CBSE X G II FOREST AND WILDLIFE RESOURCES

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 20^th 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)

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.