2.FOREST AND WILDLIFE RESOURCES

      CHAPTER 2-FOREST AND WILDLIFE RESOURCES

      TEXTUAL EXERCISE

What is biodiversity?Why is biodiversity important for human lives?

  Ans:(i)Biodiversity is immensely rich in wildlife and cultivated species, diverse in form and function, but closely integrated in a system through multiple networks of interdependencies.

It is important for human lives because:

1)Human beings depend on biodiversity for their very survival.

2)Without plants and animals we cannot survive,because we get oxygen from plant and it create the quality of air we breathe in.

How have human activities affected the depletion of flora and fauna? Explain.

ANS (ii) The main factors responsible for this damage are:

1.Habitat destruction, mainly due to overpopulation leading to expansion of agriculture, mining, industrialization and urbanization and consequent wiping out of large forest areas.

2.Hunting and poaching and illegal trade  of animal skin,tusk,bones,teeth, horns, etc have lead many speices to the verge of extinction.

3.Environmental pollution, deterioration of water bodies due to discharge of industrial effluents, chemicals, wastes, etc. leading to animal deaths.

4.Forest fires often induced by shifting cultivation.

5Large scale development projects and destruction of forests.Grazing and fuel wood collection.

5.Over-exploitation of forest products

Other important causes of environmental destruction are unequal access, inequitable consumption of forest resources and differential sharing of responsibility for environmental well-being.

Q3.Describe how communities have conserved and protected forests and wildlife in India?

Ans:In India many traditional communities still live in the forests and depend on their livelihood for forest produce. These communities are working hand in hand with the government to conserve forests.

1.In Sariska Tiger Reserve, Rajasthan, villagers fought against mining activities.

2. In Alwar district of Rajasthan, local communities belonging to five villages have set their own rules and regulations in 1,200 hectares of forest land. They have named it as the Bhairodev Dakav ‘Sonchuri’. Hunting is not allowed in these lands and outside encroachments are prohibited.

3.The famous Chipko movement was started in the Himalayan region to stop deforestation. People belonging to the local community took to afforestation in a big way. Indigenous species were cultivated and protected.

4.Involving local communities in protecting the environment, and stopping degradation of forests has reaped many benefits.

5.Certain societies revere a particular tree which they have preserved from time immemorial. The Mundas and the Santhal of Chota Nagpur region worship mahua (Bassia latifolia) and kadamba (Anthocaphalus cadamba) trees, and the tribals of Odisha and Bihar worship the tamarind (Tamarindus indica) and mango (Mangifera indica) trees during weddings. To many of us, peepal and banyan trees are considered sacred.

Q4. Write a note on good practices towards conserving forest and wildlife.

Ans:

1.In 1972, the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act was implemented. It made protecting specific habitats a law. A list of wildlife species that had to be protected was published and hunting these animals was against the law.

2.National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries were set up in many states to protect endangered species.

3.Under the Wildlife Act of 1980 and 1986, several insects have also been included in the list of protected species. Butterflies, moths, beetles, dragonflies and even certain plants are included in the protected list.

4.“Project Tiger” was initiated in 1973 by the government of India to protect tigers. It is one of the most well publicized wildlife campaigns in the

5.Worshiping of trees and animals.

6.Use of flora and fauna in religious functions.

7.Punishable penal codes on killing animals.

8.Community programs like Vanmahotsav etc. to bring awareness among the people about importance of wildlife.

9.Regulated and Planned Cutting of Trees.

Extra Questions 

Q1.Write any three measures to conserve ecosystem?

Answer:Three measures to conserve ecosystem are:

• Forest should be reserved and more and trees should be planted across the region especially in those areas where deforestation takes place.

• Wildlife must be protected by enacting laws and creating awareness among people.

• Starting various projects to save endangered species of plants and wildlife.

Q2.Explain any three measures taken by the Indian government to protect wildlife.

Answer:Measures taken by the Indian government to protect wildlife are:

• 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.

• To protect the remaining population of certain endangered species government has banned hunting, given legal protection of the habitats of those species and restricted trade in wild life.

Q3.Explain any three adverse effects of the destruction of forests and wildlife?

Answer:Three adverse effects of the destruction of forests and wildlife:

• Destruction of forests and wildlife leads to disturbances in ecological balance of the environment.

• It also affects the cultural loss of communities and their displacement.

• It also disturbs foodchain, ecosystem and development of the society.

Q4.Write a note on Joint Forest Management.

Answer

• In India, the Joint Forest Management programme furnishes a good example for involving local communities in the management and restoration of

degraded forests.

• The programme has been in formal existence since 1988 when the state of Odisha passed the first resolution for Joint Forest Management

• Joint Forest Management depends on the formation of local institutions that undertake protection activities mostly on degraded forest land managed by the forest department

• In return, the members of these communities are entitled to intermediary benefits like non-timber forest produces and share in the timber harvested by 'successful protection'.

Q5.Explain three reasons why we need to save the biodiversity of our planet?

Answer:We need to save the biodiversity of our planet because:

• Human beings alongwith all living organisms form a complex web of ecological system in which they are only a part and are very much dependent on this system for their existence.

• The plants, animals and micro-organisms recreate the quality of the air we breathe, the water we drink and the soil that produces our food without which we cannot survive.

• Forests play a key role in the ecological system as these are also the primary producers on which all other living beings depend.

Q6.“Nature-worship is an old age belief”. Explain how has it helped in the conservation of forests and wildlife.

Answer: (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). These patches of forest or parts,of large forests have been left untouched by the local people and any interference with them is banned.

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

(iii) Peepal and banyan trees are also considered sacred and worshipped in most parts of India.

(iv) Sacred qualities are often ascribed to springs, mountain peaks, plants and animals which are closely protected.

(v) 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.

Q7.How many types of forests are classified in India? Explain.

Answer: (i) Reserved forests : These are forests which are permanently earmarked either to the production of timber or other forest produce and in which right of grazing and cultivation is seldom allowed.

(ii) Protected forests : These are forests in which the right of grazing and cultivation are allowed subject to a few minor restrictions.

(iii) Unclassed forests : These consist largely of inaccessible forests or unoccupied wastes.

Q8.“Forests play a key role in the ecological system.” Highlight the value of forests in our life. 

Answer: (i) Forests play a key role in the ecological system as these are the primary producers on which all other living beings depend.

(ii) Many forest dependent communities directly depend on them for food, drink, medicine, culture, spirituality etc.

(iii) Forest provide us timber.

(iv) Forests also provide bamboo, wood for fuel, grass, charcoal, fruits, flowers, etc.