Question

Which district of Karnataka has the least forest area?
(A) Kodagu
(B) Mysore
(C) Vijayapura
(D) Udupi

Answer 1

Hint: The district of Karnataka with least forest area is a place located in the northern part of the state. It is one of the popular heritage places and also one of the top ten populated areas in Karnataka. This district is also characterized by low rainfall and high temperature.

Complete answer: Karnataka ranks second in India in terms of the increase in the total forest area. The districts like Uttara Kannada, Chikmagalur and Kodagu have contributed greatly to this. Vijayapura, also known as Bijapur is the district with least forest area in the state. The total area of the recorded forest zone of Vijayapura is around 8,111 hectares constituting about 0.77 of the geographical area of the Vijayapura division which has the same limits as those of the district. As per the 2019 India State of Forest Report, of the total geographical area of the district, only 0.24 % of the land has forest cover which is about 25.05 sq km.
The encroachment of forest areas and conversion to agriculture and private plantations has led to the loss of native vegetation. The construction of dams and buildings has contributed to the loss of forest cover in the district. About 60 forests of Karnataka are situated in the biodiversity hotspot of Western Ghats. The remaining forests are located in the Eastern Plains.

Option (A): As of 2019, Kodagu has 79.56% of its geographical area as forest area.
Option (B): As of 2019, Mysore has 16.69% of its geographical area as forest area.
Option (C): As of 2019, Vijayapura has only 0.24% of forest cover in its total geographical area which is the lowest among all other districts. Thus this option is right.
Option (D): As of 2019, Udupi district has 63.75% of forest area in its total geographical area.

Thus the option (C) is correct.

Note: The State of Karnataka has reported the extent of the recorded forest area of 38,284 sq km which is 19.96% of its total land area as per the 2019 India State of Forest Report by Forest Survey of India, an organization under the Ministry of Environment & Forests, Government of India.