FOREST AND WILDLIFE RESOURCES
Q1. In what ways the forests were harmed by the colonial government ?
Ans. (1) For expansion of railways.
(2) For expansion of agricultural field.
(3) For expansion of commercial and scientific forestry.
(4) For expansion of milling activities. (Any three)
Q2. What do your know about “Permanent forest estates ? Name the state
which has the largest area under these forest estates.
Ans. Reserved and protected forests are also referred to as “Permanent forest
estates”. These forest states are maintained for the purpose of producing timber and
other forest produce and for protective reasons.
State : Madhya Pradesh (75 %of its total forest area)
Q3. Humans are dependent on the ecological system for their existence.
Explain.
As a part of the ecological system human beings are dependent on it for their
existence. For example :
(1) We breathe in air, we drink water, we grow crops in soil, etc. These are the
non living components of the ecological system.
(2) On the other hand plants, animals and other microorganisms recreate the
quality of these non living components.
Q4. Name any two North Eastern States of India having over 60 percent of
Forests cover. Give two reasons.
States - (i) Arunachal Pradesh (ii) Manipur
Reasons : (1) There is an abundance of rainfall in N.E. States. (2) The hilly terrain of
these states protects the forests from human exploitation.
1 “India is one of the world’s richest countries in terms of its vast array of
biological diversity” Support the statement with three facts.
Ans Three facts are
I)India has about 8% of the total number species of plants and animals of the
world(estimated to be 1.6 million )
ii) Over 81,000 species of fauna and 47,000 species of flora are found in our
country.
iii)Of the estimated 47,000 species of flora 15,000 flowering species are endemic to
India.
2 Attempt the classification of plants and animal species given by International
Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources(IUCN).Give
suitable examples of each.
Ans The different categories of existing plants and animal species based on the
IUCN are as follows
i)NORMAL SPECIES-Species whose population levels are in danger considered to
be normal for their survival such as cattle, sal ,pine, rodents etc
ii) VULNERABLE SPECIES-Species whose population has declined to levels from
where it is likely to move into the endangered category in the near future if the
negative factors continue to operate such as Blue sheep, Asiatic elephant, Gangetic
dolphin.
iii)ENDANGERED SPECIES-Species which are in danger of extinction. The survival
of such species is difficult if the negative factors that have led to a decline in their
population continue to operate. The examples are black buck ,crocodile Indian wild
ass, sangai etc
iv) RARE SPECIES- Species with small population may move into the endangered
or vulnerable category if the negative factors effecting them continue to operate. The
examples are Himalayan brown bear, wild Asiatic buffalo, desert fox and hornbill.
v)ENDEMIC SPECIES-These are species which are only found in some particular
areas usually isolated by natural or geographical barriers such as Andaman teal,
Nicobar pigeon, Andaman wild pig, Mithun in Arunachal Pradesh
vi) EXTINCT SPECIES-These are species which are not found after searches of
known or likely areas where they may occur. These species may be extinct from
local area, region ,country, continent or the entire earth. Examples are the Asiatic
cheetah, pink head duck.
3 When was ‘Project tiger’ launched? Write important features of this project.
Ans ‘Project Tiger’ was launched in 1973.
i) There are 27 tiger reserves in India covering an area of 37,761sq km
ii)Tiger conservation has been viewed not only as an effort to save endangered
species but with equal importance as a means of preserving biotypes off sizable
magnitude.
iii)Corbett National Park in Uttaranchal, Sunderban National Park in West
Bengal , Manas Tiger Reserve in Assam are some of the examples of the tiger
reserves in India.
4 Differentiate between –Reserved forests and protected forests
These are maintained for the
These forests are protected from
purpose of producing timber and
depletion
other forest produce
More than half of the total forest
Almost one third of the total forest
land has been declared as
been declared as protected forest
reserved forest
Madhya Pradesh, JammuBihar, Punjab, Haryana, Himachal
Kashmir, Andhra Pradesh,
Pradesh, Orissa, Rajasthan have bulk of their
Uttaranchal, Kerala, Maharashtra, forests under protected forests.
Tamil Nadu and West Bengal have
large under reserved forests.
