Which of the following can be accounted for increase in the share of forest area in land use categories, between 1951-2020?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → Increase in demarcated area.
Option (1) Ban on shifting cultivation. — Incorrect. A ban would protect the actual forest cover. But the rise in the forest share of land use is not a rise in actual forest cover, so this does not explain it.
Option (2) Increase in demarcated area. — Correct. In the land revenue records, ‘forest’ is the area the Government has identified and demarcated for forest growth. The share of forest rose because more area was demarcated as forest, not because the forest cover itself grew.
Option (3) Right environmental policies. — Incorrect. Policies may help forests grow, but the records count demarcated area, not the trees on it, so the increase is not put down to policies.
Option (4) Citizen awareness. — Incorrect. Awareness too can only add to the real forest cover; it does not change the area marked as forest in the records.
NCERT (2025-26): “Land Use Categories …(i) Forests : It is important to note that area under actual forest cover is different from area classified as forest. The latter is the area which the Government has identified and demarcated for forest growth. The land revenue records are consistent with the latter definition. Thus, there may be an increase in this category without any increase in the actual forest cover. Land-use Changes in India The increase in the share under forest, as explained before, can be accounted for by increase in the demarcated area under forest rather than an actual increase in the forest cover in the country.…” |