Context: 

According a recent report of Global Forest Watch, India lost 2.33 million hectares of tree cover since 2000.

Background:

The Global Forest Watch, which tracks forest changes in near real-time using satellite data and other sources, said the country lost 4,14,000 hectares of humid primary forest (4.1 per cent) from 2002 to 2023, making up 18 per cent of its total tree cover loss in the same period.

About GLOBAL FOREST WATCH (GFW): 

1. Global Forest Watch (GFW) is an online platform that provides data, technology, and tools to help people everywhere protect forests.
2. GFW is an initiative of the World Resources Institute (WRI), with partners including Google, USAID, the University of Maryland (UMD), Esri, Vizzuality, and many other organizations.
3. It empowers users like conservation organizations, policymakers, journalists, and companies to manage and share information about forest cover and land use effectively.
4. It sheds light on trends related to tree cover loss and offers insights into the current state of the world’s forests. This information is crucial for informed decision-making and policy formulation.