Forests precede mankind; deserts follow. Article 48A of the Constitution of India provides that the State shall endeavour to protect and improve the environment and safeguard the forests and wildlife of the country. But laws are never respected nor enforced in India. India is losing its forests at 3.7 million acres a year, and the actual loss is estimated to be about eight times the rate indicated by government statistics. The statement that actual forest loss is 'about eight times' the official figure mainly suggests that: