Forest and Wildlife Resources

Introduction to the chapter

We share this planet with millions of other living
beings, starting from micro-organisms and bacteria,
lichens to banyan trees, elephants and blue whales.

This entire habitat that we live in has immense

biodiversity.

We humans along with all living organisms form a

complex web of ecological system in which we are
only a part and very much dependent on this
system for our own existence.

Forests play a key role in the ecological system as

these are also the primary producers on which all
other living beings depend.
What is Biodiversity ?
Biodiversity or Biological Diversity is
immensely rich in wildlife and cultivated
species, diverse in form and function but
closely integrated in a system through
multiple network of interdependencies.
 Flora and Fauna in India
Flora - All the Plant species on Earth
Fauna - All the Animal species on Earth

India is one of the world’s richest countries in terms of its vast

array of biological diversity (flora and fauna)

This is possibly twice or thrice the number yet to be discovered.

These diverse flora and fauna are so well integrated in our daily
life that we take these for granted.
 But, lately, they are under great stress mainly
due to insensitivity to our environment.
Estimates suggest that at least 10% of India’s recorded wild
flora and 20% of its mammals are on the threatened list

Many of these would now be categorised as ‘critical’, that is

on the verge of extinction..For eg. :-
Cheetah Mountain
Quail

Forest
Pink-headed
Spotted
Duck
Owlet
 Plants like madhuca insignis (a wild variety of mahua)
and hubbardia heptaneuron,(a species of grass) are also
on the verge of extinction.
Based on the International Union for Conservation of Nature
and Natural Resources (IUCN), we can classify different
categories of existing plants and animal species as follows:

Normal Species
Endangered Species
Vulnerable species
Rare species
Endemic species
Extinct Species
Normal Species :-
Normal species are the species whose population levels are
considered to be normal for their survival,
Examples :- cattle, sal, pine, rodents, etc.
Endangered Species :-
These species are in danger of extinction. For
examples, species are black buck, crocodile, Indian
wild ass, Indian rhino, lion tailed macaque
Vulnerable Species :-
These are species whose population has declined to levels that it is likely
to move into the endangered category in the near future if it continues
to decline in the same manner. Eg: Blue sheep, Asiatic elephant,
Gangetic dolphin, etc.
Rare Species :-
Species with a small population may move into the endangered or vulnerable
category if the negative factors affecting them continue to operate.

The examples of such species are the Himalayan brown bear, wild Asiatic
buffalo, desert fox and hornbill, etc.
Endemic Species :-
These are species which are only found in some particular areas
usually isolated by natural or geographical barriers.

Examples of such species are the Andaman teal, Nicobar pigeon,

Andaman wild pig, Mithun in Arunachal Pradesh.
Extinct Species :-
These species may be extinct from a local area, region, country,
continent or the entire earth.

Eg: Asiatic cheetah, pink head duck.

 Asiatic Cheetah : where did they go?
The world’s fastest land mammal, the cheetah (Acinonyx jubantus), is a
unique and specialised member of the cat family and can move at the
speed of 112 km./hr.

The cheetah is often mistaken for a leopard.

Prior to the 20th century, cheetahs were widely distributed throughout

Africa and Asia.

Today, the Asian cheetah is nearly extinct due to a decline of available

habitat and prey.

The species was declared extinct in India long back in 1952

 Himalayan Yew is in Trouble ! (Case Study)\
The Himalayan Yew (Taxus wallachiana) is a medicinal plant found in
various parts of Himachal Pradesh and Arunachal Pradesh.

A chemical compound called ‘taxol’ is extracted from the bark, needles,

twigs and roots of this tree, and it has been successfully used to treat some
cancers – the drug is now the biggest selling anti-cancer drug in the world.

The species is under great threat due to over-exploitation.

In the last one decade, thousands of yew trees have dried up in various
parts of Himachal Pradesh and Arunachal Pradesh.
Factors responsible for the depletion of flora and fauna

Colonial Rule
Agricultural expansion and Shifting cultivation
Large-scale Development projects, Mining
Grazing & Fuel-wood collection
Colonial Rule
The greatest damage inflicted on Indian forests was during the
colonial period due to the expansion of the railways, agriculture,
commercial and scientific forestry and mining activities.

