FOREST AND WILDLIFE RESOURCES

We share this planet with millions of other living being and together we form an ecological
system. It is characterised by interdependence. India is one of the world`s richest countries in terms of its
vast array of biological diversity.

Biodiversity :
It refers to the diverse life-forms existing in nature. The various species of plants and animals,
interdependent on each other, constitute the biological diversity.

• India is home to nearly 8% of the world’s biodiversity.

• India has over 81,000 species of fauna and 47,000 species of flora.
• A large number of animal and plant species in India is in the endangered list.
• India has about 22% of its total area under forests. Half of its natural forests have been
destroyed. (78.92 million hectares)
• 15,000 flowering plants species are endemic (indigenous) to India.
• Western Ghats and Himalayan regions have large area under natural dense forest.
• Lion and Tiger both has habitat in Gir (Gujarat) forest.
• 79 species of mammals, 44 of birds, 15 of reptiles, and 3 of amphibians are threatened.
• 1500 plant species are considered endangered.

Importance of forest and wildlife :

1. Ecological importance : (a)Recreates the quality of the air - provides oxygen. (b)Water cycle - Rain
fall. (c) Provides shelter for animals (d) Balances ecosystem - food chain (e) Prevents soil erosion (f)
Helps for micro organisms and enriches soil fertility (g) Enriches biodiversity - prevents various
environmental pollution.

2. Economical importance : (a) Food (b) Fodder (c) Provides raw materials to Industries (d) Wood - fire
wood (e) Timber (f) Herbal medicines (g) Fruits and other valuable resources.

Classification of Species :
According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN),
we can classify plant and animal species as follows

➢ Normal Species : Their population levels are normal for their survival. E.g. Cattle, rodents , Sal ,
Pine etc.
➢ Endangered Species : They are in danger of extinction as their population is fast dwindling. E.g.
Black buck, Indian wild ass, Indian rhino, lion, crocodile , Sangai, lion tailed macaque etc.
➢ Vulnerable Species : Their population has decreased to the level of being endangered in the
near future. E.g. Asiatic elephant, blue sheep, Gangetic dolphin etc.
➢ Rare Species : Species those are very small in number. May become endangered or vulnerable
in future. E.g. Hornbill, Himalayan brown bear, wild Asiatic buffalo, desert fox etc.
➢ Endemic Species : The species that are found only in a particular region and are isolated by
natural barriers are called endemic species. E.g. Andaman teal, Nicobar pigeon, Andaman wild
pig , mithun in Arunachal Pradesh etc.
➢ Extinct Species : These species no longer exist on Earth. E.g. Asiatic cheetah, pink head duck
etc.

*** Asiatic Cheetah : World’s fastest land mammal . Could run at a speed of 112 km/hr . Declared
extinct in 1952 . It was mainly found in Asia and Africa.
***Himalayan Yew : Is a medicinal plant. Found in various part of Himachal Pradesh and Arunachal
Pradesh. A chemical compound called "taxol" and roots are used to cure cancer. The species under
great threat due to over utilization.
 Causes of Depletion of Biodiversity :
( What are the negative factors that cause such fearful depletion of the flora and fauna?

1) Over-exploitation during colonial era ( Colonial forest policies ) - Scientific forestry.

Commercial forestry. Railways . Enrichment of plantation. Expansion of agriculture including
commercial agriculture.
2) Shifting agriculture (Jhum) - a type of "slash and burn agriculture.
3) Expansion of agriculture after Independence - Between 1951 to 1980, according to the Forest
Survey of India, over 26,200 sq. Km. of forest area was converted into agricultural land all
over India.
4) Large-Scale development projects - (a) Since 1951, over 5000 sq. Km of forest was cleared for
river valley projects. (b) Clearing of forests is still continues with projects like the Narmada
Sagar project in Madhya Pradesh which would inundate 40,000 hectares of forest. (c)
Includes National High ways and Railways , Construction of Airports and Industries in forest
land.
5) Mining is another important factor behind deforestation. (a) The Buxa Tiger Reserve in West
Bengal is seriously threatened by the ongoing dolomite(rock mineral) mining.
6) Over grazing and over utilization of forest resources , fire wood collection etc.
7) Demands of the rapidly expanding industrial-urban economy. Urbanization and
Industrialization.
8) Habitat destruction, hunting , poaching , over exploitation , environmental pollution ,
poisoning and forest fires other natural disasters.
9) Over population in third world countries is often cited as the cause of environmental
degradation.
10) Lack of responsibilities for environmental well-being.

Depletion of forest and its impact :

("The destruction of forests and wildlife is not just a biological issue". Justify the statement.)
The biological loss is strongly correlated with the loss of cultural diversity. 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.

• Tribal community - Shelter , livelihood , tradition and forest culture.

• Farmers are indirectly affected by depletion of forest due to less or uneven rainfall.
• Women community - lack of drinking water other forest resources make them to walk
miles together which causes health and other socio-economic problems among women
community.
• The indirect impact of degradation such as severe drought or deforestation-induced
floods.
• Soil erosion and imbalance in ecosystem.
• Environmental pollution causes various socio-economic problems.
• Medical system like ayurveda gets direct impact on forest depletion as forest provides
various medicinal plants.

