Natural Vegetation and Wildlife Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards generated from the transcript covering world forest biomes, species conservation terms, national parks, and international and national protection programs.

Evergreen Trees

Trees that retain their leaves throughout the year.

Deciduous Trees

Trees that shed their leaves in a certain season every year.

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Tropical Forests

Forests located between $23^\circ\text{N}$ and $23^\circ\text{S}$ latitudes.

Tropical Evergreen Forests

Dense forests located closer to the Equator where annual rainfall is very heavy and temperatures remain high throughout the year, featuring a thick canopy and trees such as rosewood, mahogany, cinchona, and ebony.

Tropical Deciduous Forests

Open forests commonly called monsoon forests, found in areas with lesser rainfall and a hot climate, characterized by trees such as teak, sal, shisham, and bamboo.

Temperate Forests

Forests found in mid-latitudes between $30^\circ$ and $50^\circ$ latitudes both north and south of the Equator.

Temperate Evergreen Forests

Forests in regions with mild winters and abundant year-round rainfall, consisting of broadleaf types with small leathery leaves (such as evergreen oaks, laurels, and magnolia) or needleleaf types (such as pine trees in the south-eastern US).

Temperate Deciduous Forests

Forests found in areas with wet summers and cool frosty winters, composed of broadleaf trees like birch, beech, ash, elm, and maple that shed their leaves in winter.

Taiga Forests

Evergreen coniferous forests located between $50^\circ$ and $70^\circ$ latitudes in Eurasia and North America (where they are called boreal forests), featuring cone-shaped trees with narrow needle-like leaves such as red pine, white pine, spruce, firs, and larches.

IUCN

International Union for the Conservation of Nature; an active international body responsible for the protection of forests and other resources in the developing world.

WWF Living Planet Study (1995 to 2005)

A study conducted by the World Wide Fund for Nature showing that wildlife decline is estimated to be $10,000$ times more rapid than ever due to climate change, habitat loss or destruction, pollution, and overexploitation.

Natural Extinction

A slow process where the last of a species dies due to environmental changes caused by climate change or natural disasters, often followed by better-suited species replacing them.

Endangered Species

Plants and wildlife so small in number that they face the risk of becoming extinct, with roughly $99\%$ facing extinction risk due to human activities (examples include Panda, Panamian golden frog, and Lear's macaw in Brazil).

Threatened Species

Plants, animals, birds, and insects at risk of becoming endangered in the near future, also referred to as red list species (e.g., polar bear, cheetah, manatee).

Red List Species Statistics

Percentages of known species listed as threatened, including $21\%$ of mammals, $30\%$ of amphibians, $12\%$ of birds, $35\%$ of conifers and cycads, $17\%$ of sharks, and $27\%$ of reef-building corals.

Hemis National Park

The largest national park in India, covering $3,350\,\text{sq km}$ in Jammu and Kashmir.

Desert National Park

The second largest national park in India, covering $3,162\,\text{sq km}$ in Rajasthan.

Rann of Kutch

A region in Gujarat, India, known as the world's largest natural breeding place for flamingos.

Olive Ridley Turtles

Turtles that visit the coasts of Odisha, India, every year between October and May to breed.

Critically Endangered Species of India

Species in India facing extreme threat, including the Himalayan wolf, Salim Ali's fruit bat, Wroughton's free-tailed bat, Sumatran rhinoceros, Indian vulture, Namdapha flying squirrel, Malabar large-spotted civet, and pygmy hog.

Biosphere Reserves

Protected areas containing a large diversity of vegetation and wildlife where different ecosystems coexist and are protected while allowing local people to use resources sustainably.

CITES

Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of wild fauna and flora; an international body ensuring no illegal trading in threatened species of wild animals and plants.

Van Mahotsav

An annual festival celebrated in many parts of India to encourage the planting of trees.

Wildlife Week

An annual observation during the first week of October in India to increase public awareness about wildlife.

Conservationist

Someone who works to protect animals, plants, and natural resources or to prevent the loss or waste of natural resources.

Sanctuary

A space set aside for the exclusive use of and protection for animals (India contains $372$ sanctuaries).

National Parks

Areas set aside by national governments to preserve the natural environment, entire landscape, plants, and animals in their natural state while serving recreation, historic, or scientific interests (India contains $106$ national parks).

National Forestry Action Programme

A program implemented by the Government of India to help increase forest cover and control deforestation.

National Wildlife Action Plan

A plan implemented by the Government of India for wildlife conservation and the protection of endangered species.