5 ‘The destruction of forest and wildlife is strongly co-related with the loss of
cultural diversity”. Justify the statement with suitable facts.
Ans. The destruction of forest and wildlife has affected the livelihood of many
communities who are directly dependent on forests. They depend on forest for their
food, medicine, drink, livelihood culture and spirituality. In certain societies women
are involved in fuel collection, fodder for animals and water for their basic needs.
Due to large scale deforestation these forest products are not available to them and
the life of these people, especially women is largely affected.
Women have to go in search of food, water, fuel over long distances leaving their
family for long time resulting in social tensions.
It has also resulted in severe droughts and floods which has affected these
communities very badly. These people live in extreme poverty which is the direct
result of the environmental degradation.
6Why do we need to conserve our forests and wildlife?
Ans i)Conservation preserves the ecology diversity and our life support systemwater, air and soil.
ii)It also preserves the genetic diversity of plants and animals for better growth of
species and breeding. For example, in agriculture we are still dependent on
traditional varieties of crop. Fisheries too are heavily dependent on the maintenance
of acquatic biodiversity.
7Give some examples of flora and fauna conserved by people through their
cultural and religious practices.
Ans. Examples of flora and fauna conserved by people through their cultural and
religious pratices are following
i)The Mundas and Santhals of Chhotanagpur region worship mahua and kadamba
trees
ii)The tribals of Orissa and Bihar worship the tamarind and the mango trees during
weddings.
iii)Other trees like tulsi, peepal and banyan are also considered sacred.
iv) Troops of macaques and langurs around many temples are fed daily and
treated as a part of temple devotees
v) In and around Bishnoi villages in Rajasthan, herds of blackbuck, nilgai and
peacock can be seen as an integral part of the community and nobody harms them.
LONG ANSWER QUESTIONS(5 MARKS)
8Write the steps taken by the government for the conservation of flora and
fauna in India.
Ans The following steps have been taken by the government conservation of flora
and fauna
i)The Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act was enacted in 1972 .An all-India list of
protected species was also published.
Hunting of endangered species was banned and trading in wildlife was
restricted
ii)National parks, Wildlife sanctuaries and Bird sanctuaries were established
iii)Special programmes like ‘Project Tiger’, ‘Project Rhino’ have been taken up to
conserve these species
The central government also announced several projects for protecting specific
animals, which were gravely threatened, including the tiger, the one-horned
rhinoceros, the Kashmir stag or hangul, three types of crocodiles – fresh water
crocodile, saltwater crocodile and the Gharial, the Asiatic lion, and others. Most
recently, the Indian elephant, black buck (chinkara),the great Indian bustard
(godawan) and the snow leopard, etc. have been given full or partial legal protection
against hunting and trade throughout India.
iv)Under Wildlife Act of 1980 and 1986 several hundred butterflies, moths, beetles
have been added to the list of protected species
v) In 1991, for the first time plants were also added to the list , starting with six
species.
9What are the negative factors that cause depletion of flora and fauna in India?
Ans The negative factors responsible for depletion of flora and fauna in India are
i)During the colonial period due to the expansion of the railways, mining
scientific and commercial forestry and agriculture there was a huge loss of the
Indian forests
ii)Even after independence, agricultural expansion continued and between19511980 according to the Forest Survey of India, over 26,200 sq km of forest area was
converted into agricultural land all over India
iii)Substantial parts of the tribal belts, especially in the north- eastern and the central
India, have been deforested by shifting cultivation, a type of ‘slash and burn’
agriculture.
iv) Large scale developmental projects like Narmada Sagar Project of Madhya
Pradesh would inundate 40,000 hectares of forest.
v)Mining is another important factor, mainly the Buxa Tiger Reserve in West Bengal
is seriously threatened by dolomite mining. It has disturbed the natural habitat of
many species and migration route of animals, especially the great Indian Elephant.
vi)Many foresters and environmentalists hold the view that the greatest degrading
factors behind the depletion of forest resources are grazing and fuel wood
collection
9B. Social Effect of Resource Depletion:
In many societies, it is the women who are responsible for collection of fuel, fodder,
water and other basic subsistence needs. Depletion of these resources means
women need to work harder to collect those resources. At some places, women may
have to walk more than 10 km to collect firewood. This causes serious health
problems for women.
