Impact of Population Growth on Forest Resources in Anuppur District, Madhya Pradesh, India

The problem of forest degradation caused by high population growth rates is considered using the example of Anuppur District (India). It is shown that there is a significant reduction in the forested area due to the high population growth and the strengthening of its economic activity. In 1981, the area of forests in Anuppur was 129 885 ha (the total area of the district is 374 671 ha), and by 2011 it decreased to 76 448 ha. During the same period, the population increased from 418 731 to 749 237. An inverse relationship between the population and the state of forests in the study area is revealed. Many types of economic activity (farming, construction of settlements, highways and railways, engineering structures, development of mineral deposits in the forest zone, etc.) are carried out without supervision, which leads to a reduction in forested areas, loss of biodiversity of forest ecosystems, and other environmental problems. Recommendations are given for improving forest management, which is necessary both to increase the sustainability of forest ecosystems and meet the needs of the economy and the population of the district in various forest resources.