Image of a degraded forest area or a forest fire.
Representative Image

Guwahati: The Constitutional Conduct Group (CCG), a group of 60 retired civil servants, has written an open letter to the Union Minister for Environment, Forests & Climate Change, expressing serious concerns about the Indian State of Forest Report (ISFR) 2023. 

The CCG alleged the report, released a year late in December 2024, presents a misleadingly positive picture of India’s forests, masking significant deterioration.

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The letter claims the ISFR 2023 suffers from flawed reporting and reveals a decline in both the quantity and quality of forest cover. 

Criticizing the report’s methodology, the CCG argued that the report includes orchards, gardens, and plantations as forests, leading to inflated figures.

They also point to inadequate ground truthing and disregard for Supreme Court orders regarding forest identification and mapping.

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The CCG highlights discrepancies in data, citing fluctuating figures for unclassed forests and a reported loss of 1,488 sq km of such forests between 2021 and 2023, contradicting the report’s claim of increased forest cover.

They also express concern over the conversion of natural ecosystems like grasslands and swamps into plantations.

Furthermore, the letter mentioned a decline in forest cover in the Northeast, a biological hotspot, and a significant reduction in high-altitude forests, which are crucial for preventing landslides and floods.

The group also points to the degradation of nearly 93,000 sq km of forests in the past decade, despite afforestation efforts.

The CCG strongly criticizes the ISFR’s promotion of the Green Credit Program (GCP), a scheme they deem flawed and under legal challenge.

They argue the GCP allows businesses to earn “green credits” through questionable plantations, which can then be used to justify forest diversion.

The retired civil servants urged the government to acknowledge the misleading nature of the ISFR 2023 and ensure future reports are scientifically sound and factual. 

They stress the importance of prioritizing forest and biodiversity protection over “development projects” that often benefit businesses at the expense of the environment and climate resilience.

The CCG concludes by calling for a shift away from policies that contribute to “ecological dystopia.”