SEVERAL other issues gradually begin to emerge as the FAO data on the natural forest cover in India is further analysed. Unfortunately, after the old 1980 FAO data for India, FAO has not produced comparative data for 1990. In other words, the total undisturbed forest area in the country in 1980, which has never been logged in the past was at maximum 14.96 mha in 1980 - 5.991 mha of undisturbed forests, 2.19 mha of forests which escaped logging because of inaccessibility and 6.779 mha of declared protected areas.

This amounted to only 25 per cent of the total natural forest area and only 4.6 per cent of the total land area of the country. Indeed a very depressing situation if conservation of forests in an undisturbed pristine state is considered to be an important objective. Even this estimate is very likely to be an overestimate. Because this area of 14.96 mha is not necessarily without any pressures or is not in a state of degradation. The area under national parks and sanctuaries has been growing rapidly in India (see graph: Growing protection) - almost at a rate of 0. 5 million hectares a year between 1980 and 1995. But protected areas in India are being managed in a way that they are alienating the population residing within them, and are languishing under pressure from wildlife poachers and timber smugglers, besides many of them also being affected by commercial and industrial pressures.

The State of Forest Report 1993 provides information on the status of the forest cover in the prestigious Project Tiger reserves pertaining to the years 1983 and 1989 (see graph: Treeless in tiger country). About 18 tiger reserves were studied and it was found that between the years 1983 and 1989, some nine reserves saw a decline in their dense forest cover and one saw a decline in its mangrove forests. In 1989, dense forests covered only 53 per cent of the total area under these reserves. Even worse, the area under dense forests declined in this seven year period by two per cent.

By 1995, the total area under protected areas had reached 14.88 million hectares. However, no data is available on the status of the forests in these areas. Given the fact that even tiger reserves had just about half their total area under dense forests, it would be fair to assume that not more than half the total area under legal protection in 1980 had enjoyed a dense forest cover. Thus, not more than 11.66 million hectares of forests or about 3.5 per cent of the country's land area, were in an undisturbed, pristine state.