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NCERT Solutions For Class 9 Social Science History Chapter 4 Forest Society and Colonialism - Free PDF Download

The document discusses the impact of colonial forest management on various groups, including shifting cultivators, nomadic communities, timber firms, plantation owners, and British officials, highlighting loss of livelihoods and exploitation. It also compares the colonial management of forests in Bastar and Java, noting the forced migration of forest dwellers. Additionally, it outlines factors contributing to forest cover decline in India between 1880 and 1920, such as railways, shipbuilding, agricultural expansion, and the effects of wars on forest resources.

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Mr.Nilesh Solanki
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18 views4 pages

NCERT Solutions For Class 9 Social Science History Chapter 4 Forest Society and Colonialism - Free PDF Download

The document discusses the impact of colonial forest management on various groups, including shifting cultivators, nomadic communities, timber firms, plantation owners, and British officials, highlighting loss of livelihoods and exploitation. It also compares the colonial management of forests in Bastar and Java, noting the forced migration of forest dwellers. Additionally, it outlines factors contributing to forest cover decline in India between 1880 and 1920, such as railways, shipbuilding, agricultural expansion, and the effects of wars on forest resources.

Uploaded by

Mr.Nilesh Solanki
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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NCERT Solutions for Class 9

Social Science
Chapter 4 – Forest Society and Colonialism

1. Discuss how the changes in forest management in the colonial period


affected the following groups of people:
i. Shifting cultivators
Ans. During the colonial period, the new forest laws barred shifting cultivation.
Many indigenous tribes who were shifting cultivators who depended upon this
method of agriculture for centuries faced the loss of their livelihood. They did not
have their land and banning this agricultural method forced them to migrate and
take up other occupations. Many shifting cultivators had to take up working in
the tea plantations.

ii. Nomadic and pastoralist communities


Ans. Nomadic and pastoralist communities depend on forest resources for their
livelihood. During the colonial period, the new forest laws took away their rights
to graze animals in the forest land. Hunting, gathering forest products such as
grass, leaves, bamboo, spices, honey etc. without permission became criminal
offences. Thus, those nomadic communities who depended on forests lost their
livelihood. They were declared as criminal tribes. Many Nomadic and pastoralist
communities had to shift towards working in factories, plantations, logging mills
under government management.

iii. Firms trading in timber/forest produce


Ans: During the colonial period, the new forest laws brought forests under the
hold of the British government as resources. Companies dealing with timber
production and other forest produce could take lease of the forest from the
government. The market was booming for forest products especially timber due
to its use in infrastructure, furniture making, ship making etc. Thus, firms
engaged in the timber trade and forest products made good profits.

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iv. Plantation owners
Ans. During the colonial period, the plantation owners could get forest land at
cheaper rates. Members of indigenous forest communities were recruited for
minimal wages as plantation labourers. Due to new policies, the plantation
labourers could not leave to go back to their villages. Thus, Plantation owners
gained not only ownership of the forest lands but also cheap labour to maintain
the business. Thus, the plantation business became profitable in colonial India.

v. Kings/British officials engaged in shikar


Ans. Though hunting was made illegal to the indigenous forest tribes and
common mass in colonial India, the same became a sport for Kings, zamindars
and British officials. British viewed killing large animals such as tigers, wolves,
leopards as a process to make India a civilised nation. Between 1875 −1925
approximately 80, 000 tigers, 1, 50, 000 leopards and 2, 00, 000 wolves were killed
alone in India. Thus, the population of wild species certainly declined.

2. What are the similarities between colonial management of the forests in


Bastar and Java?
Ans. The colonial management of forests in Bastar district of India and Java of
Indonesia can be noticed plainly. The colonial government took away the rights
of the forest dwellers and forced them to choose a different occupation. The forest
dwellers of both areas had to migrate and take on work in plantations under
British landowners.

3. Between 1880 and 1920 , forest cover in the Indian subcontinent declined
by 9.7 million hectares, from 108.6 million hectares to 98.6 million hectares.
Discuss the role of the following factors in this decline:
i. Railways
Ans. The British government started the construction of the railways in India after
establishing colonial rule. To supply a large number of wooden sleepers for the

Class IX Social Science www.vedantu.com 2


railway track, a large number of sal trees were cut. The government gave the
contractors full access to get timbers to form the forest. The forests around the
railway tracks soon disappeared.

ii. Shipbuilding
Ans. The British depended upon their navy for the expansion and maintenance of
large colonial areas over the world. The main trade routes during 1880 − 1920
were shipping routes. Thus, shipbuilding was a booming industry in Britain. The
colonial government used Indian forest as the resource for shipbuilding raw
materials such as Oak timbers. Thus, this industry contributed to the
disappearance of forests in India.

iii. Agricultural expansion


Ans. The growing population of Europe needed a large supply of food grains.
The British government used India as a supplier of grains. To meet the demand,
new forest areas were cleared to make way for agricultural land.

iv. Commercial farming


Ans. Before the colonial period, farmers mainly cultivated food grains. To supply
raw materials for the textile industry of Britain, the colonial government forced
the farmers to grow cash crops like cotton and indigo. Thus, Indian agriculture
became commercialized. To increase the cash crop production, new forest lands
were cleared to turn them into agricultural land.

v. Tea/coffee plantations
Ans. British brought tea and coffee cultivation in India as demand for them
increased in Britain. The climate of southern India was suited for coffee
cultivation and thus in many places of Karnataka coffee plantations were
established. Similarly, the northeastern hills and Darjeeling became the hubs for
tea cultivation. British individuals began to buy forest lands at a cheap rate and
forest dwellers were forced into plantation work for minimal wages. The forest
lands were cleared and plantations were built.

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vi. Adivasis and other peasant users
Ans. The forest dweller Adivasis depended on the forest for their livelihood.
They had always protected the forest lands. But forest law issued by the colonial
government left them without any rights over forest lands. So, they have less
impact on deforestation during 1880 − 1920 . But at the same time, other peasants
took the opportunity to increase agricultural land areas.

4. Why are forests affected by wars?


Ans. During wars, forests become resources to supply wood. The bombings and
fire destroy forest cover and kill many plants and animals. Forests are cut down
to build new military bases, air stations. As the world had observed, during World
War II, the Dutch burned down sawmills and teak logs in the jungle area in Java
to keep those resources out of the Japanese army’s hands. The destroyed forest
became exposed for agriculture and was never returned.

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