INDIA-NATURAL

VEGETATION, WILDLIFE C

AND CONSERVATION.
Objective: Wildlife and conservation- to ensure long-term forest productivity and conservation of forest resources
through prompt reforestation, soil conservation, afforestation, and other measures. To protect water quality in
streams, lakes, and other water bodies.
Natural vegetation- Vegetation provides shelter to animals and provides us with timber and many other forest
produce. Plants also produce oxygen when they make food and oxygen is the gas we breathe. Plants protect soil from
degradation. Plants help in recharging the groundwater .
Vegetation belts in India

• Tropical rainforest
• Tropical rainforest are found in regions that go through high annual rainfall of over 200cm.The forests
are called as evergreen forests as the trees retain their leaves throughout the year.
• Location-Tropical rainforests are found in the Western Ghats and other west parts of West Bengal,
Assam, the North-East and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Parts of these forests have been cleared for
plantations, such as-Tea, Coffee, Rubber and Spices.
• Climate-warm and wet defines tropical rainforests climate.The average temperature is above
30°.Tropical rainforests have hot and humid climate where it rains almost the whole year.
• Flora and Fauna d

• Flora-Rosewood, Mahogany, ebony and other large number of hardwood trees are often found in the
tropical rainforests.
• Fauna-Monkeys, snakes, frogs, lizards, rodents, butterflies, toucan, gorilla and other animals are found
in the tropical rainforests.

• FACTS!-90% of plant and animal species are to be found in Tropical rainforests.

The growing season is 365 days, no seasons..
Rainfall is heavy and mainly convectional.
More than 2000 tropical forest plants are found by scientists that have anti-cancer
…………………………………….properties.
Tropical Deciduous forest
Tropical
Deciduo
us forest

• Tropical Deciduous forest are found in the regions that receive an annual rainfall of 80-200cm.They face
a long dry season, trees shed their leaves during the dry season and fresh leaves grow in the start of rainy
season.
• These forests are also called as monsoon forests.Teak, sandalwood and sal are economically useful trees
found in this forest.
• There are less plant species in this forest than Tropical rainforest.
• Location-Tropical Deciduous forest are found in the foothill zone Himalayas from, Jammu to West
Bengal, and in most parts if the peninsular plateau and the ganga plains.
dsa

• Climate-Tropical deciduous forest has a moist continental climate. The temperature can rise to 70° in
summer and 32° in winter.

• Flora and Fauna

• Flora- oak, birch, beech, aspen, elm, flowers, plants, ferns, mosses and maple grow in Tropical
deciduous forests.
• Fauna- Lion, tiger, pig, deer, elephant, bears, raccoons, squirrels, skunks, wood mice and deer are found
in Tropical deciduous forest.

• FACTS!- Animals in Deciduous Forests Use Camouflage.

• Insects Lay Eggs Before Perishing in the Winter.
• Animals in Deciduous Forests Have to Adapt to the Seasons to Survive.
 Thorn Forests

• Thorn forests occur in regions of low rainfall.The plants have deep roots and thick, thorny or waxy
leaves.These plants are adapted to the dry conditions.
• Location-These forests occur in the arid areas of Rajasthan, Gujarat, Punjab and Haryana and are also
found in the interior of the Peninsular Plateau.
• Climate-These plants are adapted to dry conditions. The average temperature around the year is 25 to 30
degrees Celsius which can exceed 40 degrees Celsius in summer months.
 Flora and Fauna

• Flora-acacia, palms, euphorbias and cactus.

• Fauna-Camel, rats, mice, rabbits, fox, wolf, tiger, lion, wild ass, horse, etc.

