Chapter Summary
This section is a concise recap of all of Chapter 2 — Forest and Wildlife Resources. Use it for last-minute revision before the Board examination.
India is one of the world's richest countries in biodiversity — the variety of all living organisms, interdependent in one ecological system, with forests as the primary producers. But about 10% of wild flora and 20% of mammals are threatened, mainly due to human insensitivity.
Species and Causes — At a Glance
| Category of species | Meaning / example |
|---|---|
| Normal | Population at safe level (cattle, sal, pine) |
| Endangered | In danger of extinction (black buck, Indian rhino) |
| Vulnerable | Declining, may become endangered (Asiatic elephant) |
| Rare | Small population (desert fox, hornbill) |
| Endemic | Found only in one area (Andaman teal) |
| Extinct | No longer found (Asiatic cheetah) |
Causes of depletion: colonial forestry, agricultural expansion (26,000+ sq km, 1951-80), enrichment plantations, large projects (Narmada Sagar ~40,000 ha), mining (Buxa), shifting cultivation, and unequal 'greed of a few' use.
Conservation Framework
- Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 — protects habitats, all-India protected-species list, bans hunting, restricts trade.
- Project Tiger, 1973 — tiger fell from ~55,000 to 1,827; reserves include Corbett, Sunderbans, Bandhavgarh, Sariska, Manas, Periyar.
- Species projects: one-horned rhino, Kashmir stag (hangul), crocodiles, Asiatic lion; recently elephant, black buck, great Indian bustard, snow leopard. 1991: plants added (6 species).
- Case studies: Himalayan Yew (Taxol, anti-cancer; over-exploited) · Asiatic cheetah (extinct in India, 1952).
Forests and Community Conservation
- Types of forests: Reserved (>half; most valuable) · Protected (~one-third; from further depletion) · Unclassed (others, community-managed in NE states & Gujarat). Reserved + Protected = permanent forest estate; MP largest (~75%).
- Community & conservation: Sariska (anti-mining), Alwar Bhairodev Dakav 'Sonchuri', Chipko movement, Bishnois (blackbuck), sacred groves (mahua, kadamba, tamarind, mango, peepal, banyan), Beej Bachao Andolan / Navdanya.
- Joint Forest Management (JFM): since 1988 (Odisha); village institutions protect degraded forest for non-timber produce and a timber share. Conservation must be people-centric, environment-friendly and economically rewarding.
Quick Revision — Must-Know Facts
- Wildlife (Protection) Act — 1972; Project Tiger — 1973; JFM first resolution — Odisha, 1988; plants added to protected list — 1991.
- Tiger: ~55,000 → 1,827. India + Nepal = about two-thirds of the world's tigers.
- Reserved > half; Protected ~ one-third; MP permanent forests ~75%.
- Taxol → Himalayan Yew → anti-cancer. Asiatic cheetah → extinct in India, 1952.
Quick Revision — Commonly Confused Points
- Endangered = in danger of extinction; Extinct = already gone; Endemic = found only in one area.
- Reserved forest = most valuable; Protected forest = protected from further depletion; Unclassed = others (govt/private/community).
- Chipko = resisting deforestation; Bishnois = protecting animals; Sacred groves = virgin forests preserved by belief; JFM = community partnership on degraded forests.