Forest and Wildlife Resources

Short Answer Questions

Each of the following questions is of 3 marks.
1. How are flora and fauna in India under great threat?
Ans, India is one of the world's richest countries in flora and fauna. This diverse
flora and fauna are so well integrated in our daily life.
(i) But they are under great stress mainly due to insensitivity towards the
environment,
(ii) Some estimates suggest that at least 10 per cent of India's wild flora and 20
per cent of mammals are on the threatened list.
(iii) Many of these are on the verge of extinction like the cheetah, pink headed
duck, plants the Madhuca, etc.
2. Name three tribes in India which have helped immensely in the conservation
of plant and animal life.
Ans. (i) The Mundoos and Santhals of Chotanagpur region worship Mahua and
Kadamba trees,
(ii) Tribals of Odisha and Bihar worship the tamarind and mango trees during
weddings. Therefore, destruction of these trees is banned.
(iii) In Rajasthan, herds of blackbuck, nilgai and peacock are found around the
villages of Bishnoi and are considered an integral part of the community and
nobody harms them.
3. Why do we need to conserve our forests and wildlife?
Ans. (i) Conservation preserves the ecological diversity and our life support
systems-water, air and soil.
(ii) It also preserves the genetic diversity of plants and animals for better growth
of species and breeding
(iii) We humans along with all living organisms form a complex web of ecological
systems in which we are only a part and very much dependent on this system for
our own existence.
4.What is Beej Bachao Andolan?
Ans. The Beej Bachao Andolan was founded in 1980 by Vijay Jardheri in Tehri and
Navdanya which has been demonstarted that it is feasible and profitable to
produce advertised crops without the use of synthetic chemicals.
5. What are the scientific names of Mahua, Kadamba, Tamrind and Mango
trees?
Ans. Scientific names of following trees are as follows:
(i) Mahua- Bassia latifolia (ii) Kadamba- Anthocaphalus cadamba (ii) Tamrind-
Tamrindus Indica (iv) Mango- Magnifera Indica.
6. How is mining an important factor behind deforestation?
Ans. (i) The Buxa Tiger Reserve in West Bengal is seriously threatened by the
ongoing dolomite mining.
(ii) It has disturbed the natural habitat of many species and blocked the
migration route of several others, including the great Indian Elephant.
7. What were the provisions of The Indian Wildlife Act of 1972?
Ans.
(i) It was implemented with various provisions for protecting habitats.
(ii) The thrust of the programme was towards protecting the remaining
population of certain endangered species by banning hunting, giving legal
protection to their habitats and restricting trade in wildlife.
8. Name some of the important tiger reserves of India.
Ans. Corbett National Park in Uttarakhand, Sundarbans National Park in West
Bengal, Bandhavgath National Park in Madhya Pradesh. Sariska Wildlife
Sanctuary in Rajasthan, Manas Tiger reserve in Assam and Periyar Tiger Reserve
in Kerala are some of the tiger reserves of India.
9.How are villagers of Alwar district of Rajasthan struggling to conserve their
forests and wildlife?
Ans. The inhabitants of five villages in the Alwar District of Rajasthan have
declared 1.200 hectares of forests as 'Bhairodev Dakay Sonchuri' declaring their
own set of rules and regulations which do not allow hunting and are protecting
the wildlife against any outside encroachments.
10. "Grazing and fuel wood collections are not responsible for deforestation in
India." Support the statement with suitable reasons.
Ans. (i) Many environmentalists hold the view that grazing and fuel wood
collections are responsible for the depletion of forests
(ii) But actually more trees are cut for the need of teak wood for furniture or
other requirements,
(iii) Due to rapid industrialisation demand of wood and land made the forests fall
due to urbanisation, forests are cleared for the settlement of people.
11. Assess the need for conservation of forests and wildlife in India.
Ans. (i) Conservation preserves the ecological diversity and our life support
systems-water, air and soil
(ii) It also preserves the genetic diversity of plants and animals for better growth
of species and breeding.
(ii) In agriculture, we are still dependent on traditional crop varieties. Fisheries,
too, are heavily dependent on the maintenance of aquatic biodiversity.
12. "Forest & wildlife are vital to the quality of life and environment." Justify
this statement by giving three reasons.
Ans. (i) In many societies, women collect fuel, fodder, water and other basic
needs. As these resources are getting depleted, the burden of women has
increased and sometimes, they have to walk many kilometres to collect these
resources.
(ii) This causes serious health problems to women and negligence of their home
and children because of the increased hours of work.
(iii) The indirect impact of degradation such as droughts or floods, also hit the
poor the hardest Poverty in these cases is a direct result of environmental
destruction.
13. "Nature worship is an age-old belief." Explain how it has helped in the
conservation of forests and wildlife.
