Chapter - 2
" Forest and Wildlife Resources "
️❇️ Biodiversity :-
🔹Biodiversity refers to the variety of closely related and interdependent plants and animals.
❇️️ Natural Vegetation :-
🔹Natural vegetation means that naturally growing and growing plant groups like forest, grass, land etc. are its types. It is also known as intact vegetation.
❇️ Indigenous plant species :-
🔹Endemic Plants – The intact (natural) vegetation which is purely Indian. It is also called indigenous plant species.
❇️️ Ecosystem :-
🔹The plants and animals of an area are interdependent and interconnected in their physical environment. This is what makes an ecosystem. Human beings are also a major part of this system.
❇️️ Wildlife :-
🔹Forest animals that live in their natural environment.
❇️️ Flora and Fauna :-
🔹Flora :- Plants of a particular region or period.
🔹Fauna:- Species of animals.
❇️️ Flora and Fauna in India :-
🔹India is very rich in its flora (flora). About 47000 plant species and about 15,000 flower species are endemic in India.
🔹India is also very rich in its fauna. There are more than 81000 animal / animal species here. There are more than 1200 species of birds and more than 2500 species of fish. About 60,000 species of insects and moths are also found here.
❇️️ Endangered species in India which are in critical condition :-
🔹Cheetah, pink-headed duck, mountain cuckoo and wild-spotted owl and Madhuca insignis (wild variety of Mahua) and Hubbardiya heptaneuron (grass species) etc.
❇️ Species facing the threat of extinction :-
🔹In India, 79 species of mammals, 44 species of birds, 15 species of reptiles and 3 species of aquatics are facing the threat of extinction. About 1500 plant species are also in danger of extinction.
❇️️ Species Classification :-
🔹According to the International Union for Conservation of Natural and Natural Resources Conservation (IUCN), they can be divided into the following categories:-
🔹Common Species : - These are the species whose numbers are considered normal for survival, such as: - Animals, Sal, Pine and Rodents etc.
🔹Extinct Species: - These are the species which have been found absent after searching in their habitats. Eg :- Asiatic Cheetah, Pink-headed.
🔹Subhedh castes: - These are those castes, whose numbers have been dense. Due to the unfavorable conditions due to which their numbers are not changed, if the circumstances affecting their numbers are not changed and their number keeps on decreasing, then it will be included in the category of endangered species. Eg :- Blue sheep, Asian elephant, Ganges river etc.
🔹Threatened Species : - These are the species which are in danger of extinction. Due to the unfavorable conditions due to which their numbers have decreased, if they continue, then it is difficult for these species to survive. Eg:- Blackbuck, Crocodile, Sangai etc.
🔹Rare Species : - The number of these species is very less or vulnerable and if the adverse conditions affecting them do not change then it can come in the category of endangered species.
🔹Endemic Species : The Andamanian teal, Nicobarese pigeon, Andamanese wild boar and the mithun of Arunachal are examples of these species.
❇️️ Reasons for the decline of flora and fauna :-
🔹Expansion in agriculture: - According to the data of Forest Survey of India, between 1951 and 1980, more than 262,00 sq km of forest area was converted into agricultural land. Shifting cultivation or 'slash and burn' farming has led to deforestation or degradation in most of the tribal areas, especially in Northeast and Central India.
🔹Culture Plantation:- When plantation of plants of any one species of commercial importance is done, it is called culture plantation. In many parts of India, enrichment plantations were carried out to promote selected species. This led to the extinction of other species.
🔹Development Projects:- Many development projects of large scale were materialized since independence. Due to this the forests had to face heavy damage. Since 1952 till date, more than 5,000 sq km of forests have been wiped out due to river valley projects.
🔹Mining :- Mining has caused huge damage to biological diversity in many areas. Example :- Mining of Dolomite in Buxa Tiger Reserve of West Bengal.
🔹Unequal distribution of resources:- There is unequal distribution of resources between rich and poor. Due to this rich people exploit the resources and cause more damage to the environment.
❇️ Himalayan Yav: -
🔹Himalayan yew (pine type evergreen tree) is a medicinal plant found in many areas of Himachal Pradesh and Arunachal Pradesh.
❇️ Usage :-
- A chemical called tuxol is extracted from the bark, leaves, twigs and roots of the tree.
- It is used for the treatment of cancer diseases.
❇️ Disadvantages :-
🔹Thousands of yew trees have dried up in different areas in Himachal Pradesh and Arunachal Pradesh.
❇️️ Social Effects of Depleting Resources :-
🔹Due to the scarcity of resources, there are adverse effects on the society. Women are more burdened to collect some things; Like fuel, fodder, drinking water and other basic things.
🔹Due to lack of these resources, women have to work more. In some villages, women have to walk several kilometers to fetch drinking water.
🔹Due to deforestation, natural calamities like floods and droughts increase due to which the poor suffer a lot.
❇️ Indian Wildlife (Conservation) Act 1972: -
🔹In the 1960s and 1970s, environmental protectors called for new laws to protect wildlife. Accepting their demands, the government implemented the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972.
❇️ Purpose :-
- A pan-India list of protected species was prepared under this act.
- The hunting of the remaining endangered species was banned.
- Trade in wildlife was banned.
- Legal protection was provided to the habitat of wildlife.
- Many central governments and many state governments have established national parks and wildlife sanctuaries.
- Many projects were started for the protection of certain animals, such as Project Tiger.
❇️ Benefits of Protection :-
🔹Conservation has many benefits. This can save the diversity of the ecosystem. It also preserves the basic things (water, air, soil) necessary for our life.
❇️️ Classification of forests by Forest Department :-
🔹Reserved Forest: - More than half of the forest area in the country has been declared as Reserved Forest. As far as the protection of forests and wild animals is concerned, reserve forests are considered to be the most valuable.
🔹Protected Forest: - According to the Forest Department, one-third of the total forest area of the country is protected. To prevent further destruction of these forests, they are protected.
🔹Unclassified Forests:- All other types of forests and wastelands which are owned by the government, individuals and communities are called unclassified forests.
❇️️ Measures to control unreasonable loss of wildlife :-
- Wildlife Protection Act, effective by the government.
- The Government of India has created about fourteen bio-environments (bio-conservation sites) for animal and plant species.
- Since 1992, the Government of India has given financial and technical assistance to many botanical gardens.
- Tiger Project, Rhinoceros Project, Great Indian Bursted Project and many other eco-developmental projects have been started.
- 89 National Parks, 490 Wildlife Sanctuaries and Zoological Parks have been created.
- Apart from all this, it is very important for all of us to understand the importance of our natural ecosystem for our survival.
❇️ Chip movement: -
🔹There was an environmental protection movement. This was done by the farmers in the Indian state of Uttarakhand to oppose the felling of trees. This movement started in the year 1970 in Chamoli district of the then Uttar Pradesh.
❇️️ Project Tiger :-
🔹Project Tiger was started in 1973 to save tigers from extinction.
🔹The total population of tigers at the beginning of the twentieth century was 55,000, which decreased to 1,827 in 1973.
❇️️ Threats to tiger population :-
- hunting for business
- collapsible housing
- Decreasing number of wild subspecies needed for food, etc.
❇️ Important Tiger Reserve :-
🔹Corbett National Park in Uttarakhand, Sunderbans National Park in West Bengal, Bandhavgarh National Park in Madhya Pradesh, Sariska Wildlife Sanctuary in Rajasthan, Manas Tiger Reserve in Assam and Periyar Tiger Reserve in Kerala are examples of tiger conservation projects in India.
