New study shows India's burned forest areas diverging across landscapes

A new Centre for Wildlife Studies research evaluated changing fire regimes across 20,000 square kilometres of protected forest land in 13 Indian reserves from 2002 to 2022. The study found that burned areas rose most steeply in the Eastern Ghats at 9.3% per year due to vegetation, climate, and repeated human ignition. Conversely, satellite data from NASA's MODIS sensor revealed that burned areas in the Western Ghats declined by 10.8% annually.

Human and climate factors explained between 21% and 77% of annual fire activity across individual reserves, with drought and community fire use playing major roles. High human population density correlated with more frequent fires in Kawal Wildlife Sanctuary and Nagarjunasagar-Srisailam Tiger Reserve, but fewer fires in Nagarahole and Bandipur National Parks. Researchers stress that region- and reserve-specific deconstructions are essential for understanding how climate, land use, and population affect forest fires.

Editor's note: Captures all essential figures and findings accurately and concisely.