Ans. Nature worship is an age-old tribal belief based on the belief that all
creations of nature have to be protected. Such beliefs have preserved several
virgin forests in pristine form. These are called 'Sacred Groves'.
These patches of forests have been left untouched by the local people and any
interference with them is banned. Some particular trees in the category are-
mahua, kadamba, tamarind, peepal, banyan, tulsi, etc. All these trees are
protected by local tribes of various regions of India and are worshipped
or their leaves are used for auspicious occasions like weddings, some religious
ceremonies and festivals like Diwali.
Long Answer Questions
Each of the following questions is of 5 marks.
1.What methods of conservation have been adopted by the Indian
government?
Ans.(i) In the 1960's and 1970's, conservationists demanded a national wildlife
protection programme.
(ii) The Indian Wildlife Act was implemented in 1972, with provisions for
protecting habitats.
(iii) An all India list of protected species was also published.
(iv) The thrust of the programme was on protecting the remaining population of
certain endangered species by banning hunting activities, giving legal protection
to their habitats and restricting trade in wildlife.
(v) Then the central and many state governments established national parks and
wildlife sanctuaries.
(vi) The Central government also announced several projects for protecting
specific animals, which were gravely threatened like the tiger, the one-horned
rhinoceros, the Kashmir stag and crocodiles ,leopard
(vii) Recently the Indian elephant, black buck, the great Indian bustard and the
snow have been given full or partial legal protection against hunting and trade
throughout India.
2. Mention the private and governmental steps taken to conserve forests and
wildlife?
Ans. In some areas of India, local communities are struggling to conserve forests
and wildlife along with government officials, to secure their own livelihood.
(i) The famous Chipko Movement in the Himalayas was organised which has not
only successfully resisted deforestation in several areas but has also shown that
community afforestation with indigenous species can be enormously successful.
(ii) Attempts to revive the traditional conservation methods or developing new
methods of ecological farming are now widespread.
(ii) In India, the Joint Forest Management (JFM) Programme furnishes as a good
example for involving local communities in the management and restoration of
degraded forests.
(iv) 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'.
(v) The Central Government has announced several projects for protecting
specific animals, which were gravely threatened including the tiger, one-horned
Rhinoceros, etc.
3. What are the three types and distribution of forests and wildlife resources?
Explain.
 Ans. The government of India either owns or manages a large portion of its
forests and wildlife resources through the forest department and other
communities. These are classified into following three categories:
(i) Reserved forests: The government has designated reserved forests on more
than half of the total forestland. When it comes to the preservation of forest and
wildlife resources, reserved forests are thought to be the most valuable.
(ii) Protected forests: According to the forest department, protected trees makes
up close to one-third of the total forest area. These forest are protected against
further depletion.
(iii) Unclassed forests: These are additional forests and wastelands that are
owned by the government as well as by private people and groups. Whereas,
reserved and protected forests cover 75% of the world's total forest area, with
large portions in Jammu and Kashmir, Andhra Pradesh, Uttrakhand, Kerala, Tamil
Nadu, West Bengal and Maharashtra.
Very Short Answer Questions
Each of the following questions is of 2 marks.
1. What is the role of forests in the ecological system?
Ans. Key role-forests are the primary producers on which all other living beings
depend.
2.Why did the reserved and protected forests are also referred to as permanent
forests?
Ans.For the purpose of producing timber and other forests products, as well as
for protective reasons.
3.How much of the total forest land has been declared as reserved forests?
Ans. More than half of the total forest land has been declared as reserved
forests.
4.What is the motto of Bhairodey Dakay 'Sonchuri' of declaring their own set of
rules and regulations?
Ans. To forbid hunting and defend wildlife from outside intrusions.
5. List some protected species which have been added under Wildlife Act
of 1980 and 1986?
Ans. Several hundered butterflies (i) Moths (ii) Beetles (iii) One dragonfly.
6. What was the main objective of Beej Bachao Andolan?
Ans. Protecting and promoting traditional crop varities.
7.How many national parks in India?
Ans.101 National parks.
8.Which forests are categorised as 'unclassed forests'?
Ans. These are other forests and wastelands belonging to both government and
private individuals and communities.
9. Which forests are 'Protected Forests'?
Ans. Almost one third of the total forest area is protected forest, as declared by
the Forest Department. These forest lands are protected from any further
depletion.
10.What do you know about the Chipko Movement?
Ans. The famous Chipko Movement resisted deforestation in several areas and
showed that community afforestation with indigenous species can be
enormously successful.
11.What do you understand by Joint Forest Management Programme?
Ans. JPM means Joint Forest Management Programme. In it, local communities
are involved in the management and restoration of degraded forests in India.
12.What is biodiversity? Name any one biodiversity hotspots of India.
Ans. Biodiversity is the number and variety of plants, animals and other
organisms that are living in an ecosystem. The Western Ghats is one of the
biodiversity hotspots in India.