Legal Status of Forest Land
Legal Classification of Recorded Forest Area (RFA) (As per FSI Report 2023)
|
Legal Forest Classification |
Area (sq km) |
Percentage of Total Forest Area |
Legal Description & Status |
|
Reserved Forests |
1,943 |
5.12% |
State-owned land with strict environmental protection. Rights are explicitly restricted unless granted by notification. |
|
Demarcated Protected Forests |
11,669 |
30.75% |
State-owned land with defined, surveyed boundaries. Local communities hold controlled customary rights. |
|
Un-demarcated Protected Forests |
22,192 |
58.48% |
Government property/wastelands where exact boundaries are not permanently marked, allowing heavy local usage. |
|
Unclassed Forests |
1,002 |
2.64% |
Public land recorded as forest but not formally classified into reserved or protected structures. |
|
Other Forests |
1,142 |
3.02% |
Miscellaneous forest designations, including specific institutional or municipal lands. |
|
Total Recorded Forest Area |
37,948 |
100.00% |
Total area officially registered as forest land under state jurisdiction. |