Editing Openai/67f9530b-7d78-8001-a9a1-9d2c025c733c (section)

=== Assistant: India's forest cover has undergone notable changes from 1991 to the present day. ===
India's forest cover has undergone notable changes from 1991 to the present day.

===== Forest Cover in 1991 =====

According to the Forest Survey of India's 1991 assessment, the total forest cover was approximately 640,819 square kilometers, accounting for about 19.5% of the country's geographical area. Foreign Service Institute<ref>{{cite web|title=Foreign Service Institute|url=https://fsi.nic.in/forest-cover-table|publisher=Foreign Service Institute|access-date=2026-01-02}}</ref>

===== Forest Cover in 2023 =====

As per the India State of Forest Report (ISFR) 2023, the total forest cover has increased to 715,342.6 square kilometers, representing 21.7% of India's geographical area. The Times of India<ref>{{cite web|title=The Times of India|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/dehradun/indias-green-cover-now-25-of-geographical-area/articleshow/116545170.cms|publisher=The Times of India|access-date=2026-01-02}}</ref>

===== Summary of Change =====

Between 1991 and 2023, India's forest cover expanded by approximately 74,523 square kilometers, marking an increase of about 2.2 percentage points in terms of geographical area coverage.

This growth reflects India's ongoing efforts in afforestation and forest conservation. However, challenges such as forest degradation and the conversion of dense forests to open forests persist, underscoring the need for continued and enhanced forest management strategies.