Contemporary India Chapter 2 Forest And Wildlife Resources

C.

Grazing and fuel wood collection

D.

Biodiversity is a combination of two words —Bio and diversity. Bio means life and diversity means variety. Thus Biodiversity is the number and variety of organisms found within a specified region.
It refers to varieties of plants (trees), animals and micro-organisms.

Biodiversity is immensely rich in wildlife and cultivated species, diverse in form and function but closely integrated in a system through multiple network of interdependencies.

If you look around, you will be able to find out how we have transformed nature into a resource obtaining directly and indirectly from the forests and wildlife – wood, barks, leaves, rubber, medicines, dyes, food, fuel, fodder, manure, etc. So it is we ourselves who have depleted our forests and wildlife.

The greatest damage inflicted on Indian forests was during the colonial period due to the expansion of the railways, agriculture, commercial and scientific forestry and mining activities.

Even after Independence, agricultural expansion continues to be one of the major causes of depletion of forest resources. Substantial 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. Large-scale development projects have also contributed significantly to the loss of forests.

Conservation strategies are not new in our country.

(i)Nature worship is an age old tribal belief based on the premise that all creations of nature have to be protected. Such beliefs have preserved several virgin forests in pristine form called Sacred Groves (the forests of God and Goddesses).

(ii)These patches of forest or parts of large forests have been left untouched by the local people and any interference with them is banned. Certain societies revere a particular tree which they have preserved from time immemorial.

(iii)The Mundas and the Santhal of Chhota Nagpur region worship mahua (Bassia latifolia) and kadamba (Anthocaphalus cadamba) trees, and the tribals of Orissa and Bihar worship the tamarind (Tamarindus indica) and mango (Mangifera indica) trees during weddings.


(iv)To many of us, peepal and banyan trees are considered sacred. Indian society comprises several cultures, each with its own set of traditional methods of conserving nature and its creations. Sacred qualities are often ascribed to springs, mountain peaks, plants and animals which are closely protected.

(v)We would find troops of macaques and langurs around many temples. They are fed daily and treated as a part of temple devotees. In and around Bishnoi villages in Rajasthan, herds of blackbuck, (chinkara), nilgai and peacocks can be seen as an integral part of the community and nobody harms them.

C.

In 1952

A.

In 1973

A.

15,000

B.

47,000

C.

1500

A.

C.

Flora

B.

Fauna

B.

Gangetic dolphin

B.

8%

B.

A.

Rodents

A.

Normal species

B.

Extinct species

B.

Vulnearble species

D.

Endangered species

A.

Demarcation of wildlife sanctuaries

A.

lion tailed macaque

A.

Assam and Kerala

B.

About 86.9%

D.

Madhya Pradesh

A.

Delhi

B.

Punjab

D.

Indian Rhinoceros

C.

Peacock

C.

20%

C.

Thorny

B.

Assam

B.

Rare

A.

Royal Bengal Tiger

C.

West Bengal

C.

Meghalaya

B.

39

A.

A.

Evergreen

D.

Forest conservation

B.

All northern-eastern states and parts of Gujarat

C.

A.

Habitat destruction

B.

Hunting and poaching

C.

Over exploitation of forests

D.

Forest fire

A.

Protecting the remaining population of certain endangered species by banning hunting

B.

C.

To restrict trade in wildlife

D.

Uttarkhand

D.

Kerala

C.

Endemic

C.

Hornbill

D.

species which are not found

B.

Endemic

B.

West Bengal

C.

Sunderban

A.

Nicobar pigeon

D.

33%

C.

Project Tiger

Flora and Fauna in India:

(i)In fact, India is one of the world’s richest countries in terms of its vast array of biological diversity, and has nearly 8 per cent of the total number of species in the world, estimated to be 1.6 million. This is possibly twice or thrice the number yet to be discovered.

(ii)Over 81,000 species of fauna and 47,000 species of flora are found in India so far. Of the estimated 47,000 plant species, about 15,000 flowering species are endemic (indigenous) to India.

(iii)Some estimates suggest that at least 10 per cent of India’s recorded wild flora and 20 per cent of its mammals are on the threatened list.

(iv)Many of these would now be categorised as ‘critical’, that is on the verge of extinction like the cheetah, pink-headed duck, mountain quail, forest spotted owlet, and plants like madhuca insignis (a wild variety of mahua) and hubbardia heptaneuron,(a species of grass). 

(v)Among the larger animals in India, 79 species of mammals, 44 of birds, 15 of reptiles, and 3 of amphibians are threatened. Nearly 1,500 plant species are considered endangered. Flowering plants and vertebrate animals have recently become extinct at a rate estimated to be 50 to 100 times the average expected natural rate.

Conservation of wildlife in India:

(i)The Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act was implemented in 1972, with various provisions for protecting habitats. An all-India list of protected species was also published.

(ii)The thrust of the programme was towards protecting the remaining population of certain endangered species by banning hunting, giving legal protection to their habitats, and restricting trade in wildlife.

(iii)Subsequently, central and many state governments established national parks and wildlife sanctuaries about which you have already studied.

(iv)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.

(v)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.

Project tiger:

(i)Tiger is one of the key wildlife species in the faunal web. In 1973, the authorities realised that the tiger population had dwindled to 1,827 from an estimated 55,000 at the turn of the century.

(ii)The major threats to tiger population are numerous, such as poaching for trade, shrinking habitat, depletion of prey base species, growing human population, etc.

