CLASS VIII

SOCIAL SCIENCE

CHAPTER 3 NATURAL RESOURCES : VEGETATION AND WILDLIFE

REFERENCE NOTES

Natural Vegetation:-

1) Meaning:- The assemblage of plant species in an environment is known as

natural vegetation. For eg, forests, grasses and shrubs.

2) Distribution:-

i. Two important factors for the growth of plants are temperature and rainfall.
ii. In the areas where rainfall is heavy, the forests are thick and dense. As the
rainfall decreases the size and concentration of trees also reduce.
iii. Shrubs and short trees are common in the areas of low rainfall or in desert
areas. In cold regions, the growing season is very short. Therefore, plants
occur in scattered patches in the form of mosses and lichens.

CLASSIFICATION OF FORESTS

On the basis of the location and the type of climatic conditions

Tropical Hardwood Forests Mediterranean Forests Temperate Softwood Forests

Tropical Hardwood Forests

On the basis of

temperature and rainfall

Tropical Evergreen Forests Tropical Deciduous Forests
 BASIS OF TROPICAL EVERGREEN FORESTS TROPICAL DECIDUOUS
COMPARISION FORESTS
1. Area  Tropical Evergreen Forests are also  Tropical Deciduous
known as Tropical Rain Forests Forests are also known as
because they are confined to tropical Monsoon Forests because
regions where heavy rainfall occurs they are common in the
throughout the year. Monsoon areas of the
world.
 They are spread in the areas of Ivory
Coast, Ghana, Nigeria, Cameroon  These forests are
and Gabon in Africa. commonly found in India,
Myanmar, South China,
 In India, they are common in the east Brazil and Central
Western Ghats, Andaman and parts of America.
Nicobar Islands, Kerala and the
North-Eastern parts of the country.
2. Climate:-
a) Temperature  These forests experience hot climate  These forests thrive in
throughout the year. regions where the climate
is warm with distinct wet
and dry seasons.
b) Rainfall  These forests receive heavy and
well-distributed rainfall above 200  Deciduous Forests receive
cm. summer rainfall in the
months of June, July,
August and September
ranging between 100-200
cm.

3. Species
a) Plants  Some of the typical trees are  Common trees are sal,
mahogany, ebony, rosewood, rubber teak, bamboo, sandalwood
and palm. and shisham.
 Eucalyptus is common in
Australia.

b) Animals  The animals found in rainforests are  The animals found in

elephant, lemur, monkey and deer. Deciduous forests are
lion, tiger elephant and
 numerous types of
reptiles.

4. Features  All the trees of these forests do not  The trees shed their leaves
shed their leaves at the same time. during the dry season to
Hence the forests always appear conserve moisture.
green. That is why, such forests are
known as evergreen forests.

 The hardwood trees of these forests  Trees are medium in

are very tall and sometimes reach height(30-40 metres).The
upto 60 metres. Several species of vegetation in these forests
trees are found within a single area. is not as dense as that in
the Tropical Evergreen
forests.

 These forests are characterized by  The Deciduous Forests

dense growth of vegetation. The have broad-leafed trees
trees have broad leaves to permit and medium size leaves.
transpiration of surplus moisture.

BASIS OF MEDITERRANEAN FORESTS TEMPERATE SOFTWOOD

COMPARISION FORESTS
1. Area  Mediterranean Forests are located in  Temperate Softwood
regions around the Mediterranean Forests are located in the
Sea. higher latitudes of the
northern hemisphere and
high mountains in Europe,
Asia, North Canada and
USA.
 The main areas are the shores of  In India, the Temperate
Europe, Asia, North Africa and Softwood Forests are
South-Western parts of South found in southern slopes
Africa. of the Himalayas and are
commonly known as
Mountain Forests.
2. Climate
a) Temperature  These forests are found in the areas  These forests are found in
which have dry summer. the colder regions of the
world.

b) Rainfall  They receive moderate rainfall  The precipitation is

during winter. received in the form of
snow in winter.

