Earth & Environmental Science Research & Reviews(EESRR)
ISSN: 2639-7455 | DOI: 10.33140/EESRR
Impact Factor: 1.6
Forest Cover Upgradation and Degradation in Maharashtra State: A Geographical Study
Abstract
DC. Kamble
Maharashtra is one of the all over developed state in India. It is western part of India with a long coast along Arabian Sea. It has an area of 307713 Sq Km which is 9.36 % of the country’s total area. It lies between latitude 15° 35’ and 22° 02’ North and longitude 72° 36 and 80° 54’ East Physiographically, the state can be divided into five distinct region, namely, Deccan plateau, Central highlands Eastern Chhotanagpur plateau, Eastern Ghats and coastal plains, Krishna, Bhima, Godavari, Tapi-Purna and Wardha-Wainganga are important rivers of the State.
This paper attempt to the statistically analyze of up-gradation and degradation of forest cover on the land of Maharashtra. The state has a tropical monsoon climate with mean annual temperature ranging between 25° C and 27.5° C and average rainfall between 1600 mm and 2000 mm. The total geographical area is 36, 07,713 Sq Km, 6 revenue division, 36 District, 355 tehsils, and 535 towns as per the Census of 2011. Paper attempt to the statistically analyze of up-gradation and degradation of forest cover on the land of Maharashtra. The state has a tropical monsoon climate with mean annual temperature ranging between 25° C and 27.5° C and average rainfall between 1600 mm and 2000 mm. The total geographical area is 36, 07,713 Sq Km, 6 revenue division, 36 District, 355 tehsils, and 535 towns as per the Census of 2011. The recorded forest area of the state is 61573.03 Sq Km reserved forests constitute 83.10 %, protected forests 10.84% and unclassed forests 6.04% of the total forest area. In terms of forest canopy density classes, the state has 8712 Sq Km very dense forest 20747 Sq km moderately dense forest and 21169 Sq Km open forest as per the ISFR 2013 & 2015.
Forest area decreased from 63,544 Sq Km to 61,724 Sq Km as per the census of 1960-61 and 2016-17, it means mostly degradation of forest day by day from the decade of 1961 to 2017 (Economic Survey of Maharashtra 2017-18).