Forest society,Colonialism

and Wildlife
Made by- Vaidika Soni
IX D
9436
⮚ Impact of Colonialism on Forest societies &
Concept of Forest as a Resource in Colonialism

❖ In this process of the forest society and colonialism, the large

areas of forest were cleared for cultivating commercial crops
such as rubber, tea, coffee, etc. The British rulers used the
areas because they can produce the crops at cheap rates and
sell them in Europe at a high price.
❖ In the nineteenth century, the colonial state regarded forests as
unproductive. Forests were considered to be wilderness in the
past. Colonial rulers told to keep it under cultivation so that it
can yield agricultural products and enhance the income of the
state.
 ⮚ Causes and Effects of Forest-based rebellions in
History
❖ Causes of Bastar rebellion:
❖ In 1905, the colonial government proposed to reserve two-thirds of the forest and stop
shifting cultivation, hunting and collection of forest produce.
❖ Some villages were allowed to stay on in the reserved forests on the condition that they
worked free for the forest department in cutting and transporting trees, and protecting
the forest from fire.
❖ People of other villages were displaced without any notice or compensation.
❖ Villagers had been suffering from increased land rents and frequent demands for free
labour and goods by colonial officials.
❖ The terrible famines came, in 1899-1900 and again in 1907-1908 made the condition
worst ultimately turned in rebellion.
❖ Consequences of Bastar rebellion:
❖ In a major victory for the rebels, work on reservation was temporarily suspended.
❖ The area to be reserved was reduced to roughly half of that planned before 1910.
⮚ impact of human activity on forests in Java

❖ Humans have converted forest to agricultural and urban uses,

exploited species, fragmented wildlands, changed the
demographic structure of forests, altered habitat, degraded the
environment with atmospheric and soil pollutants, introduced
exotic pests and competitors, and domesticated favored species.
❖ The most serious dangers to forests around the world
are deforestation and forest degradation. Deforestation occurs
when forests are converted to non-forest uses such as
agriculture and road development.
⮚ How changes in land use,agriculture and industry
have impacted the forests
❖ Agriculture contributes to a number larger of environmental issues that
cause environmental degradation including: climate change, deforestation,
biodiversity loss, dead zones, genetic engineering, irrigation problems,
pollutants, soil degradation, and waste.
❖ Java is one of the famous Sunda Islands in Indonesia; bordered by
the Indian Ocean to the South and the Java Sea in the North. The
population of Java is 147.7 million people, making it one of the most
populous islands with approximately 55% of the Indonesian
population. It is known as an Indonesian rice-producing island but it
was originally mostly covered by forests. The Dutch were the colonial
power in Indonesia, and the regulations for forest control in Indonesia
and India were very similar. The Dutch began forest management on
the Indonesian island of Java. They, like the British, desired Java
timber for shipbuilding .
 ⮚ Conversion of forest into agricultural land and the
need
❖ The conversion of timber into agrarian land is a process that involves the clearing of trees and other
foliage to make way for husbandry conditioning. This process has been passing for centuries, and it
continues to this day. The need for agrarian land arises from the growing demand for food as the
world's population increases.
❖ One of the main differences between timber and agrarian land is their ecological function. timbers are home
to a different range of factory and beast species, and they play a pivotal part in regulating the Earth's climate
by absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Agrarian land, on the other hand, is primarily used for
growing crops or raising beast to produce food.
❖ Another difference between timber and agrarian land is their profitable value. timbers can be a source of
timber, on-timber timber products, and ecotourism profit. Agrarian land, on the other hand, can induce
income through the trade of crops or beast.
❖ Still, the conversion of timber into agrarian land can have negative impacts on the terrain. Deforestation can
lead to soil corrosion, loss of biodiversity, and increased hothouse gas emigrations. It can also have social
impacts by displacing indigenous communities who calculate on timbers for their livelihoods.
❖ Despite these negative impacts, there's a need for agrarian land to meet the growing demand for food.
According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization( FAO), global food product will need to
increase by 70 by 2050 to feed a projected population of 9.7 billion people.
❖ In conclusion, while there's a need for agrarian land to meet the growing demand for food, the
conversion of timber into agrarian land can have negative impacts on the terrain and society. It's
important to balance these contending requirements and find ways to increase food product without
immolating our natural coffers.
⮚ characteristics of tropical evergreen forest including
their climate, soil and flora/fauna
❖ Tropical evergreen forests are dense, multi-layered, and contain many types
of flora and fauna. These forests are located in areas with heavy rainfall
(more than 200 cm of annual rainfall). They are very dense. Even sunlight
cannot reach the ground.

Plant Species in Animal Species in

Tropical Evergreen Tropical Evergreen
Forests Forests ❖ Tropical evergreen forests of India are found in
the Andaman and Nicobar Islands , the Western
Elephants Monkeys Ghats, which fringe the Arabian Sea, the coastline
Ebony Mahogany Lemur Deer One-
of peninsular India, and the greater Assam region
Horned Rhino (Assam,
Rosewood Rubber West Bengal) Birds in the north-east. Small remnants of evergreen
Cinchona Bats Sloth Scorpions forest are found in Odisha state.
Snails

❖ The soil found in the tropical evergreen forest falls

into two categories, ultisols and oxisols. Both
types of soil are nutrient-poor, leached of
nutrients and particularly lacking in calcium and
phosphorous.
⮚ challenges faced by tropical evergreen forests

❖ 3 major threats to tropical rainforest are:-

❖ Deforestation and fragmentation, over-exploitation, invasive species
and climate change are the main drivers of tropical forest
biodiversity loss. Most studies investigating these threats have
focused on changes in species richness or species diversity.
❖ Deforestation is one of the biggest threats to tropical rainforests.
After cutting down trees, the land is often burned to prepare the soil
for farming. A 2022 report shows that 13.2% of the original Amazon
forest biome has been lost due to deforestation and other causes.
❖ Heavy rains (monsoons, hurricanes, typhoons, etc.), animal or
insect infestations, and direct sunlight exposure are the most
common concerns for firewater system components located in
tropical locations.
⮚ impact of forest transformation on society, economy
and environment in java
❖ The similarities between India and java forest management in
earlier time are:-
❖ In both cases, they started forest management. The British
wanted timber from Baster to build ships. Like the British, the
Dutch wanted timber to build ships.
❖ From Baster many communities were forced to leave their old
regions and forest areas. In Java, also many villagers were forced
to leave the fertile forests and move to the mountains and gave
up practicing shifting agriculture.
❖ In some forests and areas of Java the people of several
communities raised the banner of rebellion as the same was done
by different people of Bastar in India, but colonial government in
Java as well as Baster were successful in crushing the rebellions.
 ⮚ how colonialism has affected the forests biodiversity

❖ The exploitation of natural resources by colonial powers led to

deforestation, habitat destruction, and species extinction.
Indigenous communities, who have long depended on forests for
their livelihoods and cultural practices, faced displacement, loss
of land rights, and disruption of their traditional ways of life.
❖ Due to colonialism, the area under the forest began to shrink.
The Britishers used to collect taxes for these lands that do not
do cultivation. The loss of forests led to the creation of villages
which resulted in the collection of taxes. The forests in India
were inexhaustible.