CBSE Class 10 Social Science Forest and Wild Life Resources Assignment

INTRODUCTION

Earth is habitat for humans along with other living beings. The earth has immense biodiversity with microorganisms and bacteria, lichens to banyan trees, elephants, whales etc. Human along with all living organisms inclusively form a complex web of ecological systems, where forests play a key role as primary
producers on which other living beings depend. Biodiversity or biological diversity exists in plants and wildlife through multiple network of interdependencies.

7.1 IMPORTANCE OF FOREST FOR HUMAN BEING

(a) Economic importance:
(i) Supports a variety of Industries
(ii) Provide livelihood for many communities
(b) Ecological importance:
(i) Improve the quality of environment
(ii) Modify local climate, controls soil erosion
(iii) Regulate stream flow, provide fertility to the soil
(iv) Provide environmental stability and maintain ecological balance Today, environmental stability and maintenance of ecological balance are more important than the direct economic benefit.

7.2 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 8 per cent of the total number of species in the world (estimated to be 1. 6 million). This is possibly twice or thrice the number yet to be discovered. These diverse flora and fauna are under great stress mainly due to insensitivity to our environment. At least 10 per cent of India’s recorded wild flora and 20 per cent of its mammals are on the threatened list. Many of these would now be categorised as critical that is on the verge of extinction like the cheetah, pink-headed duck, mountain quail, forest spotted owlet, and plants like madhuca insignis (a wild variety of mahua) and hubbardia heptaneuron, (a specie of grass). Over 81, 000 species of fauna and 47, 000 species of flora are found in this country so far.

(a) Different Categories of Existing Plants and Animal Species :
Based on the International Union for conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN), existing plants and animal species can be classified as :-

(b) Negative Factors That Cause Fearful Depletion of the Flora and Fauna :
(i) We have transformed nature into a resource, obtaining directly and indirectly from the forests and wildlife – wood, barks, leaves, rubber, medicines( a chemical compound called ‘taxol’ is extracted from the bark, needles, twigs and roots of the Himalayan Yew, 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), dyes, food, fuel, fodder, manure, etc. thus depleting our forests and wildlife.
(ii) The greatest damage inflicted on Indian forests was during the colonial period.
(iii) Agricultural expansion continues to be one of the major causes of depletion of forest resources. Between 1951 and 1980 over 26,200 sq. km. of forest area was converted into agricultural land.
(iv) Large scale development projects have also contributed significantly to the loss of forests. Since 1951, over 5,000 sq km of forest was cleared for river valley projects.
(v) Mining is another important factor behind deforestation.
(vi) The greatest degrading factors behind the depletion of forest resources are grazing and fuelwood collection.
(vii) Habitat destruction, hunting, poaching, over-exploitation, environmental pollution, poisoning and forest fires are factors, which have led to the decline in India's biodiversity.
(viii) Other important causes are unequal access, inequitable consumption of resources and differential sharing of responsibility for environmental well-being.

(c) Effects :
(i) The biological loss is strongly correlated with the loss of cultural diversity. Such losses have increasingly., marginalised and impoverished many indigenous and other forest-dependent communities.
(ii) Within the poor, women are affected more than men. As these resources gets depleted, the drudgery of women increases and sometimes they have to walk for more than 10 km to collect these resources. This causes serious health problems for women and negligence of home and children which often has serious social implications .
(iii) Over half of India’s natural forests are gone, one-third of its wetlands drained out, 70 percent of its surface water bodies polluted, 40 percent of its mangroves wiped out, and with continued hunting and trade of wild animals and commercially valuable
(iv) The indirect impact of degradation such as severe drought or deforestation induced floods, etc. also hits the poor the hardest. Poverty in these cases is a direct outcome of environmental destruction.

7.3 CONSERVATION OF FOREST AND WILDLIFE IN INDIA

Conservation in the background of rapid decline in wildlife population and forestry has become essential. Conservation preserves the ecological diversity and our life support systems - water, air and soil. It also preserves the genetic diversity of plants and animals for better growth of species and breeding.

(i) In the 1960s and 1970s, conservationists demanded a national wildlife protection programme.
The Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act was implemented in 1972, with various provisions for protecting habitats. An all India list of protected species was also published.
(ii) Central and many state governments have established national parks and wildlife sanctuaries and several projects for protecting specific animals, The tiger, the one-horned rhinoceros, the Kashmir stag or hangul, three types of crocodiles – fresh water crocodile, saltwater crocodile and the Gharial, the Asiatic lion, and others. Most recently the Indian elephant, black buck (chinkara), the great Indian bustard (godawan) and the snow leopard, etc. have been given full or partial legal protection against hunting and trade throughout India.
(iii) In the notification under Wildlife Act of 1980 and 1986, several hundred butterflies, moths, beetles, and one 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.
(iv) “Project Tiger”, one of the well-publicised wildlife campaigns in the world, was launched in 1973. There are 39 tiger reserves in India covering an area of 32137.14sq.km 

7.4 TYPES AND DISTRIBUTION OF FOREST

(a) Types of Forests in India :

According to the density :
(A) Dense forests: Occupies 59% of the total forest cover
(B) Open forests : Occupies 40% of the total forest cover
(C) Mangrove forests (Tidal forests):
Occupies 1% of the total forest cover

(b) Distribution of Forests in India :
Madhya Pradesh has the largest area under permanent forests, constituting 75 per cent of its total forest area. Jammu and Kashmir, Andhra Pradesh, Uttaranchal, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, and Maharashtra have large percentages of reserved forests of its total forest area whereas Bihar, Haryana, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Orissa and Rajasthan have a bulk of it under protected forests. All North-eastern states and parts of Gujarat have a very high percentage of their forests as un-classed forests managed by local communities.

