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Eastern Ghats face loss of forest cover, endemic plants
Why in news?
- The Eastern Ghats spread across Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu has lost almost 16% of its forest area over a span of 100 years, a recently published study shows.
- Researchers from the University of Hyderabad studied historical maps and satellite images from 1920 to 2015 to understand the changes in land use and land cover.
- The forest cover, which was 43.4% of the total geographical area in 1920, has reduced drastically to 27.5% in 2015.
- Over the years, about 8% of forest area was converted into agricultural fields, while about 4% converted into scrub or grassland.
- Previous studies have shown that the Eastern Ghats is home to more than 2,600 plant species and this habitat fragmentation and destruction can pose a serious threat to the endemic plants.
What are the reasons?
- Previous studies have shown that the Eastern Ghats is home to more than 2,600 plant species and this habitat fragmentation and destruction can pose a serious threat to the endemic plants.
- While agriculture was the main reason for deforestation during the early years, post 1975, mining and other developmental activities such as the construction of dams, roads were the culprits.
- In 1920, the mining area was only 622 sq.km, and in 2015 it had increased to 962 sq.km.
Source
The Hindu