3. Species
a) Plants  The important trees of these forests  The common trees of
are cork, olive and citrus fruit trees. these forests are pine, fur,
spruce, deodar, cedar,
silver fir, chestnut and
walnut.

b) Animals  The popular animal species found in  The animals commonly

Mediterranean forests are found in Softwood Forests
Mediterranean monk seal, Barbary are Kashmir stag, spotted
macaque, Greek tortoise, Iberian deer, Tibetan
lynx, Great busted etc.
4. Features  Trees of these forests are widely  Most of the trees are tall
scattered and have spiny, waxy, and conical in shape and
small and leathery-textured leaves. thus are commonly known
 They also have long roots and thick as Coniferous Forests.
bark. Due to their shape, the
 Due to the above features, these snow cannot accumulate
trees are able to retain moisture in on them.
the dry summer season.  These trees do not shed
their thick needle-shaped
leaves and hence, look
evergreen.
 These trees have
commercial importance
and are used for various
purposes, such as making
of pulp, plywood etc.
Advantages of Forests:-

1. Forests are the breathing lungs of the civilization and therefore, are very
important for the survival of life on earth.Forests help us to breathe by
converting carbon dioxide into oxygen.
2. They provide safe habitat to the wild animals.
3. Many people depend on forests for their livelihood.
4. Trees also help in keeping the earth cool. Large forest cover helps in causing
rainfall.
5. Roots of the trees bind soil particles, help to raise the ground water level and
prevent floods.

Measures to protect the forest cover:-

The government has taken several stringent measures to protect our forest cover.
Some of these measures are:-

1. Afforestation or large scale plantation of trees.

2. ‘Each one plant one’ policy.
3. Efficient utilization of forest products and usage of substitutes of wood.
4. Enforcement of a number of laws/guidelines to protect forests and prohibit
deforestation.
5. Discouraging shifting cultivation which causes forest loss.

Wildlife

Meaning of Wildlife:- Wildlife includes non-domesticated animals, such as birds,

fishes and animals, which make forest their natural habitat.

Importance of Wildlife:-

1. Wildlife is the most important part of the natural ecosystem and is very
essential to maintain the ecological balance on the earth’s surface.
2. Wildlife is important for its aesthetic values also. The beauty of wild animals
boosts tourism and creates jobs for the people.
 3. Animals’ behavior changes at the time of natural disasters like tsunami and
earthquake. If this information can be harnessed for imparting early warning
system, then life of lots of people can be saved.
4. Dead and decaying plants and animals also produce humus, which is helpful
to maintain the fertility of the soil.
5. In various parts of the world, wild animals are hunted for various purposes
like meat, skin, horns etc. Our forests are treasure troves of biodiversity.
They harbour millions of species of animals.

Measures to conserve the wildlife:-

Steps being taken by the Government of India to conserve the wildlife are:-

1. Hunting and poaching of wild animals and birds have be n banned.

2. Killing of wildlife is a punishable offence.
3. National parks and wildlife sanctuaries are being set-up in different parts of
the world.

Role of human beings in the depletion of vegetation and wildlife

Human beings are responsible for the depletion of vegetation and wildlife as:-

1. Deforestation in a rampant manner has depleted our natural vegetation and

led to the loss of habitat for wildlife, ecological imbalance and soil erosion.
2. In various parts of the world, wild animals are hunted for various purposes
like meat, skin, horns etc. This disturbs the ecological balance of the
environment. Many birds have become extinct and many are on the verge of
extinction.
3. Our wildlife suffers severely due to deforestation and urbanization. Many
animals have become extinct because they have lost their natural habitat.
 NATIONAL PARK WILDLIFE SANCTUARY
 A National Park is a well-  A Wildlife Sanctuary is a
defined area for the protection declared protected area in which
of wildlife. limited human activities are
permitted.

 Visitors can only visit the park.  Hunting of animals and cutting
No one has a right to use any of trees are banned.
forest products.

 Collection of firewood, timber  People can collect firewood,

from any part of the forest is timber and medicinal herbs in a
totally prohibited. moderate amount which can be
used for research and
educational purposes.

For eg. Grand Canyon National For eg. Manas Wildlife

Park of USA is declared as a Sanctuary is declared as a world
world heritage site by the heritage site by the
UNESCO(United Nations UNESCO(United Nations
Educational, Scientific and Educational, Scientific and
Cultural Organization). Cultural Organization).

In India:-

 Number of National Parks : 103

 Number of Wildlife Sanctuaries : 528
 Wildlife Protection Act of 1972 : This act prohibits poaching, hunting
and trade of wildlife.
 Project Tiger : Launched in 1973 with the aim of conserving tigers.
 9 tiger reserves were set-up initially. It expanded to 39 tiger reserves in
2010.
 Jim Corbett National Park of Uttrakhand is a famous tiger reserve.