7.5 COMMUNITY AND CONSERVATION

(i) 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. 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’, declaring their own set of rules and regulations to protect wild life.
(ii) Sacred Groves (the forests of God and Goddesses), are patches of forest or part of large forests which have been left untouched by the local people and any interference with them is banned.
In and around Bishnoi villages in Rajasthan, herds of blackbuck, (chinkara), nilgai and peacocks can be seen as an integral part of the community and nobody harms them. 
(iii) 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.
(iv) 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.
(v) In India 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.

Question : In what ways the forests were harmed by the colonial government ?

Answer : (1) For expansion of railways.

(2) For expansion of agricultural field.

(3) For expansion of commercial and scientific forestry.

(4) For expansion of milling activities. (Any three)

 

Question : What do your know about “Permanent forest estates ? Name the state which has the largest area under these forest estates.

Answer : Reserved and protected forests are also referred to as “Permanent forest estates”

(1) These forest states are maintained for the purpose of producing timber and other forest produce and for protective reasons.

State : Madhya Pradesh (75 percent of its total forest area)

 

Question : Humans are dependent on the ecological system for their existence. Explain.

Answer : As a part of the ecological system human beings are dependent on it for their existence.

For example :

(1) We breathe in air, we drink water, we grow crops in soil, etc. These are the non living components of the ecological system.

(2) On the other hand plants, animals and other microorganisms recreate the quality of these non living components.

 

Question : Distinguish between reserved and protected forests.

Answer : 

Question : Name any two North Eastern States of India having over 60 percent of Forests cover. Give two reasons.

Answer : States - (i) Arunachal Pradesh (ii) Manipur

(1) There is an abundance of rainfall in N.E. States.

(2) The hilly terrain of these states protects the forests from human exploitation.

Question : Highlight the major drawback of the State of Forest Report (1999). 

Answer : The major drawback of the State of Forest Report (1999) are:

i. The dimensions of deforestations in India are staggering. The forest cover in the country is estimated at 637293 sq km, which is 19.39 percent of the total geographical area.

ii. According to State of Forest Report (1999), the dense forest cover has increased by 10098 sq. km since 1997.

iii. However, this apparent increase in the forest cover is due to plantation by different agencies.

iv. The State of Forest Report does not differentiate between natural forests and plantation. Therefore, this report fails to deliver accurate information about actual loss of natural resources. 

 

Question : Write down the features of the reserved forests. 

Answer : Reserved forests are regarded as the most valuable as far as the conservation of forest and wildlife resources are concerned.

i. These forests are permanently earmarked for production of either timber or other forest produce.

ii. Grazing and cultivation are not allowed.

iii. More than 50 per cent of the total forest land has been declared as reserved forest.

iv. The forests of Jammu and Kashmir, Andhra Pradesh, Uttrakhand, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Maharashtra fall under this category.

 

 

Long Questions for Class 10 Social Science Forest and Wildlife Resources

Question : What are the negative factors that cause such fearful depletion of flora and fauna ?

Answer : 

(1) Expansion of railways.

(2) Conversion of forest land into agricultural land

(3) Mining activities.

(4) Large Scale development projects like river valley project etc.

(5) Grazing of Pastoral animals.

(6) Hunting and poaching of wild animals. (Any four)

 

Question : Distinguish between endangered and extinct species.

Answer : 

Question : How forests are useful to man ?

Answer : (1) The raw materials for paper industry, match making, gums and resins are also extracted from the forest products.

(2) They help in controlling soil erosion.

(3) They help in enhancing the quantity of rainfall.

(4) They provide certain types of herbs which are in turn used to produce useful medicines.

 

Question : Describe the methods of forest conservation.

Answer : (1) The cutting of trees in the forest must be stopped at all costs. Our government has taken various steps in this direction.

(2) Mass Media like newspapers, radio, television and cinema can help a lot in this direction.

(3) We should bring more and more areas under forests (at least up to 33%) for the balanced development of our country.

(4) The people on their parts also cooperate to check the falling of trees. “Chipko Movement” to check the careless falling of trees in the forests.  

 

Question : Forest and wildlife are vital to the quality of life and environment in the subcontinent. Explain. 

Answer : i. Loss of cultural diversity: The loss of forest and wildlife is not just a biological issue. The biological loss is strongly correlated with the loss of cultural diversity.

There are many marginalised and impoverished indigenous and other forestdependent communities, who directly depend on various components of the forest and wildlife for food, drink, medicines, etc.

ii. Impact on women: Within the poor, women are affected more than men. In many societies, women bear the major responsibility of collection of fuel, fodder, water and other basic needs. As these resources are depleted, the drudgery of women increases. Most of the time they have to walk for more than 10 km to collect the basic necessities. This causes serious health problems for women in the negligence of home and children because of the increased hours of work, which often has serious social implications.

iii. Poverty: The indirect impact of deforestation such as severe drought or deforestation- induced floods, etc. also hits the poor the hardest. It is considered as a direct outcome of environmental destruction. Most of the poor people or tribal people depend on forests for their basic needs. Now if the forests are destroyed, these poor people will be deprived of the basic necessities.

Therefore, forest and wildlife are vital to the quality of life and environment in the subcontinent. It is imperative to adapt to sound forest and wildlife conservation strategies.