Chapter 2: Forest and Wildlife Resources

Geography · CBSE Class 10 · Contemporary India-II

📖 Chapter 2: Forest and Wildlife Resources (CBSE Class 10 Geography — Contemporary India-II). India's biodiversity, how and why flora and fauna are depleting, the IUCN categories of species, conservation of forests and wildlife (Wildlife Protection Act, Project Tiger), the types of forests, and the vital role of communities in conservation.

1. Biodiversity, Flora and Fauna

We share the planet with millions of living beings forming a complex ecological system on which we depend. Biodiversity (biological diversity) is the immense variety of wildlife and cultivated species, closely integrated through a network of interdependencies. Forests are the primary producers on which all other living beings depend. India is one of the world's richest countries in biodiversity.

2. Depletion of Flora and Fauna (Causes)

🎯 Major human causes of the decline of forests and wildlife:

Colonial forestry & agricultural expansion — between 1951 and 1980 huge forest areas were cleared for farming; shifting cultivation ('jhum') also contributed.
Large development projects — river-valley (dam) projects since 1951 cleared large forest tracts.
Mining — e.g. dolomite mining threatening the Buxa Tiger Reserve (West Bengal); habitats fragmented.
Grazing and fuelwood collection, forest fires, and over-exploitation of forest produce.
Unequal access and the unequal sharing of resources — over-consumption by the rich drives greater ecological damage; women (who gather fuel, fodder and water) are often the worst hit by degradation.

3. The IUCN Categories of Species

Category	Meaning / Example
Normal species	Population normal for survival (cattle, sal, pine, rodents)
Endangered species	In danger of extinction (black buck, crocodile, Indian wild ass, Indian rhino, lion-tailed macaque)
Vulnerable species	Likely to become endangered if conditions continue (blue sheep, Asiatic elephant, Gangetic dolphin)
Rare species	Small population; may become endangered/vulnerable (Himalayan brown bear, wild Asiatic buffalo, desert fox, hornbill)
Endemic species	Found only in a particular area (Andaman teal, Nicobar pigeon)
Extinct species	No longer found (Asiatic cheetah, pink-head duck)

4. Conservation of Forest and Wildlife

Conservation preserves ecological diversity and our life-support systems (water, air, soil), and the genetic diversity of plants and animals (important for agriculture and fisheries, which still depend on traditional varieties and aquatic biodiversity).

🎯 The Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 gave legal protection to habitats, published an all-India list of protected species, banned hunting of endangered species and restricted the wildlife trade. Governments set up national parks and wildlife sanctuaries, and projects for specific animals (tiger, one-horned rhino, Kashmir stag/hangul, crocodiles, Asiatic lion; recently the Indian elephant, black buck/chinkara, great Indian bustard/godawan and snow leopard).

Project Tiger

Launched in 1973. The tiger population had fallen to 1,827 (from ~55,000 at the turn of the century). Threats: poaching for trade (skins, bones for medicines), shrinking habitat, loss of prey, growing human population. India & Nepal hold about two-thirds of the world's surviving tigers. Some tiger reserves: Corbett (Uttarakhand), Sunderbans (West Bengal), Bandhavgarh (MP), Sariska (Rajasthan), Manas (Assam), Periyar (Kerala). Conservation now focuses on biodiversity rather than a few components — insects (butterflies, moths, beetles, a dragonfly) were added under the Wildlife Act of 1980/1986, and plants from 1991 (first six species).

5. Types and Distribution of Forests

Much forest/wildlife is owned or managed by the government (Forest Department):

Type	Description
Reserved Forests	More than half of forest land; the most valuable for conservation
Protected Forests	Almost one-third of forest area; protected from further depletion
Unclassed Forests	Other forests/wastelands belonging to government, private individuals and communities

Reserved + protected = permanent forest estates (for timber and protection). Madhya Pradesh has the largest permanent forests (75% of its forest). J&K, Andhra Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Maharashtra have large reserved forest shares; Bihar, Haryana, Punjab, Himachal, Odisha, Rajasthan mostly protected; the North-eastern states and Gujarat have high unclassed forests managed by communities.

