India’s dry woodlands show contrasting patterns of loss and gain

In our recent study published in Environmental Research Letters, we show that between 2014 and 2024, there was significant loss of native forests, which was masked by gain in plantations on farms. This could affect the country’s biodiversity and the livelihoods of millions of poor people. Our findings highlight the need for countries to clearly distinguish native forest loss and plantation driven gains in monitoring restoration.

See the full paper here: Govindarajulu, D., Foster, T., Pritchard, R., Baumann, M., Kuemmerle, T., Morey, B., Parmar, A., Chhatre, A. & Oldekop, J.A. (2026),Contrasting patterns of deforestation and reforestation in India’s tropical dry woodlands.Environmental Research Letters. Vol.21, Issue 9, 094011.