India lost 14% tree cover amid Covid, rainforest destruction up 12% in 2020

The resulting carbon emissions from this primary forest loss (2.64 Gt CO2) are equivalent to the annual emissions of 570 million cars

Tropical forests across the world were destroyed at an alarming rate in 2020, despite the raging Coronavirus and the lockdowns as natural forces took over. India lost nearly 38.5 thousand hectares (Kha) of tropical forest between 2019 and 2020 making up nearly 14 per cent loss of its tree cover.

Meanwhile, the total tropical forest area in India fell by 0.38 per cent.

The new observations have been made by the Global Forest Watch, a worldwide platform that monitors forests and provides information on changing patterns globally as part of the World Resources Institute. The new report comes on the heels of