FACTS!-They have trees and plants with armed thorns and spines. Thorn forests experience rainfall scarcity
and these types of vegetation are prevalent in the arid regions.
• These forests get as little as 10-20 inches of rain a year.
• If the climate becomes dryer thorn forest will turn into desert.
 Mangrove Forests

• In the coastal regions that are subject to tidal changes in sea level, mangrove forests are found.These are
mostly common in the Sundarbans area of West Bengal. Sundari trees are common in this area.
• Location-Mangrove forests in India are distributed across 9 states and 3 union territories. The mangrove
cover in the country is 4,975 sq. km and are found on the east and west coasts of the mainland and on the
Islands of Andaman and Nicobar and Lakshadweep.
• Climate-hey are largely distributed in the high energy tidal coast of two extreme conditions: humid and
wet in Sundarbans with rich biodiversity, and arid and dry in Gujarat with low biodiversity.
Flora and Fauna

• Flora-Sundari, casuarina.
• Fauna-Bengal tiger, crocodiles, deer, pigs, snakes, fishing cats, insects, and birds.

• FACTS!-Mangrove forests are excellent carbon stores.

• Mangroves may help fight coral bleaching.
• Mangroves help fight climate change, but they are far from immune to its effects.
 Montane Forests
• In high mountainous regions such as the Himalayas, the type of vegetation changes with the change in
altitude.This is because temperature decreases with the increase in height above sea level.
• In the foot hill region, there are tropical deciduous forests which have many economically useful trees
such as Sal.Subtropical Forests are found at higher level and have trees such as oak and
chestnut.Coniferous forests are found between the altitudes of 1500 to 3000 m, common trees are found
such as pines, cedars, silver firs and deodars.Above 3300 m alpine meadows and shrubs occur and
continue till the snow-line beyond which snowfields are found.
• Location-These forests can be found in the higher hilly areas of Kerala and Tamil Nadu, also in the
region of Eastern Himalayas to the east of 88°E longitude including the hills of Assam, West Bengal,
Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland.
• Climate-This variety of forests grows at a height of 1800 to 3000 m above sea level in areas where the
mean annual rainfall is 150 cm to 300 cm, the mean annual temperature is about 11 °C to 14°C and the
average relative humidity is over 80 per cent.
 Flora and Fauna

• Flora-Spruce, pine, cedar, silver fir, deodar, laurel, walnut, birch, poplar.
• Fauna-Kashmir stag, snow leopard, spotted deer, jackrabbit, wild sheep, Tibetan antelope, yak, shaggy
horn wild ibex, rare red panda.

• FACTS!-Montane forests are home to a unique collection of plant and animal species.
• Montane forests make up a third of all natural forest cover worldwide.
• They're found on all continents with the exception of the Antarctic
 FOREST
CONSERVATION
C

PROGRAMS.
.
 Introduction
• Forest conservation is the practice of planning and maintaining forested areas for the benefit and
sustainability of future generations. Forest conservation involves the upkeep of the natural resources
within a forest that are beneficial for both humans and the ecosystem.
• Purpose-To protect the forest, its flora, fauna and other diverse ecological components.To protect the
integrity, territory and individuality of the forests. To protect the forests and prevent deforestation that
will lead to land erosion and subsequent degradation of the land. To prevent the loss of forest
biodiversity.
• Steps of conservation of forests-
• Regulated and Planned Cutting of Trees.
• Control over Forest Fire.
• Reforestation and Afforestation.
• Proper Utilization of Forest Products and Forests.
Major schemes for development of
forest areas
• National Afforestation Program *NAP* scheme, National Mission for a Green India *GIM* and Forest
Fire Prevention & Management Scheme *FFPM*.
• Reasons for Forest Conservation-
• Forests create oxygen.
• Forests filter the air and reduce pollution.
• Forests provide food security.
• Forests help reduce climate change.
• Forests are an important part of the water cycle.
• Forests protect crops from wind.
• Forests prevent soil erosion.
• According to National Forest Policy 1988, minimum of 1/3rd of the country’s total land area should be set aside for forests.
So the optimum area under forest cover in India should be 33%, but it is only 27.4% now.Hence,several measures have
been adopted to increase the land area under forest.

> Many afforestation programs have been implanted to restore greenery.The National Forest Policy of 1952 and 1988
govern the management and development of forest resources.

