Over the past six years, Gujarat has witnessed a steady thinning of its green cover—a quiet but unsettling change.
Tree cover in Gujarat has declined by 17 percent, from 8,034 sq km in 2015-16 to merely 6,632 sq km in 2021-22.
Developed states have expanded their leafy footprint. Maharashtra, for instance, posted a remarkable 47.7 percent growth, while Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Telangana, Haryana, and Tamil Nadu all recorded significant gains.
Gujarat has witnessed a steady decline of its tree cover. The latest Forest Survey of India (FSI) 2023 report, published by a national daily, claims that tree cover has come down from 8,358 sq km in 2013 to 6,632.29 sq km, a 20.65 percent decrease over seven years.
The steepest fall occurred between 2019 and 2021, when tree cover slipped from 6,912 sq km to 5,489 sq km. The official attributed this to the conversion of reserved forests and open land into industrial zones, including for solar power projects.
Yet, the data isn’t all bleak. Since 2021, forest officials say there’s been a modest turnaround. Officials have noted that the state showed the highest increase in tree cover between the last two FSI surveys, with coverage now standing at 3.38 percent of Gujarat’s total geographical area, up from 2.8 percent. But urban centres tell a different story—Ahmedabad, in particular, has seen some of the most significant green loss since 2011, much of it blamed on rapid urban expansion and development.
Environmentalists point to the pace of industrialisation as a key driver of deforestation.
It is held that Gujarat’s development push has often come at the cost of its forests. Replantation efforts have struggled to keep pace with the scale of loss, and while recent years have brought some recovery, the damage done in earlier years has left a lasting impact. He called for more long-term, strategic planning that involves both the government and local communities.
Pandya also raised concerns about Gujarat’s fragile coastal ecology. He noted that the state’s mangrove belts remain sparse, limiting their ability to serve as natural shields during extreme weather events. Despite recent improvements in plantation survival, earlier neglect has left many coastal areas exposed—raising the risk of salinity ingress, particularly in the event of cyclones.
Experts agree: if Gujarat is to restore ecological balance and prepare for growing climate risks, it must move towards a decentralised, sustained greening strategy. The gains may not come overnight, but without a shift in approach, the state’s green cover risks becoming a footnote in its development story.
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