Ch.

16 - Natural Vegetation and Wildlife

Q.1 What do you understand by Natural Vegetation?

Natural Vegetation refers to a group of plants and trees that is growing naturally in
any region controlled by the climatic conditions of the region.

Q2. Mention the factors that impact the growth of natural vegetation in an area.

(a) Type of soil:- Depending on the type of soil found in a region, the type of vegetation
found also differs.
 Sandy desert soil supports cactus and thorny bushes.
 Wet marshy and deltaic soil supports mangroves.
 Hill slopes have coniferous trees.

(b) Variation in Climate:- As the climate differs from one climatic zone to the other, the
vegetation also changes.
(c) Photoperiod (length of the day) :- Longer the duration of sunlight, trees grow faster.
(d) Precipitation:- Dense vegetation will be found in areas of heavy rainfall.

Q3. What is a grassland? What are the two types?

Grassland is a flat and open area where grass is the predominant plant. Grasslands are of
two types; Tropical grasslands and Temperate grasslands.

Q4. Differentiate between tropical evergreen and tropical monsoon forests of India.

Tropical Evergreen Tropical Deciduous

 These forests are found in hot and wet
parts of the country
 High temperatures and heavy rainfall
support dense forests
 They remain green throughout the year
and hence called evergreen.
 The common trees found here are
hardwood trees such as mahogany,
ebony, rubber and rosewood
 The major areas where tropical
evergreen forests found are the
Western Ghats and in Assam,
Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, West
Bengal and the Andaman and Nicobar
 These are the most widespread forest
found in India and are also known as
monsoon forest.
 This is marked by seasonal rainfall
(MONSOON)
 They shed their leaves in summers.
 The trees found here are Sal, teak,
sandalwood and bamboo are the
common species.
 Deciduous forests are found in the
eastern slopes of Western Ghats,
Odisha, Bihar, Jharkhand etc.
 Islands.

Q5. Explain the different types of Natural Vegetation found in India.

i. Tropical Evergreen forest

These are located in areas receiving heavy rainfall such as the Western Ghats and the
north east, Andaman and Nicobar Islands etc. Since the trees are always green, they are
called as evergreen forest. Some of the important trees include mahogany, ebony and
rubber and rosewood.
ii. Tropical Deciduous forest
The trees are shorter and shed their leaves at the beginning of summer. Therefore they are
also called monsoon forests. They are found in the eastern slopes of Western Ghats,
Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Bihar and Jharkhand. The important trees include teak, sal,
sandalwood, bamboos and canes.
iii. Tidal or Mangrove forest
These are found along the deltas and estuaries of rivers. The main feature of the trees are
their roots are seen partly above the ground. Such roots are called Pendent roots. They
help in reducing the effect of tides at shore. These forests are found in the deltas of rivers
Ganges, Godavari, Mahanadi and Krishna.
iv. Tropical thorn and shrub forests
These forests have coarse grass and trees with short stems like babul and kasavi. Palm
and Keekar trees are also found. They are found in the Central parts of Deccan plateau,
southern parts of Maharashtra, Bellary of Karnataka etc.
v. Desert Vegetation.

The trees here are deep rooted, have thick leaves and thorns. Babul, palms, wild dates and
cactus are the important plants that grow near the oasis. The Thar desert of Rajasthan, the
borders of Punjab, Haryana and Gujarat have this type of vegetation.

vi. Himalayan Vegetation/Alpine Vegetation

These forests are also known as Coniferous forests, as most of the trees have seeds which
form a cone shape. It is mainly located at high latitudes in the Himalayas. Here, the low
temperature supports coniferous trees like Pine, Oak, Spruce, Chestnut, Silver fir etc.
Q6. Conservation of forests and wildlife is essential. Why?
Conservation of forests and wildlife is essential as humans have destroyed much of the
natural vegetation by clearing and felling trees for fuel, burning them to make way for
agriculture, industries and settlements.
Apart from destruction by man, other factors like fire, insects, diseases and storms are
also responsible for the destruction of natural vegetation.
As a result, many of our plant and animal species are in the verge of extinction, while
some are already wiped out from our natural environment.
Q7. What are the initiatives adopted by different countries to stop exploitation and
destruction of forests?
The various initiatives are as follows:

 Protecting the forest reserves.

 Increasing the area under forest cover
 Discourage shifting cultivation.
 Protecting forests from fires.
 Planting adequate trees.
 Encouraging social forestry.
 Preventing overgrazing
 Protecting forests from insects and pests.
 Establishing forest nurseries.
 Creating awareness among people about the importance of forests through various media
platforms.
Q8. What are the major threats to wildlife?
Wildlife is also a valuable natural resource which not only help in maintaining ecological
balance, but also beneficial from economical, aesthetic and recreational point of view.

With the expansion of agriculture, settlement, industrial and other developmental

activities, mass scale killing of wild animals for meat, bones, fur, teeth, hair, skin etc.has
increased, which results in animal extinction.

Deforestation is also one of the reasons for the loss of wildlife.

Q9. The need of wildlife conservation has become a necessity. How can it be done?
By following the given steps, we can conserve wildlife.
a. Surveying and collecting information including their total count and growth.
b. Protecting natural habitats from pollution and natural hazards.
c. Restricting hunting and capturing of wild animals.
d. Protecting endangered species.
e. Developing general awareness at national and international level on wild life
conservation.