Forest fragmentation in India

Assessment of, and mapping the extent of forest fragmentation is one of the key requirements for undertaking any eco-restoration work. Using a moving window approach on high-resolution geospatial data on vegetation, a fragmentation index was computed across the entire Indian landscape. On the basis of the index, the forests areas were categorized as high, moderate, low or intact. It was observed that almost half of the forested land is intact in spite of tremendous population pressures, indicating effective protection. Most of the biodiversity-rich forests, such as evergreen, subtropical broadleaf and temperate broadleaf forests, are relatively intact or have a low degree of fragmentation. But highly fragmented regions across the Indian landscape harbour a number of endemic species, some of them of medicinal importance, that need conservation. This study presents an approach to mapping fragmentation caused by socio-economic drivers, namely shifting cultivation, forest villages, infrastructural development, mining and encroachment. This approach provides critical inputs to prioritization and conservation of forests and the associated biodiversity.