A damaging distinction for the green state

Madhya Pradesh, long recognised as the state with the largest forest cover in India, has now earned a far less flattering distinction. According to the State of India's Environment 2026, released by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), the state accounts for 22 per cent of all forest land diverted for non-forest use across the country over the past decade — the highest share of any state.

Between 2014–15 and 2023–24, a total of 38,553 hectares of forest land in Madhya Pradesh was cleared for infrastructure, mining, and development projects. Of this, 23,054 hectares — more than half — was diverted in just the last five years, indicating the pace of clearance has accelerated sharply in recent times.

National picture paints a grim canvas

At the national level, the numbers are no less sobering. India diverted 1,73,397 hectares of forest land over the same ten-year period — an area exceeding the entire forest cover of Haryana (1,61,426 hectares) and larger than the total geographical extent of Delhi (1,48,300 hectares).

In 2023–24 alone, approvals for conversion of nearly 29,000 hectares were granted, as per the report. Four states — Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Telangana, and Gujarat — together account for close to 49 per cent of the national total, reflecting a geographic concentration of forest-to-non-forest conversion in central and eastern India.

Tigers pushed to the margins

The ecological cost of this diversion is becoming visible on the ground. In Madhya Pradesh, which is home to some of India's most celebrated tiger reserves — Bandhavgarh, Kanha, and Pench — tigers are increasingly being pushed out of dense core forest zones. As their habitat shrinks, some big cats have begun settling in shrublands on the periphery of forests and preying on livestock instead of wild animals.

Wildlife experts say the trend is directly linked to habitat fragmentation caused by project-related forest clearances. The result is a steady rise in human-wildlife conflict, with communities living near forest edges bearing the brunt.

Scientists warn of 'ecological drought'

Beyond wildlife, CSE scientists have flagged a longer-term threat to the very character of central India's forests. They have described the region as entering a state of "ecological drought" — a condition where prolonged water stress strips forests of their density, structure, and ecological functions over time.

If unchecked, the report warns, this could permanently diminish the ecological services these forests provide, including groundwater recharge, carbon sequestration, and local climate regulation — consequences that would extend well beyond forest boundaries.

Official response: scale justifies diversion

State forest authorities have defended the volume of diversions, arguing that Madhya Pradesh's large forest base means any absolute figure will appear disproportionate when set against other states. Shubh Ranjan Sen, Head of Forest Force, Madhya Pradesh, stated: "Since Madhya Pradesh has the largest forest area in the country, higher diversion for development is natural."

Forest land conversion approvals are granted by the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, and the process follows statutory clearance requirements under the Forest Conservation Act.

Policy gap at the heart of the problem

Conservation groups argue, however, that the volume and speed of approvals signal a structural imbalance between development priorities and ecological safeguards. India's national biodiversity targets call for protecting and restoring natural ecosystems — commitments that critics say are being quietly eroded by the pace of clearances.

Compensatory afforestation is mandated for every hectare diverted, but independent assessments have long questioned whether plantation-based replacements can replicate the biodiversity value of old-growth forests.

What next for central India's forests

With the CSE report placing Madhya Pradesh's forest diversion firmly in the national spotlight, pressure is likely to mount on state and central authorities to tighten clearance norms and strengthen compensatory mechanisms. Environmental campaigners are expected to raise the issue in upcoming legislative sessions, while wildlife agencies are already engaged in corridor protection efforts around key tiger habitats.

The forest land diversion data from Madhya Pradesh serves as a pointed reminder that development and conservation, left unbalanced, carry a measurable ecological cost — one that the state, and the country, will bear for decades to come.