India among top 3 countries in forest area gains: FAO report
New Delhi (PTI): India gained 2,66,000 hectares of forest area annually from 2010 to 2020, securing the third spot among the top 10 countries with the most significant forest area gains during this period, according to a new report by the Food and Agriculture Organisation.
The report, released on Monday, said China led the world with the maximum forest area gain of 1,937,000 hectares, followed by Australia with 4,46,000 hectares, and India. Other countries in the top 10 include Chile, Vietnam, Turkey, the United States, France, Italy and Romania.
The UN agency praised India for its efforts in restoring degraded lands and expanding agroforestry through innovative approaches. This includes the development of a new national policy aimed at better-supporting agroforestry in the country.
The report highlighted a significant reduction in deforestation in some countries. For example, Indonesia saw an 8.4 per cent decline in deforestation from 2021 to 2022, while Brazil's Amazon experienced a 50 per cent reduction in deforestation in 2023.
The FAO report also said the rate of gross global mangrove loss decreased by 23 per cent during the periods -- 2000 to 2010 and 2010 to 2020.
However, the FAO stressed that climate change is increasing the vulnerability of forests to various stressors, including wildfires and pests.
"Wildfire intensity and frequency are rising. Boreal forests accounted for nearly one-quarter of carbon dioxide emissions due to wildfires in 2021. In 2023, wildfires emitted an estimated 6,687 megatonnes of carbon dioxide globally, more than double the carbon dioxide emissions from the European Union due to fossil fuel burning that year," the report read.
In the United States, 25 million hectares of forestlands are projected to experience losses exceeding 20 per cent of host tree basal area due to insects and disease by 2027, according to the report.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Sleeping together in fear of elephant attack, 3 children die of snake bite in Jharkhand
Garwah (Jharkhand), Sep 6: Three children who were sleeping together in fear of elephant attacks, died of snakebite in a village in Jharkhand’s Garwah district, police said on Friday.
The incident happened in Chapkali village, under the jurisdiction of Chinia police station of the district, a police officer said.
Scared of elephant attacks, around 8 to 10 children of a family were sleeping on the floor of their tile home when the reptile, reportedly a Krait, sneaked into the house, situated in Nawanagar Tola, and bit the three on Thursday night, the police officer said.
Following the incident, the victims were taken to a sorcerer at around 1 am, where two of them died.The family members then took the third victim to a quack but she died on the way, the police officer said.
The deceased were identified as Pannalal Korwa (15), Kanchan Kumari (8), and Baby Kumari (9), the Officer-in-Charge of Chinia police station Neeraj Kumar said.
Meanwhile, the villagers are being forced to sleep in safe places owing to the prevailing elephant menace.
The pachyderms enter the human habitat in search of food.
Some villagers were compelled to sleep on the roof of school buildings or in groups at one place in the village, the locals claimed.
