock compared to the last assessment in 2019, noting an annual increase of 39.7 million tonnes.
It shows how increasing forest cover would increase the carbon sink – an important natural tool for combating climate change through carbon sequestration (the process of storing carbon in a carbon pool).