6. Community and Conservation

Sariska Tiger Reserve (Rajasthan): villagers fought mining by citing the Wildlife Protection Act.
Bhairodev Dakav 'Sonchuri' (Alwar, Rajasthan): five villages declared 1,200 hectares their own sanctuary with rules banning hunting — rejecting government involvement.
Chipko Movement (Himalayas): resisted deforestation and showed that community afforestation with indigenous species works.
Beej Bachao Andolan (Tehri) and Navdanya: diversified crop production without synthetic chemicals is viable.
Joint Forest Management (JFM): in formal existence since 1988 (Odisha passed the first resolution). Local village institutions protect degraded forest; in return members get non-timber forest produce and a share in the harvested timber.

🎯 Sacred Groves: nature worship has preserved virgin forests (‘forests of God and Goddesses’) where interference is banned. The Mundas and Santhal worship mahua and kadamba; Odisha/Bihar tribals the tamarind and mango; peepal and banyan are sacred to many. Around Bishnoi villages in Rajasthan, blackbuck, chinkara, nilgai and peacocks are protected by the community.

📘 NCERT Textbook Exercise Answers

1Multiple choice: Which of the following conservation strategies do NOT directly involve community participation? (a) Joint forest management (b) Beej Bachao Andolan (c) Chipko Movement (d) Demarcation of Wildlife sanctuaries.

(d) Demarcation of Wildlife sanctuaries. Joint Forest Management, the Beej Bachao Andolan and the Chipko Movement are all driven by local communities, whereas the demarcation of wildlife sanctuaries is done by the government and does not directly involve community participation.

2Match the following: Reserved forests / Protected forests / Unclassed forests with their descriptions.

Reserved forests → ‘Forests are regarded as most valuable as far as the conservation of forest and wildlife resources are concerned.’ Protected forests → ‘Forest lands are protected from any further depletion.’ Unclassed forests → ‘Other forests and wastelands belonging to both government and private individuals and communities.’

3(i) What is biodiversity? Why is biodiversity important for human lives? (ii) How have human activities affected the depletion of flora and fauna? Explain.

(i) Biodiversity is the immense variety of living organisms (wildlife and cultivated species) that are diverse in form and function but closely integrated through a network of interdependencies. It is important because living organisms re-create the quality of the air, water and soil that sustain us; it preserves our life-support systems and the genetic diversity needed for agriculture, breeding and fisheries. (ii) Human activities have depleted flora and fauna through agricultural expansion (large forest clearance, especially 1951-80 and shifting cultivation), large development/river-valley projects, mining (e.g. dolomite near Buxa Tiger Reserve), grazing, fuelwood collection and forest fires, and the unequal/over-consumption of resources — together fragmenting habitats and driving many species toward extinction.

4(i) Describe how communities have conserved and protected forests and wildlife in India. (ii) Write a note on good practices towards conserving forest and wildlife.

(i) Communities conserving forests/wildlife: In Sariska (Rajasthan) villagers fought mining by citing the Wildlife Protection Act; five villages in Alwar declared the Bhairodev Dakav 'Sonchuri' (1,200 ha) with their own no-hunting rules; the Chipko Movement resisted deforestation and promoted community afforestation with indigenous species; Sacred Groves and the Bishnois of Rajasthan protect trees and animals (blackbuck, chinkara) through nature worship. (ii) Good practices: the Joint Forest Management (JFM) programme (since 1988, first in Odisha) involves village institutions in restoring degraded forests in return for non-timber produce and a share of timber; the Beej Bachao Andolan and Navdanya show diversified, chemical-free farming is viable; and accepting only development that is people-centric, environment-friendly and economically rewarding.

🔥 Extra Practice — Very Difficult / HOTS (competency-based, source & case-based, assertion-reason)

A. Source-/Case-Based Questions

1Case: In the Alwar district of Rajasthan, five villages declared 1,200 hectares of forest as the Bhairodev Dakav ‘Sonchuri’, making their own rules banning hunting and protecting wildlife from outside encroachment — explicitly rejecting government involvement. (i) What does this example illustrate? (ii) Name one other community-led effort in Rajasthan. (iii) Why is community involvement considered essential?

