FSI Halts AI-Based Anavaran Deforestation Alert System

The Forest Survey of India (FSI), the central agency responsible for monitoring the country’s forest resources, has stopped issuing fortnightly deforestation alerts through its AI-based Anavaran portal. The system, which provided near-real-time alerts on forest cover loss using satellite data and machine learning, has not been updated since November 2025. Active monitoring through the portal reportedly ceased in January 2026, halting the regular alerts that were previously sent to states every 15 days for targeted field inspections.

Anavaran System and Its Objectives

The Anavaran-Deforestation Alert System was operational from January 2024 and used satellite imagery and advanced algorithms to detect changes in forest cover. The portal analysed before-and-after images to identify new patches of deforestation and sent precise location alerts to state forest departments. The system relied on Google Earth Engine for data processing and was designed to strengthen real-time monitoring of deforestation across India. Despite its operational use for nearly two years, officials say the portal functioned only as a pilot project and its effectiveness is currently under review.

Technology Behind the Monitoring Platform

The alert system combined multiple satellite data sources for accurate monitoring. Sentinel-2 optical satellite imagery served as the primary input for detecting forest cover changes. For monitoring during cloudy or monsoon periods, the system integrated Sentinel-1 Synthetic Aperture Radar data. The algorithm used historical seasonal reference data to detect deviations in vegetation patterns and flag potential deforestation events. This approach enabled alerts to be generated at a high spatial resolution ranging from 10 to 20 metres.

Alert Data and State-Level Observations

Records from the portal indicate that between January 2024 and October 2025, the FSI issued 12,351 deforestation alerts, averaging around 561 alerts per month. The number increased significantly during the November to March period, when human-driven deforestation activities typically peak due to favourable weather conditions. States such as Punjab, Andhra Pradesh and Arunachal Pradesh recorded the highest number of alerts, followed by Nagaland, Manipur, Uttarakhand, Assam and Tripura. Several state forest departments confirmed that they stopped receiving alerts after December 2025.

Important Facts for Exams

• The Forest Survey of India (FSI) functions under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.
• Anavaran was an AI-based deforestation monitoring system using satellite imagery and machine learning.
• Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2 satellites of the European Space Agency provide key Earth observation data used in environmental monitoring.
• FSI also operates the Van Agni portal for near-real-time monitoring of forest fires in India.

Global Context and Future Prospects

Experts have described the Anavaran system as India’s advanced step in satellite-based forest monitoring. Similar systems exist in Latin America, such as the Terra-I deforestation monitoring platform that provides periodic alerts using remote sensing data. Compared with Terra-I’s 250-metre spatial resolution, Anavaran used higher-resolution satellite imagery for more detailed monitoring. Officials and forest experts believe that with further refinement and feedback from states, such technology-driven platforms could play a critical role in strengthening forest conservation and early detection of deforestation activities in India.