Summary:
“A forest implies dense canopy cover, while a savannah implies sparse tree cover, grasslands which are prone to forest fires, and are abundant with herbivores. Many of our forests are ecologically like the savannah, but are being managed like forests. So, we’re subduing forest fires, which has led to increase in invasive species within these ecosystems. When the forest officers attached to the British Raj surveyed the vast expanse of grasslands and woodlands in the country, they decided to term them “forests”. We are losing biodiversity here because these grasslands have become targets for government afforestation programmes,” said Ms.
Ratnam..