The National Green Tribunal (NGT) took Suo Motu cognizance of the matter relating the loss of close to 5.8 million full-grown trees in agricultural lands in India from 2019 to 2022 as per a publication in the peer reviewed journal Nature Sustainability.
The Petition is registered suo-moto on the basis of the news item dated 18.05.2024.
As per the article, the states of Telangana, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh, particularly the area around Indore experienced massive loss of trees and disappearance of mature farmlands. The tree loss estimate was on the “conservative” side and most of the losses were likely between 2018 and 2020. An approx. of 11% of such trees detected via satellite during 2010-2011 were no longer visible when reviewed from 2018 to 2022, leading the researchers to conclude that these trees had “disappeared.”
The news item highlights that about 56% of India is covered by farmland and 22% by forest. With the largest agricultural area in the world, changes in tree cover here, while critical, have been largely “overlooked. According to the article, the researchers combined satellite- imagery from two repositories – Rapid Eye and Planet Scope – to estimate changes in tree number from 2010 to 2022. Trees detected by Rapid Eye had an average crown size (the leafy outgrowth of tree) of 96 sq.m and such a high loss rate of mature trees over less than a decade is “unexpected”. The disappearance of mature farmland trees was observed in many areas, but numbers rarely exceed five to 10%, except for areas in central India, in particular in the States of Telangana and Maharashtra, where massive loss of large trees was observed. Here, several hotspot areas have lost up to 50% of their large farmland trees, with up to 22 trees per square kilometre disappearing. Smaller hotspot areas of loss are also observed, such as in eastern Madhya Pradesh around Indore.
The above matter indicated Bench violation of the provisions of the Environment Protection Act, 1986 and the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980.
The news item raises substantial issue relating to compliance of the environmental norms and implementation of the provisions of scheduled enactment.
“Power of the Tribunal to take up the matter in suo-motu exercise of power has been recognized by the Hon’ble Supreme Court in the matter of “Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai vs. Ankita Sinha & Ors.” reported in 2021 SCC Online SC 897.”
Hence, Principal Bench of Justice Prakash Shrivastava , Justice Arun Kumar Tyagi and Dr. A. Senthil Vel impleaded the following as respondents in the matter:
(i). Principal Chief Conservator of Forest, Maharashtra.
(ii). Principal Chief Conservator of Forest, Telangana.
(iii). Principal Chief Conservator of Forest, Madhya Pradesh.
(iv). Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Through its Secretary.
The Bench issued notice to the Respondents and listed the matter on 31.07.2024.