Geography Chapter 2 NOTES

CLASS 10
Social
Geography
Chapter 2
Forest and Wildlife Resources
FLORA AND FAUNA IN INDIA
India is one of the world's richest countries in terms of its vast array of biological
diversity. Different varieties of forest and wildlife resources are found in India.
Based on the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural
Resources (IUCN), we can classify different categories of existing plants and
animal species as follows:
• Normal Species: Species whose population levels are considered to be normal
for their survival.
Example: Cattle, Sal, Pine, Rodents etc.
• Endangered Species: These species are in danger of extinction.

Example: Black Buck, Crocodile, Indian Wild Ass, Indian Rhino, Lion Tailed Macaque
etc.
• Vulnerable Species: These are species whose population has declined to levels
that it is likely to move into the endangered category in the near future if it
continues to decline in the same manner.
Example: Blue Sheep, Asiatic Elephant, Gangetic Dolphin etc.
• Rare Species: Species with a small population may move into the endangered or
vulnerable category if the negative factors affecting them continue to operate.
Example: The Himalayan Brown Bear, Wild Asiatic Buffalo, Desert Fox, Hornbill
etc.
• Endemic Species: These are species which are only found in some particular
areas, usually isolated by natural or geographical barriers.
Example: The Andaman Teal, Nicobar Pigeon, Andaman Wild Pig, Mithun in
Arunachal Pradesh.
• Extinct Species: These species may be extinct from a local area, region,
country, continent, or the entire earth.
Example: Asiatic Cheetah, Pink Head Duck.
What are the negative factors that cause such fearful
depletion of the flora and fauna?
→ Excessive consumption of natural resources for fulfilling human needs such as
wood, barks, leaves, rubber, medicines, dyes, food, fuel, fodder, manure etc.
→ The expansion of railways, agriculture, commercial and scientific forestry, and
mining activities.
→ Large-scale development of projects and mining activities.
→ Unequal access, inequitable consumption of resources and differential sharing
of responsibility for environmental well-being.
CONSERVATION OF FOREST AND WILDLIFE IN INDIA

Conservation preserves ecological diversity and the genetic diversity of plants and
animals.
→ The Indian Wildlife Protection Act was implemented in 1972, for protecting
habitats and an All-India list of protected species was published.
→ The Central Government also announced several projects for protecting specific
animals. Under the Wildlife Act of 1980 and 1986, several hundred butterflies,
moths, beetles, and a dragonfly have been added to the list of protected
species.
→ In 1991, for the first time, plants were also added to the list, starting with six
species.
TYPES AND DISTRIBUTION OF FOREST AND WILDLIFE

RESOURCES
In India, forest and wildlife resources are owned and managed by the government
through the Forest Department or other government departments. These are
classified under the following categories.
→ Reserved Forests: More than half of the total forest land in India has been
declared reserved forests. Reserved forests are regarded as the most valuable
as far as the conservation of forest and wildlife resources are concerned.
→ Protected Forests: The Forest Department has declared one-third of the total
forest area as protected forest. This forest land is protected from any further
depletion.
→ Unclassed Forests: These are the forests and wastelands which belong to both
government and private individuals and communities. North-eastern states and
parts of Gujarat have a very high percentage of their forests as unclassed
forests managed by local communities.
→ Reserved and protected forests are also referred to as permanent forests,
which are maintained for the purpose of producing timber and other forest
produce, and for protective reasons. Madhya Pradesh has the largest area
under permanent forests, constituting 75% of its total forest area. Jammu and
Kashmir, Andhra Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, and
Maharashtra have large percentages of reserved forests of its total forest
area whereas Bihar, Haryana, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Odisha, and Rajasthan
have a bulk of it under protected forests.
COMMUNITY AND CONSERVATION

Conservation of forest and wildlife resources is very important. Here are a few
steps were taken by common people:
→ In Sariska Tiger Reserve, Rajasthan, villagers have fought against mining by

citing the Wildlife Protection Act.
→ The inhabitants of five villages in the Alwar district of Rajasthan have declared
1,200 hectares of forest as the Bhairodev Dakav 'Sonchuri'. Villages came up
with their own set of rules and regulations which do not allow hunting. They are
also protecting the wildlife against any outside encroachments.
→ The famous Chipko movement in the Himalayas was one successful attempt to
resist deforestation in several areas. The movement has also resulted in
community afforestation.
→ 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.
→ India’s Joint Forest Management (JFM) 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.
→ The members of these communities are entitled to intermediary benefits like
non-timber forest produces and share in the timber harvested by ‘successful
protection’.
Word Meanings
→ Vast Array: Vast means large or over a large space. Array is a variety or range.
Vast array = large variety.
→ Encroachment: The term encroachment encompasses the placement of fill, the
removal of vegetation, or an alteration of topography into such natural areas.

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CLASS 10

• Endangered Species: These species are in danger of extinction.

CONSERVATION OF FOREST AND WILDLIFE IN INDIA

TYPES AND DISTRIBUTION OF FOREST AND WILDLIFE

COMMUNITY AND CONSERVATION

→ In Sariska Tiger Reserve, Rajasthan, villagers have fought against mining by

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