(i) That local communities can conserve forests and wildlife on their own, framing and enforcing their own rules. (ii) At Sariska Tiger Reserve, villagers fought mining by citing the Wildlife Protection Act (also the Bishnois protecting blackbuck). (iii) Because the clear lesson from environmental destruction and reconstruction is that local communities everywhere must be involved in natural-resource management — their long-term livelihood depends on it, and conservation succeeds when it is people-centric.

2Case: In 1973 the authorities found the tiger population had fallen to 1,827 from about 55,000 at the turn of the century, and launched Project Tiger. (i) Name two threats to the tiger. (ii) Why did India and Nepal become prime targets for poaching? (iii) How has the focus of conservation changed since then?

(i) Any two: poaching for trade (skins, bones for medicines), shrinking habitat, depletion of prey, growing human population. (ii) Because India and Nepal provide habitat to about two-thirds of the world's surviving tigers, making them prime targets for poaching and illegal trade. (iii) Conservation now focuses on biodiversity as a whole rather than a few species — even insects and plants have been added to protected lists (plants from 1991).

3Case: Under Joint Forest Management, village institutions protect degraded forest managed by the Forest Department and, in return, receive non-timber forest produce and a share of the timber harvested. (i) When and where did JFM formally begin? (ii) What do communities gain? (iii) How does JFM differ from state-only conservation?

(i) It has been in formal existence since 1988, when Odisha passed the first resolution. (ii) Members gain intermediary benefits — non-timber forest produce and a share in the harvested timber from successful protection. (iii) Unlike state-only conservation (e.g. demarcating sanctuaries), JFM puts local people at the centre, giving them both responsibility for protection and a direct stake in the forest's benefits.

B. Assertion–Reason (a = both true & R explains A; b = both true, R does not explain A; c = A true, R false; d = A false, R true)

4Assertion (A): The degradation of forests affects poor women the most. Reason (R): Women are mainly responsible for collecting fuel, fodder and water, which takes longer as forests shrink.

(a) Both true and R explains A. Because women bear the burden of gathering fuel, fodder and water, the shrinking of forests increases their labour and hardship, so forest degradation hits them hardest.

5Assertion (A): The demarcation of wildlife sanctuaries is an example of community-led conservation. Reason (R): Joint Forest Management involves village institutions protecting degraded forests.

(d) A is false, R is true. Demarcating sanctuaries is a government measure, not community-led (so A is false), whereas JFM (R) genuinely is community-based.

6Assertion (A): Sacred groves have preserved several virgin forests in pristine form. Reason (R): Nature worship leads local people to leave these patches untouched and ban any interference.

(a) Both true and R explains A. Because communities revere these groves as forests of God/Goddesses and ban interference, the forest patches have survived untouched and pristine.

C. Analytical / 5-mark

7‘Human activities are mainly responsible for the depletion of flora and fauna in India.’ Explain with at least four causes.

(1) Agricultural expansion — large tracts of forest were cleared for cultivation (especially 1951-80), and shifting cultivation added to the loss. (2) Large development projects — river-valley/dam projects since 1951 submerged and cleared forests. (3) Mining — e.g. dolomite mining threatening the Buxa Tiger Reserve fragmented habitats. (4) Grazing, fuelwood collection and forest fires degraded forests further. (5) Unequal access and over-consumption — the richer sections' heavy resource use causes greater ecological damage, while the poor (especially women) bear the cost. Together these have pushed many species into the endangered and extinct categories.

8Picture-the-scenario: A degraded forest near a village is being restored. Design a conservation plan that uses both government protection and community participation, and explain the role of each.

Government's role: give the forest legal status (reserved/protected) and legal backing through the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972; set up and fund a national park/sanctuary or tiger reserve where needed; provide technical support and curb poaching, mining and encroachment. Community's role: run a Joint Forest Management institution to protect and replant the degraded land (as pioneered in Odisha, 1988), earning non-timber produce and a timber share; revive Chipko-style afforestation with indigenous species and protect sacred groves; practise chemical-free diversified farming (Beej Bachao Andolan, Navdanya). Combining the two ensures conservation is people-centric, environment-friendly and economically rewarding, which is what makes it last.