Persistent loss of biologically-rich tropical forests in the Indian Eastern Himalaya

Abstract

Deforestation is a major cause of biodiversity loss in Asia. Using fine-resolution satellite imagery we assessed the change in forest cover of a state-managed Reserved Forest located in Indias Eastern Himalaya biodiversity hot-spot. Thirty-two square kilometers of forest cover was lost from 2013 and 2017 with a 5% decline in total forest area over four years. Hornbills are a key functionally important species found in the area. We therefore assessed the habitat around 29 hornbill nest trees in this Reserved Forest and estimated that there was a loss of 35% of forest cover from 2011 to 2019. We identify illegal logging (despite a ban by the Supreme Court of India) as the main driver that is depleting forest cover within this important area. Our results highlight the ongoing threats to biologically-rich forests and the need for urgent measures to halt this loss. We suggest that this study has practical implications for the governance of non-PA state-managed forests in Arunachal Pradesh. The ongoing deforestation appears to be due to organized crime, institutional inadequacy from a combination of limited resources, bureaucratic apathy, and/or ambiguity in use and ownership of forest land compared to other community forests which appear to have robust governance systems.