(iii)The trade of tiger skins and the use of their bones in traditional medicines, especially in the Asian countries left the tiger population on the verge of extinction. Since India and Nepal provide habitat to about two-thirds of the surviving tiger population in the world, these two nations became prime targets for poaching and illegal trading.

(iv)“Project Tiger”, one of the wellpublicised wildlife campaigns in the world, was launched in 1973. Initially, it showed success as the tiger population went up to 4,002 in 1985 and 4,334 in 1989. But in 1993, the population of the tiger had dropped to 3,600.

(v)There are 27 tiger reserves in India covering an area of 37,761 sq km Tiger conservation has been viewed not only as an effort to save an endangered species, but with equal importance as a means of preserving biotypes of sizeable magnitude.

Within the poor, women are affected more than men.

(i)In many societies, women bear the major responsibility of collection of fuel, fodder, water and other basic subsistence needs.

(ii)As these resources are depleted, the drudgery of women increases and sometimes they have to walk for more than 10 km to collect these resources.

(ii)This causes serious health problems for women and negligence of home and children because of the increased hours of work, which often has serious social implications.

The major threats to tiger population are numerous, such as:

(i)poaching for trade 

(ii)shrinking habitat 

(iii)depletion of prey base species 

(iv)growing human population

The factors that led to the decline in India's biodiversity are:

(i) Habitate destruction

(ii) Hunting

(iii) Poaching 

(iv) Over exploitation 

(v) Environmental Pollution 

(vi) Poisoning 

(vii) Forest Fires

Forests are classified under the following categories:

(i) Reserved Forests: More than half of the total forest land has been declared reserved forests. Reserved forests are regarded as the most valuable as far as the conservation of forest and wildlife resources are concerned.

(ii) Protected Forests: Almost one-third of the total forest area is protected forest, as declared by the Forest Department. This forest land are protected from any further depletion.

(iii) Unclassed Forests : These are other forests and wastelands belonging to both government and private individuals and communities.

Based on the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN), we can classify the species as follows:

(i) Normal species: Species whose population levels are considered to be normal for their survival, such as cattle, sal, pine, rodents, etc.

(ii) Endangered species: These are 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 of such species are black buck, crocodile, Indian wild ass, Indian rhino, lion tailed macaque, etc.

(iii) Vulnerable species: These are species whose population have 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. The examples of such species are blue sheep, Asiatic elephant, Gangetic dolphin, etc.

(iv) Rare species: Species with small population may move into the endangered or vulnerable category if the negative factors affecting them continue to operate. The examples of such species are the Himalayan brown bear, wild Asiatic buffalo, desert fox and hornbill, etc.

(v) Endemic species: These are species which are only found in some particular areas usually isolated by natural or geographical barriers. The examples of such species are the Andaman teal, Nicobar pigeon, Andaman wild pig, etc.

(vi) Extinct species: These are the species which are not found after searches of known or likely areas where they may occur. A species may be extinct from a local area, region, country, continent or the whole earth. The examples of such species are the Asiatic cheetah, pink head duck, etc.

20%

extinct

Joint Forest Management

The destruction of forests and wildlife is not just a biological issue: 

(i)The biological loss is strongly correlated with the loss of cultural diversity.

(ii)Such losses 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.

(iii)In many societies, women bear the major responsibility of collection of fuel, fodder, water and other basic subsistence needs.

(iv)As these resources are depleted, the drudgery of women increases and sometimes they have to walk for more than 10 km to collect these resources.

(v)This causes serious health problems for women and negligence of home and children because of the increased hours of work, which often has serious social implications.

Conservation by communities:

(i)In Sariska Tiger Reserve, Rajasthan, villagers have fought against mining by citing the Wildlife Protection Act. In many areas, villagers themselves are protecting habitats and explicitly rejecting government involvement.

(ii)The inhabitants of five villages in the Alwar district of Rajasthan have declared 1,200 hectares of forest as the Bhairodev Dakav ‘Sonchuri’, declaring their own set of rules and regulations which do not allow hunting, and are protecting the wildlife against any outside encroachments.

The causes of environmental destruction are: 

(i)Unequal access.

(ii)Inequitable consumption of resources and differential sharing of responsibility for environmental well-being.

(iii)Over-population in third world countries.

B.

Pink headed duck

D.

Kaziranga national park

D.

Drought and floods

A.

Local communities in the management and protection of forest

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.

Indian society comprises several cultures, each with its own set of traditional methods of conserving nature and its creations.

Nature worship is an age old tribal belief based on the premise that all creation of nature have to be protected. Such beliefs have preserved several virgin forests in pristine form called sacred groves (the forests of Gods and Goddesses). These patches of forest or parts of large forests have been left untouched by the local people and any interference with them is banned.

Example: The Mundas and the Santhals of Chotanagpur region worship Mahua and Kadamba trees and the tribals of Orissa and Bihar worship the Tamarind and mango trees during weddings.

Good practices towards conserving forest and wildlife are numerous.
(i) Nowadays, many non-governmental organisations are working towards creating public awareness for conserving depleting forest cover and vanishing wildlife.
(ii) Central and state governments in India have set up national parks and wildlife sanctuaries to protect forests and endangered species in wildlife.
(iii) Various communities, especially in tribal areas, who are dependent on forests for their living are now taking an active role in this form of conservation.