Q and Ans: Forest and Wildlife

 Chapter 2

Forest and wildlife 

Q. Write major reasons for the depletion of forest cover.

Answer:

1. Deforestation for agricultural purposes.

2. Shifting cultivation which is still practised in substantial parts of tribal belts.

3. Large-scale development of river valley projects.

4. Mining activities have also resulted in deforestation. For example, the tiger reserve in West Bengal is seriously threatened by the ongoing dolomite mining.

5. Environmental pollution and forest fires have also led to depletion of forests.

Q. Why do we need to conserve our biodiversity?

Answer: Conservation of biodiversity is necessary because it:

1. Preserves the ecological diversity.

2. Preserves our life support systems, i.e., water, air and soil.

3. Preserves the genetic diversity of plants and animals for better growth and breeding of species.

4. Fisheries too are heavily dependent on the maintenance of aquatic biodiversity.

Q. Write five steps taken by the Government for conservation of wildlife.

Answer: Five steps that have been taken to protect the wildlife in India:

1. Under the Indian Wildlife Protection Act 1972, an All India list of protected species was published. The thrust was on protecting the remaining population of certain endangered species by –

o banning hunting,

o giving legal protection to their habitats and

o restricting trade in wildlife.

2. Many wildlife sanctuaries have been developed and National Parks have been set up.

3. Many projects have been started for protecting specific animals which were gravely threatened, eg. Project Tiger, One-horned Rhino, the Kashmir Stag (hangul), three types of crocodiles —the fresh water, salt-water and Gharials, the Asiatic Lion, etc.

4. Most recently, some animals have been given full or partial legal protection against hunting and trading throughout India, eg., Indian elephant, black buck, great Indian bustard and the snow leopard, etc.

5. Setting up of biosphere reserves for conserving flora and fauna in their natural surroundings and protection of wetland ecosystems is another step taken in this direction.

Q. Write three examples of conservation of biodiversity at community level.

Answer: Three examples of community participation:

1. 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.

2. The inhabitants of five villages in the Alwar District of Rajasthan have declared 1200 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.

3. The famous Chipko Movement in the Himalayas has successfully resisted deforestation and has also shown that community afforestation with indigenous species can be a great success.

Q. Write two characteristics of Joint Forest Management Programme and its two benefits for the community. Which Indian state started this programme first of all and when?

Answer: Joint Forest Management Programme involves local communities in the management and restoration of degraded forests. It was first started in Orissa in 1988.

Two characteristics: It depends on—

1. the formation of local (village) institutions that undertake protection activities mostly on degraded forest land managed by the Forest Department and

2. the local communities also work towards restoration of such degraded forests.

Two benefits:

1. The members of these communities are entitled to intermediary benefits like non-timber forest products.

2. They are also entitled to share in the timber harvested by ‘successful protection’.

Q. Write a brief note on ‘Project Tiger’.

Answer:

1. ‘Project Tiger’ was one of the well-published wildlife campaigns in the world, launched in 1973. 

2. Tiger conservation has been viewed not only as an effort to save the endangered species but with equal importance as a means of preserving biotypes of sizeable magnitude. 

3. Corbett National Park, (Uttarakhand), Sundarbans National Park (West Bengal), Bandhavgarh National Park (Madhya Pradesh), Sariska Wildlife Sanctuary (Rajasthan) Manas Tiger Reserve (Assam) and Periyar Tiger Reserve (Kerala) are some of the reserves in India.

4. Distinguish between Reserved forests, Protected forests and Unclassed forests.

Ans. Reserved Forests

These are permanently earmarked either for production or other forest produce.

More than 50% of the total forest land of India has been declared as reserved forests.

These are controlled by the government.

The forests of J & K, Andhra Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Maharashtra fall in this category.

Protected Forests

These are protected from any further depletion.

Almost 1/3rd of the total forest area of India is called as the protected forest.

These are controlled by the government.

The forests of Bihar, Haryana, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Odisha and Rajasthan fall under this category.

Unclassed Forests

These consist of inaccessible forests or wastelands.

These consist of only 16% of the total forest areas of India.

These are owned by government and private individuals.

The forests of north-eastern states and parts of Gujarat fall under this category.