Made By Sankalp singh

FORESTS AND WILDLIFE RESOURCES

• FORESTS PLAY A VITAL ROLE IN THE ECOLOGICAL SYSTEM BY CONTROLING THE CLIMATE , PROVIDIING RAINFALL AND BY BEING THE PRIMARY PRODUCERS ON WHICH ALL LIVING BEINGS DEPEND.

• BIODIVERSITY: DIVERSITY OF FLORA AND FAUNA CLOSELY KNIT TOGETHER THROUGH A NETWORK OF INTERDEPENDENCIES.

• INDIA IS A COUNTRY WITH A TOTAL OF 8% OF THE WORLD’S TOTAL NUMBER OF SPECIES.

• THE DIVERSE FLORA AND FAUNA ARE UNDER THREAT AND CAN BE CATEGORISED AS ‘CRITICAL’ LIKE

LEOPARD

PIN HEADED DUCK

FOREST SPOTTED OWLET

MOUNTAIN QUAIL

MADHUCA INSIGNIS

HUBBARDIA HEPTANEURON

VANISHING FORESTS

CLASSIFICATION OF SPECIES• BASED ON THE INTERNATIONAL UNION FOR

CONSERVATION OF NATURE AND NATURAL RESOURCES FORESTS ARE CATEGORISED INTO SIX:

• NORMAL SPECIES• ENDANGERED SPECIES• VULNERABLE SPECIES• RARE SPECIES• ENDEMIC SPECIES• EXTINCT SPECIES

• NORMAL SPECIES: THEIR POPULATION LEVELS ARE CONSIDERED NORMAL FOR THEIR SURVIVAL;

• FOR EX: CATTLE, SAL, PINE, RODENTS

ENDANGERED SPECIES

• THESE ARE THE SPECIES IN DANGER OF EXTINCTION AND ARE DIFFICULT TO SURVIVE IF THE FACTORS RESPONSIBLE FOR THEIR DECLINE CONTINUE.

• FOR EX: INDIAN WILD ASS, CROCODILE, INDIAN RHINO

LION TAILED MACAQUEBLACK BUCK

SANGAI

VULNERABLE SPECIES

• THESE ARE THE SPECIES WHOSE DECLINE IN NUMBER MAY LIKELY SEND THEM INTO ENDANGERED CATEGORY .

• FOR EX: ASIATIC ELEPHANT,

GANGETIC DOLPHIN

BLUE SHEEP

RARE SPECIES

• THESE ARE THE SPECIES THAT MAY MOVE INTO THE VULNERABLE OR ENDANGERED CATEGORY IF THE FACTORS RESPONSIBLE CONTINUE TO BE SO.

• FOR EX: WILD ASIATIC BUFFALO,

DESERT FOX

HIMALAYAN BROWN BEAR

HORNBILL

ENDEMIC SPECIES• THESE ARE THE SPECIES FOUND ONLY IN A PARTICULAR

AREA USUALLY ISOLATED BY GEOGRA PHICAL OR NATURAL BARRIER.

• FOR EX:

NICOBAR PIGEON

ANDAMAN WILD PIG

ANDAMAN TEAL MITHUN

EXTINCT SPECIES• THESE ARE THE SPECIES WHICH ARE NO MORE

EXISTENT IN THE KNOWN AREAS OR OTHER AREAS LIKELY TO BE FOUND.

• FOR EX: THE PINK HEADED DUCK, CHEETAH.

FACTORS RESPONSIBLE FOR DEPLETION OF FLORA AND FAUNA

• EXTACTION OF FOREST RESOURCES FOR VARIOUS PURPOSES LIKE WOOD, BARS, LEAVES, RUBBER, MEDICINE, DYES, FUEL, FODDER, MANURE ETC.

• INCREASING LAND AREA UNDER AGRICULTURE• SHIFTING CULTIVATION OR JHUMING CARRIED OUT BY THE TRIBALS. • APART FROM THESE THE MOST DAMAGE OF THE FORESTS WAS CARRIED

OUT DURING THE COLONIAL PERIOD FOR EXAPNSION OF RAILWAYS, SCIENTIFIC FORESTRY, AGRICULTURE ETC.

• MINING, LARGE SCALE DEVELOPMENTAL PROJECTS LIE DAMS.• THE MOST DAMAGING FACTOR IS GRAZING AND FUEL WOOD

COLLECTION • EXAMPLES OF FORESTS DEPLETION FOR DEVELOPMENTAL PROJECTS-

NARMADA SAGAR PROJECT IN MP MAY INUNDATE 40000HECT OF FORESTS, THE BUXA TIGER RESERVE IN WB THREATENED BY DOLOMITE MINING.

• THE PROTECTED AREAS MEAN DIFFERENT THINGS TO DIFFERENT PEOPLE……..

JUSTIFY……

• ACCORDING TO ENVIRONMENTALISTS THE MAIN FACTORS RESPONSIBLE FOR DEPLETION OF FOREST ARE FUEL WOOD COLLECTION AND GRAZING BUT IT’S A KNOWN FACT THAT A HUGE PART OF THE FUEL FODDER DEMAND IS MET BY LOPPING TREES INSTEAD OF FELLING IT I.E; CUTTING QUICK SMALL PARTS LIKE BRANCHES. THESE FORESTS ARE HOME OF MANY VALUABLE PRODUCTS WHICH IN TURN ARE ESSENTIAL RESOURCES FOR THE INDUSTRIAL – URBAN ECONOMY.THIS DIFFERENCE IN OPINION LEAD TO CONFLICTS.

