2021 was a record-breaking year for environment and forest clearances

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Editor's note: It’s like death by a thousand cuts. In a dense forest, vegetation along a straight line is cleared and the ground is laid bare. On it a road, a railway line, or a canal is built. On paper, and even to the casual observer, this looks like a small dent to the forest cover. A small line of orange surrounded by green. But as scientists are increasingly finding out, lines cutting through the forest can have damaging effects on a large area, because of the way ecosystems are interconnected. When wildlife and plants can’t cross them, even narrow paths have consequences, leading up to even the gradual extinction of vulnerable species, including tigers. In 2021, a record number of such linear projects were proposed in forest areas of the country, according to the environment ministry’s database on forest clearances. And it is only symbolic of a larger trend that has been seen during the year. Data on approvals granted by the environment ministry to large projects shows that the two years of the pandemic—particularly 2021—broke several records on the number …