  Global assessments have shown that future climate change is likely to
significantly impact forest ecosystems. The present study makes an assessment
of the impact of projected climate change on forest ecosystems in India. This
assessment is based on climate projections of Regional Climate Model of the
Hadley Centre (HadRM3) using the A2 (740 ppm CO2) and B2 (575 ppm CO2)
scenarios of Special Report on Emissions Scenarios and the BIOME4 vegetation
response model. The main conclusion is that under the climate projection for
the year 2085, 77% and 68% of the forested grids in India are likely to
experience shift in forest types under A2 and B2 scenario, respectively.
Indications are a shift towards wetter forest types in the northeastern region
and drier forest types in the northwestern region in the absence of human
influence. Increasing atmospheric CO2 concentration and climate warming could
also result in a doubling of net primary productivity under the A2 scenario and
nearly 70% increase under the B2 scenario. The trends of impacts could be
considered as robust but the magnitudes should be viewed with caution, due to
the uncertainty in climate projections. Given the projected trends of likely
impacts of climate change on forest ecosystems, it is important to incorporate
climate change consideration in forest sector long-term planning process.
