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UPSC Prelims 2005 · Environment · Nature’s Machinery
Consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- The forest cover in India constitutes around 20% of its geographical area. Out of the total forest cover, dense forest constitutes around 40%.
- The National Forestry Action Programme aims at bringing one-third of the area of India under tree forest cover.
- (a) 1 only
- (b) 2 only
- (c) Both 1 and 2
- (d) Neither 1 nor 2
Show the answer and explanation
Answer: (b) 2 only
The one-third target is right; the dense share in statement 1 is wrong.
Statement by statement
1. ✗ WRONG — dense share too low Forest cover was about 20% of India then, but dense forest (very dense + moderately dense) made up about 60% of it, not 40%.
2. ✓ CORRECT The National Forestry Action Programme (1999) aimed to bring one-third of India under forest or tree cover, in line with the 1988 policy.
The idea
Forest cover is graded by how closed the canopy is. Statement 1 gave a correct first figure and a wrong second one.
Canopy 70% or more: very dense forest → 40–70%: moderately dense forest → 10–40%: open forest → Below 10%: scrub, not counted as forest cover
The trap
Statement 1 opens with a true number (20%). The error sits in its second half.
Also know
The target of one-third of the country under forest or tree cover comes from the National Forest Policy and has not yet been reached; forest and tree cover together are about a quarter of India.
🔒 Target = one-third of India under forest/tree cover (1988 policy; 2/3 in the hills).