India Physical Environment Chapter 5 Natural Vegetation

It refers to natural vegetation growing in a particular area.

A National park is an area which is strictly reserved for the protection of the wildlife and where activities such as forestry, grazing or cultivation are not allowed. 

Two sites are:
(i)Chilika Lake (Orissa)
(ii) Keoladeo National Park (Bharatpur) 

The montane vegetation in peninsular India is found on :

(i)The Western Ghats

(ii)The Vindhyas

(iii)The Nilgiris.

The forest policy aimed at :

The two forms of tropical deciduous forests are:
(i)The Moist deciduous forests

(ii)Dry deciduous forest
The Moist deciduous forests -

(a)These are more pronounced in the regions which record rainfall between 100-200 cm.
(b)These forests are found in the northeastern states along the foothills of Himalayas, eastern slopes of the Western Ghats and Orissa. 

(c)Teak, sal, shisham, hurra, mahua, amla, semul, kusum, and sandalwood etc. are the main species of these forests.

(ii) This vegetation belongs to exotic species of plants.

(iii) Lantana belongs to the same category.

(ii) Poachers and herdsmen should not be allowed to enter the forests.

(iii) More national parks and wildlife sanctuaries should be established.

(iv) Captive breeding of wildlife should be encouraged.

(v) Seminars, workshops, exhibitions etc. should be organised to highlight the importance of the protection of wild life to the public.

(vi) Adequate medical facilities should be provided to the wildlife.

(vii) Proper conditions should be created for the living and breeding.

1. These forests are found in the deltaic regions.

2. The trees grown here are able to survive in both fresh and saline waters.

3. Mangrove are the common varieties with roots of the plants submerged under water E.g. Sundari trees in Sunderbans.

4. Apart from sundari trees, palm, coconut, keora, agar, screw pine and amor are also found in tidal forests.

The major objectives of  biosphere reserve are to: 
(i)conserve and maintain diversity and integrity of the natural heritage in its full form i.e. physical environment, the flora and the fauna
(i)promote research on ecological conservation and other aspects of environmental at preservation
(ii)provide facilities for education, awareness and explaining.  

1. Forests provide many things to meet our food requirements like fruits, nuts, berries etc.

2. Forests are the source of timber for house building, furniture-making, ship-building etc.

3. Forests supply about 40% of fuel of the world. Wood has been the major source of fuel in houses, smelting industries and running locomotive.

Any attempt to tamper with eco-system results in grave risks for human as well as animals and vegetation cover because :

1.  The vegetation is the main source of providing food for man and animals.

2. The animals and natural resources are also helpful for healing their environment. So their should be no unchecked activities in all these sectors, otherwise diseases will spread.

2.  It is a hot region. So the loss of moisture is great due to transpiration. Trees have needle-shaped thorns which prevent loss of moisture.

1. They prevent the growth of economic plants.

2. They reduce the useful land cover.

3. They have become a hazard for public health as they indirectly spread some of the diseases. Lantana and Water Hyacinth are two examples of such exotic plants.

1. Reckless cutting of the forests should be stopped.

2. The substitutes of timber should be found out to reduce pressure on forests.

3. Social forestry and farm forestry should be introduced to fulfil the basic needs of fuel and fodder of the people.

4. Trees should be planted where land is unsuitable for agriculture and where forests have been removed.

1. Dense growth of vegetation causes difficulty of accessibility, number of species is very large. There is a lack of pure strands.

2. High temperature and heavy rainfall makes conditions unsuitable for their accessbility.

1. The tropical evergreen or rain forests.

2. Deciduous or monsoon forests.

3. Thorny and scurb forests.

4. Desert vegetation.

5. Mountain forests.

6. Tidal forests.

2. Take your camera with you without fail.

3. Dress in khaki, brown or olive green to blend with the scenery.

4. Guard against air, soil and water pollution and damage to flora and fauna.

5. Always hire a good and experienced guide to take you around.

Don’ts : Donot always expect to see big animals or huge birds. Smaller animals and birds are also interesting.

2. During the dry season the trees in these forests shed their leaves. These forests have teak, shisham, sal, rose-wood as well as thick undergrowth of shrubs and bamboo.

3. These forests are also economically very significant for India.

Tropical evergreen forests in our country are found mainly in the rainy tracts of the Sahyadris and the hill regions of the Shillong plateau.

1. Flora are the autotrophs i.e. producer of thier food themselves while fauna are heterotrophs i.e. getting their food directly or indirectly from autotrophs. If we say that a lion eats flesh, we should go further in depth and see that the prey animal i.e. deer, sheep etc. that eat grass i.e. flora.

2. Food webs and food chains make the inter-relations between the flora and fauna.

3. The highest class of mammals i.e. human beings get cradle at birth and pyre on their death from the flora.

4. Flora provides food to all living organisms while fauna provides nutrients to the soil from its waste and decay.

5. Changes can be seen in the life pattern of fauna in accordance to the changes in flora i.e. the vegetation zones. For an instance, we see animals with heavy coat of hair and fur in the temperate zone i.e. in high altitudes of the Himalayan region. Their eating habits are also accustomed with the available grass there.

