Introduction

Abstract

Tropical forests have not escaped being transformed into human dominated landscapes the world over. Even biodiversity hotspots have been threatened as forests shrink in qualitative and quantitative terms. India’s north eastern region is one such biodiversity hotspot being a part of the Indo-Myanmar global biodiversity hotspot. It is an area with high species endemism that has suffered heavy habitat loss in the face of rapidly increasing human population. While satellite data based biennial forest cover assessments by the Forest Survey of India exist micro level case studies are important to understand forest cover changes and local level dynamics. This study is focused on drivers of forest loss in north east India. It uses the Rani-Garbhanga Reserved Forests in the fringe of Guwahati, the Hamren sub-division of the hill district of Karbi Anglong and the Namdapha National Park in Arunachal Pradesh as sample case studies with which the drivers behind forest loss in north east India are examined.