Class X
Geography
Unit II – Forest and Wildlife Resources
Notes
Black blizzards were giant storms of soil and dust that shook the foundations of the economy of the USA in the 1930s. Watch this short video to get an idea about how indiscriminate destruction of ecosystems can play havoc on the survival of mankind:
www.history.com/videos/black-blizzard#black-blizzard
Lichens: Grey/ green/ yellow plant-like organisms that grow on rocks/ walls/ trees
Lepchas: Aboriginal inhabitants of Sikkim
Biodiversity: The variety of life in a particular habitat or
ecosystem
Flora: All the plants of a particular place or time
Fauna: All the animals that live wild in a particular area
Endemic species: Species commonly found in a particular area
NGOs: Legally constituted non-governmental organizations
that work for social, economic or cultural causes
Navdanya: An Indian NGO for biodiversity which is a network
of seed-keepers and organic producers spread across the country
IUCN: International Union for Conservation of Nature
Examples of normal species: cattle, sal, pine, rodents
Examples of endangered species: black buck, crocodile,
Indian wild ass, Indian rhino, lion-tailed macaque, sangai (brow-antlered deer)
Examples of vulnerable species: blue sheep, Asiatic
elephant, Gangetic dolphin
Examples of rare species: Himalayan brown bear, wild Asiatic
buffalo, desert fox, hornbill
Examples of endemic species: Andaman teal, Nicobar pigeon,
Andaman wild pig, mithun (Arunachal Pradesh)
Conservation: Protection of plants, animals and natural
resources from the damaging effects of human activity
Categories of forests from the conservation perspective:
Reserve forests, protected forests, unclassed forests
States having high percentage of unclassed forests: Gujarat,
unclassed forests
Forests are primary producers.
Bassia latifolia is the
scientific name of mahua tree.
Anthocephalus
cadamba is the scientific name of kadamba tree.
Pinus roxburghii
is the scientific name of chir pine tree.
Tamarindus indica is the
scientific name of tamarind tree.
Mangifera indica
is the scientific name of mango tree.
Quercus spp. is
the scientific name of the Himalayan oak tree.
Taxus wallachiana is the
scientific name of the Himalayan Yew tree.
Taxol is the
chemical extracted from the Himalayan Yew.
Bhairodev Dakav Sanctuary
was declared by the people of Alwar district, Rajastan.
Narmada Sagar Project is in Madhya Pradesh.
Buxa Tiger Reserve is in West Bengal.
Sunderbans National Park is in West Bengal.
Corbett National Park is in Uttaranchal.
Bandhavgarh National Park is in Madhya Pradesh.
Sariska Wildlife Sanctuary is in Rajastan.
Manas Tiger Reserve is in Assam.
Periyar Tiger Reserve is in Kerala.
State having the largest area under permanent forests is Madhya
Pradesh (75%).
Mundas and Santhals are inhabitants of Chota Nagpur
region.
Chipko Movement was organized in Uttaranchal.
Beej Bachao Andolan was organized in Tehri region.
Orissa was the
first state to pass a resolution for joint forest management.
The apparent increase in the dense forest cover in India in
the last decade of the 20th century was due to plantation by
different agencies.
Fisheries are dependent on the maintenance of aquatic
biodiversity.
India and Nepal
provide habitat to two-thirds of the surviving tiger population in the world.
Teak plantations
damaged natural forests in south India.
Chir pine
plantations damaged oak and rhododendron forests in the Himalayas.
Mahua and kadamba
trees are worshipped by Mundas and Santhals.
Tamarind and mango
trees are worshipped by the tribals of Orissa and Bihar.
Enrichment plantation
is an ironical term for extensive plantation of a single commercially valuable
species eliminating the other species.
In Sariska reserve of Rajastan, people fought against
mining.
Himalayan Yew
is a medicinal plant found in Himachal Pradesh and Arunachal Pradesh.
Taxol is used in
treating cancer.
Reserve forests are
the most important forests from the conservation perspective.
Reserve and protected
forests are considered permanent forests.
The total number of species in the world is about 1.6
million.
India has about 128,000 species, that is, 8%
of the total number of species in the world.
About 81,000 species of fauna and 47,000
species of flora are found in India.
Of the 47,000 species of plants found in India, 15,000
are endemic to the country.
The existence of 10% of India’s flora and 20%
of India’s mammals is under threat.
Apart from 1500 plant species, 79 mammals, 44
birds, 15 reptiles and 3 amphibians are endangered in India.
The recent rate of extinction of flora and fauna is 50 –
100 times faster than the natural rate.
India’s forest cover is 637,293 km2, that
is, 19.39% of the country’s geographical area. Of this, 11.48% is dense
forest, 7.76% is open forest and 0.15% is mangrove forest
(according to State of Forest Report 1999).
(To access State of Forest Report 2011, visit http://fsi.org.in/sfr_2011.htm)
(To access State of Forest Report 2011, visit http://fsi.org.in/sfr_2011.htm)
Asiatic cheetah can move at speeds up to 112 kmph.
Asiatic cheetah was declared extinct in the year 1952.
Indian Wildlife Protection Act was implemented in the year 1972.
Project Tiger was launched in the year 1973.
Plants are added to the list of protected species in the
year 1991.
Joint Forest Management came into existence since 1988.
6 plants were added to the list of
protected species in 1991.
During 1951-80, 26,000 km2 of forest was
converted into agricultural land.
Since 1951, 5000 km2 of forest was cleared
for river valley projects.
Narmada Sagar Project inundates 40,000 hectares of
forest.
An average American consumes 40 times more resources
than an average Somalian.
Tiger population dwindled from 55,000 to 1827
between 1900 and 1973.
India has 27 tiger reserves covering 37,761 km2.
Area of Bhairodev Dakav Sanctuary is 1200 hectares.
50% of India’s forest area is
reserved and 33% is protected.
Activities that damaged forests during the colonial period:
Railways
Industry-oriented agriculture
Commercial and scientific forestry
Mining
Why fuel-fodder collection cannot be regarded as a major
cause of depletion of forests:
Because fuel-fodder demand is met by lopping rather than
felling trees
Factors that affected India’s biodiversity:
Habitat destruction
Hunting and poaching
Over-exploitation
Pollution and poisoning
Forest fires
Unequal access to resources
Inequitable consumption
Differential sharing of responsibility
The need for conservation:
It preserves ecological diversity.
It preserves life support systems like water, air and soil.
It preserves the genetic diversity of plants and animals for
better growth of species and breeding.
Thrust of wildlife protection programme:
Banning hunting and poaching
Giving legal protection to wildlife habitats by establishing
national parks and sanctuaries
Restricting trade in wildlife
Threats to tiger population:
Poaching for trade
Shrinking habitat
Depletion of prey base species
Growing human population
Impact of dolomite mining in West Bengal:
It threatens Buxa Tiger Reserve.
It disturbed natural habitat.
It disturbed the migration routes of many species including
the great Indian elephant.