The National Commission on Agriculture has classified social forestry into three categories.

Fig. 5.3

The vegetation type in the Himalayas varies according to the height from the sea level.

1. Tropical Deciduous : These occur upto 1000 m or in the foothill regions of the Siwalik ranges.

2. Temperate Evergreen : These occur upto 2000 metres height.

3. Broad-leafed Evergreen : Upto 3000 metres.

4. Coniferous : Upto 3500 metres.

5. Alpine, meadows, with short grasses, shrubs and lowering plants and rhododendrons are found beyond 3,500 m to snowline.

The distribution pattern is not purely uniform, however, it varies to a great extent in eastern and western zones. 88°E longitude is the line of demarcation between the eastern Himalayas and the western Himalayas.

1. The Tropical Evergreen and Semi Evergreen Forests : These forests are found on the western slopes of Western Ghats, Assam, Meghalaya along with other adjoining states of north-east India. They thrive in areas with more .than 200 cm rainfall. A large varieties of trees reaching upto a height of 60 m are found here. Trees such as Mahogany, Camphor, Rosewood etc. are grown.

2. The Tropical Deciduous Forests or Monsoon Forests : These forests are the most dominant or widespread vegetation type in India. Such forests are found on the foothills of Himalayas and many parts of the peninsular plateau. During the dry season the trees in these forests shed their leaves. These forests have teak, shisham, sal, rosewood as well as thick undergrowth of shrubs and bamboos. These forests are also economically very significant for India.

3. The Thorn or Desert Forests : These forests occur in areas which have less than 75 cm rainfall annually. They are found in the interior parts of the Deccan Plateau, in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka as well as in Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Gujarat. The commonly found trees in these forests are short, stunted and scattered. Besides Acacia (Babul) and cactus trees, different shrubs and grasses are commonly grown in between these trees.

4. The Tidal Forests : In the tidal areas along the deltas especially the Sundarbans in Bengal, a special type of tropical tree known as ‘Sundari’ or mangroves grows up. The Sundarbans are the home to Bengal tigers.

5. The Himalayan Vegetation : In the Himalayan region the elevation of the hills play the main role in affecting the vegetation and as such they differ accordingly. In the foothills of the Himalayas, tropical deciduous forests occur. Above the tropical deciduous forest zone, there is the zone of mid-latitude and up to 3,500 metres where occurs coniferous forests consisting of pine, fir and other such trees. In fact, the altitudinal limits of different types of forests in the Himalayas widely differ depending upon the exposure of slopes, to winds and the sun.

Fig. 5.4

The time and period of life varies from plant to plant. It may be a few weeks to thousands of years. Some plants renew themselves very slowly, whereas some very fast. The growth of plants shows very close relationship with the natural environment. Supply of water, temperature, the duration of sunlight, soil, slope and drainage features are the major factors affecting the growth of various types of vegetation. These controls characterise a life cycle which represents its delicate balance with its environment. Therefore in studying vegetation type, we concern ourselves with dominent species, appearance, adaptation, their mutual association and stages of growth to reach a climate, that is their optimum development as a community beyond which they do not develop, but remain stable.

1. Tropical Rain Forests : These forests are found in the areas where rainfall is more than 200 cm. These forests are found in Western Ghats, plains of West Bengal, Orissa, Eastern Himalayas and Andaman Islands. The height of trees reaches upto 60 m.

Economic Importance : The trees are of rubber, mahogani, iron wood, rosewood and bamboos etc. These are used in manufacturing railway sleepers, house-building and ship-building.

2. Monsoon or Tropical Deciduouos Forests : These forests are found in areas where rainfall is between 100 to 200 cm. They shed their leaves so these are called deciduous forests. These forests are found in Tarai region, Chottanagpur plateau, eastern slopes of Western Ghats and eastern parts of peninsular India. These are not dense forests.

These forests are the true monsoon forests. These form the natural cover all over India. These are of two types : (i) moist, (ii) dry. Teak is the important species of moist deciduous and is found in Chottanagpur plateau. Sal is a tree of dry deciduous found over peninsular India.

Economic Importance : These forests include the trees of Sal, Teak, Sandal, Arjun, Mahua, Mango and Semul. Sal is useful for railway sleeper and coaches. Teak is used for furniture and house building. Many industries and handicrafts depend on these trees such as matchboxes, toys, packing cases, tanning leather and paper.

3. The Desert or Thorn Forests : These forests occur where annual rainfall is less than 75 cm. These are found in eastern Rajasthan, Saurashtra, Malwa plateau (M.R), southern Haryana, south-west Uttar Pradesh and Karnataka plateau. These trees are scattered and have long roots, thick bark.

These gradually merge into scrubs and thorny bushes. These form the typical desert vegetation.

Economic Importance : These forests include Babul, Kikar, Khair and Haldu. These are hard wood trees and used in agriculture and making of furniture, carts and charcoal.

