CLASS IX

INTERDISCIPLINARY PROJECT
Geography
CHAPTER 5 - NATURAL VEGETATION AND WILDLIFE
History
CHAPTER 4 - FOREST SOCIETY AND COLONIALISM

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

● To categorize different types of forest during the colonial regime.

● To bring out the plight of Forest dwellers under colonial rule.

● To examine the reason behind commercial forestry.

● To devise ways to protect the forest vegetation and wildlife in India.

● To defend the role of government and the local communities in

protecting the forest cover.

REPORT ON

Different types of vegetation and the colonial forest policy and its
impact on forest societies.

PART - I
NATURAL VEGETATION AND WILDLIFE

INTRODUCTION

India is a vast country having different types of bio-forms and is ranked the
12th mega biodiversity country in the world. The country has many plant
species, flowering plants, nonflowering plants, species of animals and a
wide variety of fish in its fresh and marine waters.

TYPES OF VEGETATION

In India, the following major types of vegetation are found:

A. Tropical Evergreen Forests

1. These forests grow best in areas having rainfall of more than 200 cm
with a short dry season.
2. The trees reach great heights, up to 60 metres or even above.
3. It has vegetation of all kinds, i.e., trees, shrubs and creepers, giving it
a multilayered structure.
4. These forests appear green all the year-round.
5. Important trees of this forest are ebony, mahogany, rosewood, rubber
and cinchona.
6. Common animals found in these forests are elephants, monkeys,
lemurs and deer.

B. Tropical Deciduous Forests

These forests are also called monsoon forests.

1. They are spread over the region, having rainfall between 200 cm and
70 cm.
2. They shed their leaves for about 6 to 8 weeks in the dry summer.
3. In these forests, the common animals found are lions, tigers, pigs,
deer and elephants.

These forests are further divided into:

● Moist deciduous: These are found in areas having rainfall between

200 and 100 cm. Teak is the most dominant species of this forest.
 Bamboos, sal, shisham, sandalwood, khair, kusum, arjun and
mulberry are other commercially important species.
● Dry deciduous: These are found in areas having rainfall between 100
cm and 70 cm. There are open stretches in which teak, sal, peepal
and neem grow.

C. The Thorn Forests and Scrubs

1. Trees are scattered and have long roots penetrating deep into the soil
to get moisture.
2. The stems are moist to conserve water.
3. Leaves are mostly thick and small to minimize evaporation.
4. Acacias, palms, euphorbias and cacti are the main plant species.
5. Common animals are rats, mice, rabbits, foxes, wolves, tigers, lions,
wild donkeys, horses and camels.

D. Montane Forests

1. The wet temperate type of forests is found between a height of 1000

and 2000 metres.
2. At high altitudes, generally more than 3,600 metres above sea level,
temperate forests and grasslands give way to the Alpine vegetation.
3. Alpine grasslands are used for grazing.
4. At higher altitudes, mosses and lichens form part of tundra
vegetation.
5. The common animals found are Kashmir stag, spotted deer, wild
sheep, jackrabbit, Tibetan antelope, yak, snow leopard, squirrels,
shaggy horned wild ibex, bear and rare red panda, sheep and goats.

E. Mangrove Forests

1. The mangrove tidal forests are found in the areas of coasts

influenced by tides. Mud and silt accumulate on such coasts.
2. Dense mangroves are the common varieties with roots of the plants
submerged underwater.
 3. Sundari trees are found in the Ganga-Brahmaputra delta and provide
hard timber.
4. The Royal Bengal Tiger is a famous animal in these forests.

To protect the flora and fauna of the country, the government has
taken many steps:
(i) Eighteen biosphere reserves have been set up in the country to protect
flora and fauna.
(ii) Financial and technical assistance has been provided to many botanical
gardens by the government since 1992.
(iii) Project Tiger, Project Rhino, Project Great Indian Bustard and many
other eco-developmental projects have been introduced.
(iv) 103 National Parks, 563 Wildlife sanctuaries and Zoological gardens
are set up to take care of natural heritage.
(iv) Wildlife Protection Act was implemented in 1972 in India.

PART - II

THE EVOLUTION OF FOREST MANAGEMENT IN INDIA

Introduction

The disappearance of forests is referred to as deforestation. Deforestation

is not a recent problem. The process began many centuries ago; but under
colonial rule it became more systematic and extensive.

Need of the Forest Act / Commercial Forestry In India

The British were worried that the use of forests by local people and the
reckless felling of trees by traders would destroy forest So they decided to
invite a German expert, Dietrich Brandis, for advice, and made him the first
Inspector General of Forests in India. Dietrich Brandis realised that a
proper system had to be introduced to manage the forests and people had
to be trained in the science of conservation. This system would need legal
sanction. Rules about the use of forest resources had to be framed. Felling
of trees and grazing had to be restricted so that forests could be preserved
for timber production. Anybody who cut trees without following the system
had to be punished.

Forest Act of 1865

Dietrich Brandis set up the Indian Forest Service in 1864 and helped
formulate the Indian Forest Act of 1865. After the Forest Act was enacted in
1865, it was amended twice, once in 1878 and then in 1927. The 1878 Act
divided forests into three categories: reserved, protected and village
forests. The best forests were called reserved forests. Villagers could not
take anything from these forests, even for their own use. For house building
or fuel, they could take wood from protected or village forests.

Indian Forest Service

➔ Indian Forest service is the new name given to the Imperial Forest
service. Imperial forest service was established in India in 1864 by
British Government ruling at that time.
➔ In 1966 the name of Imperial Forest service was changed to Indian
Forest Service. The motto of the Indian Forest Service is ‘The Forest
is Earth’s delight’.
➔ For the protection of Natural resources of forests this service was set
up in 1864. Imperial Forest service at the time of the British , India
worked under the Federal government. Later by the Government of
India Act 1935 the subject of forestry was included under the
provincial list.
➔ At present the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change
is the controlling authority of Indian Forest Service.It ensures the
ecological stability of the country by protecting and maintaining
natural resources.
➔ Indian Forest Services came into existence from 1966. Before this, it
was established in British India in 1864 by the name of Imperial
Forest Service. So we can say that the Indian Forest service was set
up in 1866.

Plight of Forest Dwellers under Colonial Rule

i) The Forest Act meant severe hardship for villagers across the country.
ii) After the Act, all their everyday practices - cutting wood for their houses,
grazing their cattle, collecting fruits and roots, hunting and fishing became
illegal.
iii) People were now forced to steal wood from the forests, and if they were
caught, they were at the mercy of the forest guards who would take bribes
from them.
iv) Women who collected fuelwood were especially worried. It was also
common for police constables and forest guards to harass people by
demanding free food from them.

New Developments in Forestry

● Since the 1980s, governments across Asia and Africa have

begun to see that scientific forestry and the policy of keeping
forest communities away from forests has resulted in many
conflicts.
● Conservation of forests rather than collecting timber has
become a more important goal. The government has
recognised that in order to meet this goal, the people who live
near the forests must be involved.
● In many cases, across India, from Mizoram to Kerala, dense
forests have survived only because villages protected them in
sacred groves known as sarnas, devarakudu, kan, rai, etc.
● Some villages have been patrolling their own forests, with each
household taking it in turns, instead of leaving it to the forest
guards.
● Local forest communities and environmentalists today are
thinking of different forms of forest management.