CLASS-X (GEOGRAPHY)
FOREST AND WILDLIFE RESOURCES
Biodiversity- Biodiversity is:
Rich variety of wildlife and flora
Diversity in form and function of life forms
Interdependence in a network called ecosystem
Ecosystem or ecological system: A biological community, where all the living organisms interact with each
other and are interdependent.
Biodiversity in India-
India is one of the world’s richest countries in terms of its vast array of biologicaldiversity.
It has nearly 8 percent of the total number of species in the world.
Twice or thrice this number is yet to be discovered.
Conservation Strategies-
Meaning of conservation-
Conservation is the care and protection of valuable natural resources so that these will be available for
future generations.
Conservation prevents excessive exploitation of resources by human beings.
It also promotes awareness among people of the need for sustainable use of theseresources.
Need for conservation-
Increased demand for forest and wildlife products has caused increased destruction and degradation of
forest and wildlife resources.
Conservation helps to preserve the ecological balance of the environment.
Conservation helps to preserve valuable natural resources such as water, air, and soil.
It also preserves plant species and fisheries for breeding in the future.
The country’s agricultural and industrial advancement in recent years has been accelerated by proper
conservation of forest and wildlife resources.
The Indian Wildlife Protection Act-
In 1972, The Indian Wildlife Protection Act was passed.
The main aim of the Act was to protect the natural habitats of wild species.
The wildlife protection program published a list of protected species.
The Act also aimed at protecting endangered species by prohibiting their hunting and restricting trade in
these species.
Role of central government-
To conserve the flora and fauna of the country, the central government established many national parks,
sanctuaries, and biosphere reserves.
Various projects, such as Project Tiger, Project Elephant, and Project Crocodile, were introduced to
protect certain species that were threatened and were on theverge of extinction.
Many wildlife species have been given full or partial legal protection against their hunting and trade
within the country.
For example, Indian elephant, blackbuck (chinkara), the great Indian bustard (godawan), and the snow
leopard.
Project Tiger-
Due to illegal hunting and poaching of tigers worldwide, the number of tigers dropped drastically from
55,000 to 1,827 in the 1970s.
These malpractices were found mainly in India and Nepal, as these two countriesheld about two-thirds of
the surviving tiger population.
Project Tiger was launched in 1973 to conserve the existing tiger population.
Corbett National Park in Uttarakhand, Sunderbans National Park in West Bengal are among the few tiger
reserves in the country.
1 | Forest And Wildlife Resources By- Adesh Saxena
New approach of conservation-
The meaning of conservation is no longer limited to the preservation of endangeredspecies.
Conservation programs are now also focusing on biodiversity conservation, conservation of insects, and
so on.
Butterflies, moths, beetles, and one dragonfly species are also included in the protected species under the
Wildlife Acts of 1980 and 1986.
In 1991, six species of plants were also included in the protected list.
Classification of Forests in India-
Forests and wildlife resources in India are owned by the Forest Department or other government bodies.
Forests in India are classified into three categories — reserved forests, protected forests, and unclassed
forests.
Reserved forests-
These forests are protected areas that do not allow hunting and poaching.
Reserved forests are created to protect the natural habitats of wildlife species.
More than half of the total forest land in India is declared as reserved forests.
Protected forests-
Habitats and wildlife species in these forests are protected from further depletion.
One-third of the total forest land in India is declared as protected forests by the Forest Department.
Reserved and protected forests are called permanent forests.
Unclassed forests-
Forests that are not in the reserved or protected categories are termed unclassedforests.
These forests and wastelands may be owned by the government or by private individuals and
communities.
These forests are found in parts of the north-eastern states of India and Gujarat.
Reserved and Protected Forests are also referred to as permanent forest estates maintained for the
purpose of producing timber and other forest produce, and for protective reasons. The largest area under
permanent forests is in Madhya Pradesh.
Community and Conservation-
Community and Conservation strategies are not new in India and forests are also home to some of the
traditional communities. In some areas of India, local communities are struggling to conserve these habitats
along with government officials, recognizing that only this will secure their own long-term livelihood.
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.
Farmers and citizen's groups like the Beej Bachao Andolan in Tehri and Navdanya have shown that
adequate levels of diversified crop production without the use of synthetic chemicals are possible and
economically viable.
Joint Forest Management (JFM) programme: It furnishes a good example for involving local
communities in the management and restoration of degraded forests. (Odisha passed the first resolution
for joint forest management). It depends on local institutions which took forestation drive on degraded
land, mostly controlled by forest department.
Sacred Grooves: 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).
2 | Forest And Wildlife Resources By- Adesh Saxena