4. The Tidal Forests : These forests are found in deltas of rivers in coastal areas. These are called Tidal forests or Deltaic forests. These forests are found in Ganga-Brahmaputra Delta and Deltas of Mahanadi, Godawari, Krishna and Kaveri. These are marshy areas. In Ganga-Brahmaputra delta, these forests are called Sunderbans because Sundari tree is found in this area.

Economic Importance : Sundari, Mangrove and others trees are used for boat building, making boxes and house building.

5. The Mountain Forests : The forests are found on the southern slopes of the Himalayas from Kashmir to Assam. Mixed deciduous and coniferous forests are found here. But in eastern Himalayas, evergreen forests are found as there is heavy rainfall and high temperature.

(i) Tropical moist deciduous forests of sal are found upto a height of 1200 metres in foothills.

(ii) Temperate forests of oak, chestnut and pine trees are found upto a height of 2000 metres.

(iii) Coniferous forests are found upto a height of 3300 m. These include Spruce, Deodar, Pine, Birch, Silverfir, etc.

(iv) Alpine pastures are found beyond 3600 metre where pastoral tribes like Gujjars graze their sheep on short grasses.

Steps have been taken for the protection and conservation for the great biological diversity of our land. Under this scheme, the first bio-reserve was set up in the Nilgiri. It consists of 5500 km and is spread at the trijunction of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala. There are thirteen such zones to be reserved as such. The country has 89 national parks, 482 wildlife sanctuaries, covering 15.6 million hectare areas. Conservation of wildlife is essential in order to (i) protect the endangered species of birds and animals and (ii) maintain the ecological balance.

Steps have been taken for the protection and conservation of the great biological diversity of our land. Under this scheme, the first bio-reserve has been set-up in the Nilgiris. It consists of 5500 km area and is spread at the tri-junction of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala states. There are thirteen such zones to be under such programme. The country has 89 national parks, 49 wildlife sanctuaries, 35 zoological gardens covering 1,30,000 sq. km area. Conservation of wildlife is essential in order to protect the endangered species of birds and animals as also to maintain the ecological balance. Government of India has so far set up thirteen biosphere reserves.

Institutional efforts so far made :

(i) Thirteen biosphere reserves have been set-up in various parts of India and wild animals and birds are kept in their natural habitats. Nilgiri at the tri-junction of three-states (i.e. Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu) and Nanda Devi in Uttaranchal are some such biosphere reserves. India has so far 89 National Parks, 49 Wildlife Sanctuaries, 35 Zoological gardens setup to protet and preserve the wildlife.

(ii) Periodic censuses are being taken in order to find out the latest position of some rare species so that they can be preserved for our future generations. Tigers and Rhinoceros are some endangered species of wildlife in India.

(iii) Financial and technical assistance is provided to many Botanical Gardens by the Government since 1992.

(iv) Project Tiger, Project Rhino, Project Great Indian Bustard and several other eco-developmental projects have been introduced. Twenty five tiger reserves have been set up in different parts of India.

(v) The killing of wildlife has been banned by the Government. Special forest officers have been appointed and conferred with power to arrest the poachers.

Chipko Movement is a movement launched by the people to conserve the forests. It creates awareness and encourages active participation of masses in tribal areas.

Social forestry and farm forestry are such steps taken by the people. The protection of wildlife has a long tradition in India. Many stories of Panchatantra indicate the people's participation in the conservation of wildlife.

Guidelines :

(i) Kaziranga National Park is in Assam.

(ii) Valley of flowers is in the hills of Uttaranchal.

(iii) Nilgiri Bio-reserve is spread at the trijunction of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala.

(iv) Areas covered with black soils are those of Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh etc.

(v) Tidal forests are found in Ganga-Brahmaputra delta in West Bengal.

B.

Deciduous forests

C.

to protect tigers from illegal hunting.

C.

Uttarakhand

1. Forests provide many things to meet our food requirements like fruits, nuts, berries etc.

2. Forests are the source of timber for house building, furniture-making, ship-building etc.

3. Forests supply about 40% of fuel of the world. Wood has been the major source of fuel in houses, smelting industries and running locomotive.

1. These forests are found on the western slopes of Western Ghats, Assam, Meghalaya along with other adjoining states of north-east India.
2. They thrive in areas with more .than 200 cm rainfall.
3. A large varieties of trees reaching upto a height of 60 m are found here.
4. Trees such as Mahogany, Camphor, Rosewood etc. are grown.

1.  These forests are the most dominant or widespread vegetation type in India.
2. Such forests are found on the foothills of Himalayas and many parts of the peninsular plateau.
3. During
4. the dry season the trees in these forests shed their leaves. These forests have teak, shisham, sal, rosewood as well as thick undergrowth of shrubs and bamboos.
5. These forests are also economically very significant for India.

2. It is a hot region. So the loss of moisture is great due to transpiration. Trees have needle-shaped thorns which prevent loss of moisture.

1. The tropical evergreen or rain forests.

2. Deciduous or monsoon forests.

3. Thorny and scurb forests.

4. Desert vegetation.

5. Mountain forests.

6. Tidal forests.