FOREST AND WILDLIFE

NOTES

Our earth is home for millions of living beings, starting from micro-organisms and bacteria, lichens to banyan trees, elephants and blue whales.

All living beings form a complex web of ecological system and all depends on each other for their existence.

Forests play a important role in this ecological system as forests are also the primary producers on which all other living beings depend.

Biodiversity: The variety of flora and fauna in a given geographical area is called biodiversity of that area.

Flora and Fauna in India

India is one of the world’s richest countries in terms of its vast array of biological diversity, and has nearly 7.5% of the total number of species in the world . At least 10 percent of India's recorded wild flora and 20 per cent of its mammals are on the threatened list.

Many are categorised as 'critical', that is on the verge of extinction like the cheetah, pink headed duck etc.

Classification of Species Based on the International Union for

Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN)

Normal Species : If the population level of species is within normal range for their survival, it is called normal species, e.g. cattle, pine, sal, rodents, etc.

Endangered Species : Species which are in danger of extinction are called endangered species, e.g. black buck, crocodile, Indian wild ass, etc.

Vulnerable Species : If the population of a species has declined to such a level that it is likely to become endangered; it is called vulnerable species, e.g. Blue sheep, Asiatic elephant, Gangetic dolphin, etc.

Rare Species: Species with small population may move into the endangered or vulnerable category if the negative factors affecting them continue to operate. The examples of such species are the Himalayan brown bear, wild Asiatic buffalo, desert fox and hornbill, etc.

Endemic Species: These are species which are only found in some particular areas usually isolated by natural or geographical barriers. Examples of such species are the Andaman teal, Nicobar pigeon, Andaman wild pig, mithun in Arunachal Pradesh.

Extinct Species: These are species which are not found after searches of known or likely areas where they may occur. A species may be extinct from a local area, region, country, continent or the entire earth. Examples of such species are the Asiatic cheetah, pink head duck, etc.

Causes of Depletion of Flora and Fauna

Agricultural Expansion: According to the Forest Survey of India, over 262,000 sq km of forest area was converted into agricultural land in India between 1951 and 1980. Moreover, a substantial part of the tribal belts has been deforested or degraded by shifting cultivation; leading to depletion.

Enrichment Plantation : Enrichment plantation was done to promote a few favoured species in many parts of India. This practice involves plantation of a single commercially valuable species. This leads to elimination of other species. Large Scale Development Projects : Large scale development projects have also contributed significantly to the loss of forests.

Mining: Mining has also caused large scale depletion of flora and fauna in many areas. For example; the ongoing dolomite mining is seriously threatening the Buxa Tiger Reserve in West Bengal.

Unequal Access to Resources: Social inequality is another major factor to depletion of flora and fauna. The rich people consume much more than the poor and thus cause a higher degree of environmental damage.

The destruction of forests and wildlife is not just a biological issue. The biological loss is strongly correlated with the loss of cultural diversity as:

Social Effect of Resource Depletion

In many societies, it is the women who are responsible for collection of fuel, fodder, water and other basic subsistence needs. Depletion of these resources means women need to work harder to collect those resources. At some places, women have to walk more than 10 km to collect firewood. This causes serious health problems for women.

Deforestation induced flood and draught result in economic misery for the poor. Deforestation also leads to loss of cultural diversity. The marginalized people who had been traditionally dependent on forest for sustenance are now forced to look for other sources of livelihood. In order to do so, they are uprooted from their traditional habitat and culture.

	Kuch Kaam Ki Baat (K B) :3   ASIATIC CHEETAH: WHERE DID THEY GO?: The cheetah is often mistaken for a leopard. It's distinguishing marks are the long teardrop shaped lines on each side of the nose from the corner of its eyes to its mouth. It is the world's fastest land mammal. It is a unique and specialised member of the cat family and can move at the speed of 112 km./hr. Prior to the 20th century, cheetahs were widely distributed throughout Africa and Asia. Today, the Asian cheetah is nearly extinct due to a decline of available habitat and prey. The species was declared extinct in India long back in 1952.
THE HIMALAYAN YEW IN TROUBLE: The Himalayan Yew is a medicinal plant found in various parts of Himachal Pradesh and Arunachal Pradesh. A chemical compound called ‘taxol’ is extracted from the bark, needles, twigs and roots of this tree, and it has been successfully used to treat some cancers – the drug is now the biggest selling anti-cancer drug in the world.  The species is under great threat due to over-exploitation. In the last one decade, thousands of yew trees have dried up in various parts of Himachal Pradesh and Arunachal Pradesh.

Conservation of Forest and Wildlife in India

The Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972

The aim of the programme was protecting the remaining population of certain endangered species by banning hunting, giving legal protection to their habitats, and restricting trade in wildlife.

The central and many state governments established national parks and wildlife sanctuaries.

The central government also announced several projects for protecting specific animals, which were gravely threatened, including the tiger, the one-horned rhinoceros and others.

Project Tiger:

Project Tiger was launched in 1973; to protect tigers from becoming extinct. At the turn of the 20th century, the tiger population was around 55,000 which dwindled to 1,827 by 1973.

Threats to Tiger Population: Poaching for trade, shrinking habitat, depletion of base prey species, growing human population, etc.

Currently 27 tiger reserves are there.

Instead of just focusing on bigger mammals; like tiger and lion, even insects are finding a place in conservation planning. New notifications were issued in which several hundred butterflies, moths, beetles and one dragonfly have been added to the list of protected species.

Six species of plants were added to the list in 1991.

Kuch Kaam Ki Baat (K B) :3   TYPES AND DISTRIBUTION OF FORESTS AND WILDLIFE RESOURCES The forests are classified under the following categories:  Reserved Forests: These forests are regarded as the most valuable as far as the conservation of forest and wildlife resources are concerned. It covers half of the total forest land. Eg- Jammu and Kashmir, Andhra Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, and Maharashtra have large percentages of reserved forests of its total forest area
	Protected Forests: This forest land are protected from any further depletion. Almost one-third of the total forest area is protected forest. Eg- Bihar, Haryana, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Odisha and Rajasthan have a bulk of it under protected forests.  Unclassed Forests: These are other forests and wastelands belonging to both government and private individuals and communities. Eg- All North-eastern states and parts of Gujarat have a very high percentage of their forests as unclassed forests managed by local communities Note-  The 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.  Madhya Pradesh has the largest area under permanent forests, constituting 75 per cent of its total forest area.

Community and Conservation

In India, forests are also home to many traditional communities. The local communities very often work hard to conserve these habitats along with government officials.

Sariska Tiger Reserve, Rajasthan, villagers have fought against mining by citing the Wildlife Protection Act.

The famous Chipko movement in the Himalayas has successfully resisted deforestation in several areas.

It 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 introduced in 1988 in the state of Odisha shown good example for involving local communities in the management and restoration of degraded forests.

Kuch Kaam Ki Baat (K B) :3   SACRED GROVES - A WEALTH OF DIVERSE AND RARE SPECIES 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).  These patches of forest or parts of large forests have been left untouched by the local people and any interference with them is banned.