Conservation of forest and wildlife in India :

Conservation in the background of rapid decline in wildlife population and forestry has become
essential. The steps taken for the protection and conservation of forest and wild life by Government
and community are as follows (Legislative measures , Programmes , Projects and establishment of
institutions).

Government and Conservation :

 a) The Indian wildlife (Protection) Act was implemented in 1972, with various provisions
for protecting habitats.
b) The Indian Forest Act - 1965 was implemented for overall development of the forest
and wildlife.
c) Central and state governments established national parks and wildlife sanctuaries, at
present in India there are 515 wildlife sanctuaries and 87 national parks.
d) 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 crocodiles - fresh water crocodiles , salt water
crocodile and the Gharial, the Asiatic lion and others.
e) In the 1980 and 1986 various butterflies , moths , beetles and one dragonfly have been
added to the list of protected species.
f) In 1991 for the first time plants were also added to the list, starting with six species.
g) Establishment of Biosphere reserves and National Natural resource Management
System.
h) IUCN and other measures like organising various campaigns and The National
Environment Awareness programmes.

Community and conservation :

Conservation strategies are not new in our country. In some areas of India, local communities are
struggling to conserve forest and wildlife along with government officials, recognising that only this will
secure their own long-term livelihood.

a) In Sariska Tiger Reserve, Rajasthan villagers have fought against mining by citing the
Wildlife Protection Act.
b) In many areas villagers themselves are protecting habitats and explicitly rejecting
government involvement. The inhabitants of five villages in the Alwar disrict of
Rajasthan have declared 1,200 hectares of forest as the Bhirodev Dakav "Sonchuri" ,
declaring their own set of rules and regulations which do not allow hunting and are
protecting the wildlife against any outside encroachments.
c) Establishing Sacred groves - a wealth of diverse and rare species.
d) Certain societies revere a particular tree which they have preserved from time
immemorial. Example - The Mundas and The Santhal of Chotanagpur worship Mahua
tree.
e) Indian society comprises several cultures , each with its own set of traditional methods
of conserving nature and its creations.
f) 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.
g) The new methods of ecological farming are now widespread. Farmers and citizen`s
groups like The Beej Bachao Andolan in Tehri (Uttarkhand) and Navdanya (North India)
have shown diversified crop production without use of synthetic chemicals are possible
and economically viable.
h) Joint Forest Management (JFM) programme furnishes a good example for involving local
communities in the management and restoration of degraded forests.
i) The Appiko movement in Karnataka.
j) Narmada Bachao Andolan.
k) Silent valley Movement aimed at the protection of evergreen forest in the Palakkad
district of Kerala.
l) Agitation against Kaiga Nuclear Power Plant in Western Ghats.

Types and Distribution Forest and wildlife Resources :

Forests can be classified into different types based on two important criteria. (I) Purpose of
administration (II) Vegetation type.
 1. Reserved Forests :
Reserved forests regarded as the most valuable, as far as the conservation of natural forests and
wildlife resources are concerned. It is also called as permanent forests. Madhya Pradesh has 75% of its
forests under permanent or reserved forests. Jammu and Kashmir , Andhra Pradesh, Uttarkhand,
Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, and Maharashtra have large percentages of reserved forests of its
total forest area.

2. Protected Forests :
These are the forest lands protected from any further depletion. Almost one-third of the total
forest area is protected forest. Bihar, Haryana, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Orissa and Rajasthan have a
bulk of it under protected forests.

3.Unclassed Forests :
These are other forests and waste lands belonging to both government and private individuals
and communities. All north-eastern states and parts of Gujarat have a very high percentage of their
forests as unclassed forests managed by local communities.

Project Tiger :

• Project Tiger is the well publicised wildlife campaigns in the world was launched in
1973.
• The main purpose of launching this project is to protect exist tiger population and
increase tiger population.
• Sine India and Nepal provide habitat to about two-thirds of the surviving tiger
population in the world.
• Initially it showed success as the tiger population went up to 4,002 in 1985 and 4334 in
1989.
• At present there are 39 tiger reserves in India covering an area of 42,761 sq km.

Tiger Reserves in India : (Map Question)

1) Jim Corbett National Park - Uttarkhand

2) Sunder bans National Park - West Bengal
3) Bandhavgarh National Park - Madhya Pradesh
4) Sariska Wildlife sanctuary - Rajasthan
5) Manas Tiger Reserve - Assam
6) Periyar Tiger Reserve (Sabarimala) - Kerala

Joint Forest Management :

• It is a good example of involving local communities in the management and restoration
of degraded forests.
• Local people + Villagers + Tribal Community + NGO`s + Government = Joint Forest
Management.
• The programme has been in formal existence since 1988 when the state of Orissa passed
the first resolution for Joint Forest Management.
• JFM depends on the formation of local (village) 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 products and share in the timber harvested by successful protection.
• It includes Protection, conservation, utilization and restoration of forest.