The state of Sikkim has lost a marginal share of its forest cover between 2015 and 2017 with the total forest cover decreasing from the 47.80 per cent in 2015 to 47.13 per cent in 2017.
According to the India State of Forest Report, 2017 released by the Forest Survey of India (FSI), last month, at least nine square kilometre of the wild has decreased in the State during the two-year period.
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The marginal decrease came almost five years after Sikkim became the only Indian state to have increased its forest cover in the past two decades.
The green cover in the hill state had increased to 47.34 per cent in 2013 from 43.95 per cent in 1993, the only state to achieve this in the entire country.
The North District suffered the most with a decline of 31 square kilometre in its forests.
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However, the remaining three districts reported increase by 14 square kilometre (east), five square kilometre (west) and three square kilometre (south).
According to experts, the depletion of forest cover is due to the landslide at Mantam lake in North Sikkim.
Several other developmental activities taking place are also reasons behind the loss of forest cover in the State.