> Methods of social forestry and agro forestry have been implemented, whereby cropping and forestry are done
together in the same area and it only helps in supplementing income but also in maintaining a balanced environment.

> Marinating sacred trees is also another way to conservation of forest and the trees are credited as divinity.Forests are
worshipped so that it help maintain biodiversity.

> The Bishnois of Rajasthan have sacrificed there life to save trees.The chipko movement was another effort in Garhwal to
prevent ...deforestation in the region.

>Van Mahotsav is also celebrated with a tree plantation drive to promote afforestation in many parts of India.
WILDLIFE IN INDIA
AND ITS
C

CONSERVATION.
.
National Parks.
• Are made to conserve and protect wildlife in India.The large areas of protected land give natural habitat
for animals where there is no human interference. And the land is protected by the government because
of its natural beauty, plants, or animals, and which the public can usually visit.There are 103 national
parks in India.
• National parks in India.
• Jim Corbett National park. Location-Uttarakhand.
• Gorumara National park. Location-West Bengal.
• Gir Forest National park. Location-Gujarat.
• Panna National park. Location-Madhya Pradesh.
• Sanjay Gandhi National park. Location-Mumbai.
Wildlife Sanctuaries.
• Are particularly designated areas for the conservation of endangered species.Sanctuaries take care of
injured animals and diseased animals and help in breeding of endangered species too.There are 450
wildlife sanctuaries in India.
• Wildlife Sanctuaries in India.
• Ranthambore in Rajasthan. Animal-Tiger.
• Bandipur in Karnataka. Animal-Elephants.
• Sariska in Rajasthan. Animal-Tiger.
• Chandraprabha in Uttar Pradesh. Animal-Asiatic Lions.
Biosphere Reserves.
• Are multipurpose protected areas to preserve the genetic diversities of flora and fauna and conserve
ecosystems.There are 18 biosphere reserves in India.
• Biosphere reserves in India.
• Nilgeri
• Nanda
• Simlipal
• Dibru Saikhowa
• Agasthyamalai
 WHY ARE SOME
ANIMALS GETTING
C

ENDANGERED.
.
 Why are some animals getting
endangered.
• A loss of habitat can happen naturally. Dinosaurs, for instance, lost their habitat about 65 million years
ago. The hot, dry climate of the Cretaceous period changed very quickly, most likely because of
an asteroid striking the Earth. The impact of the asteroid forced debris into the atmosphere, reducing the
amount of heat and light that reached Earth's surface. The dinosaurs were unable to adapt to this new,
cooler habitat. Dinosaurs became endangered, then extinct. Polar bears, mountain lions, and alligators are
all predators brought into close contact with people as they lose their habitat to homes, farms, and
businesses. As people kill these wild animals, through pesticides, accidents such as collisions with cars or
hunting, native species may become endangered.
1) Population reduction rate

A species is classified as endangered when its population has declined between 50 and 70 percent. This
decline is measured over 10 years or three generations of the species, whichever is longer.

A species is classified as endangered when its population has declined at least 70 percent and the cause of
the decline is known. A species is also classified as endangered when its population has declined at least 50
percent and the cause of the decline is not known.

2) Geographic range

An endangered species' extent of occurrence is less than 5,000 square kilometers (1,930 square miles). An
endangered species' area of occupancy is less than 500 square kilometers (193 square miles).

3) Population size

A species is classified as endangered when there are fewer than 2,500 mature individuals. When a species
population declines by at least 20 percent within five years or two generations, it is also classified as
endangered.

4) Population restrictions

A species is classified as endangered when its population is restricted to less than 250 mature individuals.
When a species' population is this low, its area of occupancy is not considered.
Endangered species in India.
• Asiatic Lion. The Asiatic Lion is one of the mightiest species of lion in the world.
• Bengal Tiger.
• Snow Leopard.
• Nilgiri Tahr.
• Kashmiri Red Stag.
• Blackbuck.
• One- horned rhinoceros.
• Asian elephant.
• Ganges river dolphin.
• Forest owlet.