An expanding range of non-forested land in Punjab and its repercussions

Forests ecosystem is the baseline of any healthy terrestrial ecosystem on earth on which the survival of different species including human beings depend. Despite the fact that forests are critical for a healthy ecosystem, forests are being allowed to disappear from the surface of earth without appropriate concern and consideration. While the world lost 129 million hectares of forests between 1990 and 2015, the Indian state of Punjab lost 9 lakh trees between 2011 and 2017 on its 50362 sqKms of geographical area. Due to this huge deforestation for various developmental projects, the state is left with very small forest cover on its land that hardly makes 3.65% of its geographical area. As the tree cutting continues in the state, this percentage is approaching even a smaller value with each passing day. With this small canopy cover and a population of 28 million to support, the state has already started observing some of the serious consequences tree cutting brings; be it unhealthy air, water scarcity, depleting water table, global warming and/or unpredictable weather patterns. This article reviews the alarming bells that the deforestation has begun to ring for the imbalance in nature that reduced forest cover has started to generate in the state of Punjab.