Deforestation induced flood and draught result in economic misery for the poor.
Deforestation also leads to loss of cultural diversity. The marginalized people who
had been traditionally dependent on forest for sustenance are now forced to look for
other sources of livelihood. In order to do so, they are uprooted from their traditional
habitat and culture.
10Analyse the various factors responsible for the decline in India’s
biodiversity
Ans The various factors responsible for the decline in India’s biodiversity are
following
i)Habitat destruction ii) Hunting iii)Poaching iv) Over-exploitation
v) Environmental pollution vi) Poisoning vii) Forest fires viii)Unequal access
ix) Inequitable consumption of resources x) Differential sharing of responsibility for
environmental well-being.
For example an average American consumes 40 times more resources than an
average Somalian.
The richest 5% of Indian society probably cause more ecological damage due to
The amount they consume than the poorest 25%.Rich people share minimum
responsibility for environmental well-being.
11 Describe how communities have conserved and protected forest and
wildlife in India?
Ans The communities have conserved forest and wildlife in the following waysi)
In Sariska tiger reserve.Rajasthan , villagers have fought against mining by
citing the Wildlife Protection Act.
ii)The inhabitants of five villages in the Alwar district of Rajasthan have declared
1,200 hectares of forest as the Bhirodev Dakav ‘Sonchuri’declaring their own set
of rules and regulations which do not allow hunting and are protecting the wildlife
against any outside encroachment.
iii) The famous ‘Chipko movement’ in the Himalayas has not only successfully
resisted deforestation in several areas but has also shown that community
afforestation with indigenous species can be enormously successful.
iv) Farmers and citizen’s group like Beej Bachao Andolan inTehri and Navdanya
have shown that adequate levels of diversified crop production without the use of
synthetic chemicals are possible and economically viable
v) The Joint Forest Management(JFM)Programme is a good example of how local
communities were involved in the management and restoration of degraded forests.
The programme has been in formal existence since 1988 when the state of Orissa
passed the first resolution for joint forest management.JFM depends on the
formation of local institutions that undertake protection activities mostly on
degraded forest land managed by forest department. In return the members of these
communities are entitled to intermediary benefits like non timber forest products
and share in the timber harvested by ‘successful protection’.
12.The destruction of forests and wildlife is not just a biological issue, but also
a cultural issue .justify the statement
The loss of biodiversity have increasingly marginalised and impoverished
many indigenous and other forest-dependent communities, who directly depend on
various components of the forest and wildlife for food, drink, medicine, culture,
spirituality, etc.
Within the poor, women are affected more than men
As the biodiversity is depleted, in some places women have to walk for long distance
to collect fuel water, food. This causes serious health problems for
women.
Basic family set up is affected the most as women has less time to look after the
home and children because of the increased hours of work. This also leads to
severe social problems
1.
The indirect impact of degradation such as severe drought or deforestationinduced floods, etc. also hits the poor the hardest.
2.
Poverty in these cases is a direct outcome of environmental destruction.
13. Why conservation of forest and wildlife necessary in India ?
1.
Conservation preserves the ecological diversity and our life support systems –
water, air and soil.
2.
It also preserves the genetic diversity of plants and animals for better growth
of species and breeding. For example, in agriculture, we are still dependent on
traditional crop varieties.
3.
Fisheries too are heavily dependent on the maintenance of aquatic
biodiversity.
Answer the following questions in the class work.
1. Why do we need to conserve our forest and wild life resources? Explain.
2. What has been the contribution of the Indian Wildlife Protection Act in protecting
the habitats in India? Explain.
3. Explain the different categories of forests classified by the forest department.
4. Explain the importance of Bio Diversity for human beings.
5. Explain any three adverse effects of the destruction of forests and wildlife.
6 .Map work-Political map of India.
1. Major areas of permanent, reserved and protected forests
2. Locate and label the following in the Political Map of India. Corbett National
Park(Uttarkhand), Sunderban National Park (West Bengal),
Bandhavgarh(Madhya Pradesh), Sariska Wild life Sanctuary (Rajastan), Manas
Tiger Reserve (Assam), Periyar Tiger Reserve(Kerala).