Spatial Dynamics of Forest Cover in Y.S.R District Andhra Pradesh, India

Abstract

Forest is a significant industry and a major environmental resource in India which grew at 0.22% annually over 1990-2000, and has grown at the rate of 0.46% per year over 2000-2010, after decades where forest degradation was a matter of serious concern. In 2010, the United Nations estimated India's forest cover to be about 68 million hectares, or 24% of the country's area. In 2013, Forest Survey of India indicated the forest cover increased to 69.8 million hectares by 2012 as per satellite data. India is the world's largest consumer of fuel-wood, as 80% of rural people and 48% of urban people; use fuel-wood. Unless India makes major, rapid and sustained effort to expand electricity generation and power plants, India will continue to meet their energy needs through the unsustainable destruction of forests and fuel wood consumption. India's dependence on fuel-wood and forestry products as a primary energy source is not only environmentally unsustainable; it is a primary cause of India's near-permanent haze and air pollution.The forest or natural vegetation is indeed a priority in land protection measures for producing food, preserving biodiversity and facilitating the natural management of water systems. The underlying biophysical and anthropogenic causes of land degradation are multiple and overlapping. To effectively tackle desertification, land degradation and drought conditions should be addressed and instruments designed to incentivise the sustainable management of lands. The forest cover of YSR district of Andhra Pradesh is no exception. Different forest types have been analysed using Remote Sensing Satellite data with non-spatial data of forest information.