Kathmandu, April 25 -- While the forest area of Nepal increased by 1.7 percent, the agricultural land shrunk by 2.1 percent with the expansion in built-up area from 2000 to 2019, according to the latest data released by the Forest Research and Training Centre (FRTC), a government body under the Ministry of Forests and Environment.

The National Landcover Monitoring System (NLCMS), a web-based application, developed with support from SERVIR-HKH, a joint initiative of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) uses maps and photos taken by satellites to monitor geography.

"ICIMOD had alread...