Forest and Wildlife Resource

Flora and Fauna in India-

India has rich flora and fauna.
These diverse flora and fauna are well integrated into our daily lives.
Some estimates suggest that at least 10 per cent of India’s recorded wild flora and 20 per cent of its
mammals are on the threatened list.
Various plants and animal species are classified by International Union of Conservation of Nature and
Natural Resources as (IUCN) –

Normal Species Rare Species Vulnerable Endangered Extinct Species

Species Species

With normal With small With a decline These are in These are not
population population and in population danger of found in any
levels and a danger of these are most extinction with known areas
survival rate. moving to likely to be posed difficulty A species cn be
Sal, Cattles etc. vulnerable or endangered. in survival. extinct from
endangered Asiatic Black Buck, any region,
categories. Elephant, Crocodile etc. country or
Desert fox, Gangnetic entire earth.
hornbill etc. Dolphin etc. Asiatic
Cheetah, Pink
duck etc.

Endemic Species-
Factors that cause depletion of the flora and
 These are found
only in a particular
fauna-
area and are
usually isolated Human beings are majorly responsible for depletion
due to natural of forests and wildlife.
factors. Colonial period saw depletion of forests for the
 Andaman teal, expansion of railways, agriculture, mining and
Nicobar pigeon
plantation.
etc.
Major parts of North Eastern and Central India have
been cut by slash and burn or JHUM cultivation
technique.
Large scale development projects like Narmada Sagar
Project in MP have led to large scale deforestation.
Mining activities like in Buxwaha Tiger Reserve of WB have threatened wildlife.
 Fuel and fodder demands have also led to deforestation.

Unequal access, illegal hunting and poaching are responsible for wildlife destruction.
Overpopulation and over exploitation leads to expansion of human settlement into forest lands.
Due to loss of cultural diversity which is the marginalization and removal of forest-based
communities, have led to access been gained by greedy individuals.
Degradation indirectly leads to droughts or floods.
Poverty in this case is a direct impact of environmental degradation.

Conservation-
It safeguards ecological biodiversity and our life support systems.
It preserves genetic diversity.
Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 and formulation of protected species list were steps taken to
tackle this problem.
Endangered species were to be protected by banning hunting, poaching etc. Other species were also
given protection.
the tiger, the onehorned 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.
Conservation projects of today focus on biodiversity as a whole.
Wildlife Acts of 1980 and 1986 have provided protection to various insect species.

Types and distribution of Forest and Wildlife Resources-

(Managed by the Government through various departments under its control. )

Reserved Protected Unclassed

Forests Forests Forests
More than half Almost one- Other forests
of total third forest and
forested land. area. wastelands.
Termed as Protected from Belongs to
most valuable. any further private
depletion. individuals and
communites.

MP has the largest area under protected forests.

Community Conservation-
Many traditional communities see forests as part of their livelihood and home.
5 villages of Alwar, RJ have declared the forested land as a sanctuary to prevent its exploitation.
Chipko Andolan was a famous movement to resist felling of forested trees in the Himalayas.
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.
In India joint forest management (JFM) programme furnishes a good example for involving local
communities in the management and restoration of degraded forests.