FOR CLASS X -GEOGRAPHY Notes on Chapter 2 Forest and wild life resources

CHAPTER  2

FOREST & WILD LIFE RESOURCES

  Our country has 8 per cent of the total number

  of species in the world. (Estimated to be 1.6 million )

     

  Atleast 10 per cent of India’s recorded wild flora

  and 20 per cent of its mammals are on the threatened

       list.

 ‘Critical’ species are that which are on  the verge

  of extinction like the cheetah, mountain quail and

   plants like madhuca insignis.

 Classification of Plants and animal species are 

based on the International Union for Conservation

of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN).

1.   Normal Species population levels are normal
      for their survival, such as cattle, sal, pine,
       rodents, etc.

2.   Endangered Species are in danger of
      extinction . The survival of these species
     is difficult if the negative factors continue to
    operate examples black buck, crocodile, Indian
   wild ass, Indian rhino, etc.

3. Vulnerable Species population has declined they
    are likely to move into the endangered category
   such as blue sheep, Asiatic elephant, Gangetic
   dolphin.

4. Extinct Species are not found after searches
   of areas such as Asiatic cheetah, pink head duck.

5.   Endemic Species are only found in some
     particular areas usually isolated by natural
    or geographical barriers such as the
    Andaman teal, Nicobar pigeon.Andaman wild pig,
    Mithun in Arunachal Pradesh

	Mithun	Andaman teal

                                    Nicobar Pigeon

6. Rare species : Species with small population ,

  which may enter in to either endangered or

   vulnerable  category

 

FACTORS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE LARGE SCALE DEPLETION OF FLORA & FAUNA

1.  The greatest damage done on our forests was during
     the colonialperiod During the colonial period due
     to the expansion of the railways, agriculture,
    commercial and scientific forestry and    

    mining activities our forests and wildlife were
    damaged

2. After Independence : Agricultural expansion is
     one of the major causes of depletion of forest resources

   Between 1951 and  1980, according to the Forest
   Survey of India,over 26,200 sq. km. of forest area
   was converted into agricultural land all over India.
   Major parts of the tribal belts, especially in the
    northeastern and central India, have been deforested
    or degraded by shifting cultivation (jhum), a type of
    ‘slash and burn’ agriculture.

3. Large-scale development projects : Since 1951, over
    5,000 sq km of forest was cleared for river valley

    projects. Clearing of forests is still continuing with

    projects like the Narmada Sagar Project in Madhya

    Pradesh, which would inundate 40,000 hectares
    of forest.

4. Mining activities : Mining is another important factor

    behind deforestation. The Buxa Tiger Reserve

    in West Bengal is seriously threatened by the

    ongoing dolomite mining. It has disturbed the  

    natural habitat of many species and blocked

    the migration route of several others, including

     the great Indian elephant.

5. Over grazing and fuel wood collection : Many

   foresters and environmentalists believe that the

   factor behind the depletion of forest resources is

    grazing and fuel-wood collection .A substantial part

    of the fuel-fodder demand is met by lopping rather

     than by felling entire trees

Factors that have led to the decline in India’s biodiversity.

·        Habitat destruction of plants and animals

·        Hunting &  poaching for commercial purposes,

·        Over-exploitation,

·        environmental pollution,& poisoning  

          caused by industrial activities

·        forest fires

Other important causes of environmental destruction are

·        unequal access and inequitable consumption of resources

·        disparity in  sharing of responsibility for environmental
         well-being.

     ·        Over-population in third world countries is often cited as
         the cause of environmental degradation.

·        Rich and developed countries consume more

        resources and create more wastes than poor

        and less developed countries

The destruction of forests and wildlife is not just a biological issue, but also a cultural issue .justify the statement

     1.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. 

    2.Within the poor, women are affected more

        than men

3.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.

4.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

5 The indirect impact of degradation such as severe

  drought or deforestation-induced floods, etc.

  also hits the poor the hardest.

6.Poverty in these cases is a  direct outcome of
  environmental  destruction.

    Conservation of Forest and Wildlife in India

Why conservation of forest and wildlife  necessary in India

         i.Conservation preserves the ecological diversity
         and our life support systems – water, 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 crop varieties.

   iii.Fisheries too are heavily dependent on the

        maintenance of aquatic biodiversity.

Main measures taken to conserve forests and wildlife in India.

       i.The Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act was
          implemented in 1972, with various provisions
          for protecting habitats.

      ii.An all-India list of protected species was
          also published.

   iii. For protecting the remaining population

       of certain endangered species following steps

       were taken:

        a.         Banning hunting,

        b.         Giving legal protection to their habitats,

        c.         Restricting trade in wildlife.

    iv.Subsequently, central and many state governments
        established national parks and wildlife sanctuaries.

       v.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.

    vi.  Now the focus is on the conservation of

         biodiversity. For example, even insects

         and plants are have been added to the list

         of protected species.

 vii.     Setting up of Biosphere reserves.