HIMALAYAN YEW• TAXUS WALLACHIANA OR THE HIMALAYAN YEW IS A

MEDICINAL PALNT FOUND IN THE STATES OF HIMACHAL PRADESH AND ARUNACHAL PRADESH. THE TAXOL EXTRACTED FROM THE PARTS OF THE TREE IS USED AS AN ANTI CANCER DRUG. DUE TO OVER EXPLOITATION THIS SPECIES IS UNDER THREAT.

OTHER FACTORS RESPONSIBLE FOR DECLINE IN BIODIVERSITY

• HABITAT DESTRUCTION• HUNTING AND POACHING• ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION AND POISONING• FOREST FIRES• OTHER FACTORS RESPONSIBLE FOR

ENVIRONMENTAL DESTRUCTION• UNEQUAL ACCESS• INEQUITABLE CONSUMPTION OF RESOURCES• DIFFERENTIAL SHARING OF RESPONSIBILITY• OVER POPULATION

• THE DESTRUCTION OF FORESTS IS NOT JUST A BIOLOGICAL ISSUE BUT IT IS CORELATED WITH THE LOSS OF CULTURAL DIVERSITY…..

• THE FOREST DEPENDENT COMMUNITIES DEPEND UPON THE FORESTS FOR THEIR LIVELIHOOD, CULTURE AND SPIRITUALITY.THE WOMEN ARE THE MOST EFFECTED BECAUSE THE DEPLETION OF FOREST RESOURCES THE DRUDGERY OF THE WOMEN INCREASES AS THEY SOMETIMES HAVE THE MAJOR RESPONSIBILTY OF COLLECTING FUEL, FODDER AND OTHER BASIC NEEDS. THIS MAY CAUSE HEALTH PROBLEMS , NEGLIGENCE OF HOME AND CHILDREN DUE TO LONG HOURS OF WORK WHICH MAY HAVE FURTHER SOCIAL IMPLICATIONS. OTHER IMPACTS OF SUCH ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATION IS INDUCED FLOODS AND DROUGHT WHICH IMPACTS MOSTLY THE POOR. IN SUCH CASES POVERTY IS AN OUTCOME OF ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATION. HENCE IT IS IMPORTANT TO CONSERVE WILDLIFE.

CONSERVATION OF FORESTS AND WILDLIFE

• CONSERVATION OF FORESTS IS IMPOTANT TO PRESERVE THE ECOLOGICAL DIVERSITY AS WELL AS SOIL, WATER AND AIR.

• THE INDIAN WILDLIFE PROTECTION ACT 1972 TO PROTECT HABITATS.

• A IST OF PROTECTED SPECIES WAS PUBLISHED TO PROTECT THEIR REMAINING POPULATION BY BANNING HUNTING AND POACHING AND RESTRICTING TRADE IN WILDLIFE PRODUCTS.

• ESTABISHMENT OF WILDLIFE SANCTUARIES AND NATIONAL PARKS

• INITIATION OF PROJECTS LIKE PROJECT TIGER, PROJECT RHINO, PROJECT GHARIAL TO PROTECT PARTICULAR SPECIES.

TYPES AND DISTRIBUTION OF FOREST• IN INDIA THE FOREST AND WILDLIFE RESOURCES ARE EITHER

CONTROLLED AND MANAGED BY THE FOREST DEPT OR OTHER GOVT DEPTS BASED ON WHICH THEY AREN CLASSIFIED INTO:

COMMUNITY AND CONSERVATION

• FORESTS ARE THE HOME FOR THE TRIBAL COMMUNITIES, IN MANY AREAS THESE COMMUNITIES ALONG WITH THE GOVT, ARE WORKING TO PROTECT THE FORESTS.

• FOR EX: IN SARISKA TIGER RESERVE, RAJASTHAN, THE VILLAGERS HAVE FOUGHT AGAINST MINING BY CITING WILDLIFE PROTECTION ACT

• Bhairodev Dakav Sonchuri :– The inhabitants of five villages in the Alwar district of Rajasthan have declared 1200 hectares of forests as the Bhairodev Dakav Sonchuri declaring their own set of rules and regulation which do not allow hunting, and are protecting the wildlife against any outside encroachments.

SACRED GROVES• Nature worship: - Nature worship is an age

old tribal belief based on the premise that all creations of nature have to protected, such beliefs have preserved several virgin forests in pristine form called sacred grooves, these patches of forests or parts of large forests have been left untouched by the local people and any interference with them is banned .

• Bishnoi villages :– In and around Bishnoi villages in Rajasthan, herds of blackbuck, Nilgai and peacocks can be seen as an integral part of the community and nobody harms them.

• Chipko movement: – This movement headed by Shri Sunderlal Bahaguna 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.

• Beej Bachao Andolan And Navdanya: - attempts to revive the traditional conservation methods or developing new methods of ecological farming are now widespread. 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): - This 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 Orissa passed the first resolution for join forest management. JFM depends on the formation of local (village) institutions that undertake protection activities mostly on degrade forest land managed by the forest department. In return, the members of these communities are entitled to intermediary benefits like non – timber forests produce and share in the timber harvested by successful protection