“Enrichment plantation”
It is a colonial forest policy.

Promotion of a few favoured species, in many parts of India, has

been carried through & only Single commercially valuable
species was extensively planted and other species eliminated.

For instance, teak monoculture has damaged the natural forest

in South India and Chir Pine (Pinus roxburghii) plantations in the
Himalayas have replaced the Himalayan oak
 Agricultural expansion and Shifting cultivation
Even after Independence, agricultural expansion continues to
be one of the major causes of depletion of forest resources.

Between 1951 and 1980, according to the Forest Survey of India,

over 26,200 sq. km. of forest area was converted into
agricultural land all over India.
- Slash and Burn Agriculture
 Large-scale Development projects & Mining
Large-scale development projects have also contributed
significantly to the loss of forests. Since 1951, over 5,000 sq km of
forest was cleared for river valley projects. Eg. - Narmada sagar
project in Madhya pradesh

Mining is another important factor behind deforestation. The Buxa

Tiger Reserve in West Bengal is seriously threatened by the
ongoing dolomite mining. It has disturbed the natural habitat of
many species and blocked the migration route of several others,
including the great Indian elephant.
 Debate over Grazing & Fuel-wood collection
Many foresters and environmentalists hold the view that the greatest
degrading factors behind the depletion of forest resources are grazing
and fuel-wood collection

Others say that substantial part of the fuel-fodder demand is met by

lopping rather than by felling entire trees

The forest ecosystems are repositories of some of the country’s most

valuable forest products, minerals and other resources that meet the
demands of the rapidly expanding industrial-urban economy

Fertile ground for conflicts

Other Factors responsible for decline in Indian biodiveresity :

→ Habitat destruction → Environmental pollution

→ Hunting → Overpopulation
→ Poaching → Forest fires
→ Over-exploitation
Q. - Who is consuming what, from where and how
much?
Over-population in third world countries is often cited as the cause
of environmental degradation. However, an average American
consumes 40 times more resources than an average Somalian.

Similarly, the richest five per cent of Indian society probably cause
more ecological damage because of the amount they consume
than he poorest 25 per cent

Fact !
Q. - Is the destruction of forests and wildlife is just a
biological issue ?

- The answer is 'No'

Then what are the other issues ?

 Loss of Cultural Diversity
The biological loss is strongly
correlated with the loss of cultural
diversity.

Such losses have increasingly

marginalised and impoverished many
indigenous and other forest-
dependent communities, who directly
depend on various components of the
forest and wildlife for food, drink,
medicine, culture, spirituality, etc.
 Women are more affected then men !
In many societies, women bear the major
responsibility of collection of fuel, fodder,
water and other basic subsistence needs.
As these resources are depleted, the drudgery
of women increases and sometimes they have
to walk for more than 10 km to collect these
resources.
This causes serious health problems for
women and negligence of home and children
because of the increased hours of work, which
often has serious social implications
 Other Indirect Impacts...
The indirect impact of degradation such as severe drought or
deforestation-induced floods, etc. also hits the poor the
hardest.

Poverty in these cases is a direct outcome of environmental

destruction.
Conservation of Forest and Wildlife in India
Conservation in the background of rapid decline in wildlife
population and forestry has become essential.
But Why ?

Conservation preserves the ecological diversity and our life

support systems – water, air and soil.

It also preserves the genetic diversity of plants and animals for

better growth of species and breeding. For example, in
agriculture, we are still dependent on traditional crop varieties.
Methods of Conservation in India
The Indian Wildlife (protection) Act, 1972
The programme was towards protecting the remaining population
of certain endangered species by banning hunting, giving legal
protection to their habitats, and restricting trade in wildlife.

Subsequently, central and many state governments established

national parks and wildlife sanctuaries

The central government also announced several projects for

protecting specific animals, which were gravely threatened,
including the tiger, the onehorned rhinoceros, the Kashmir stag,
the Asiatic lion, and others.
 Project Tiger, 1973
Tiger is one of the key wildlife species in the faunal web.
In 1973, the authorities realised that the tiger population had
dwindled to 1,827 from an estimated 55,000 at the turn of the
century.
THREATS: Poaching for trade, shrinking habitat, depletion of
prey base species, growing human population, etc. The trade of
tiger skins and the use of their bones in traditional medicines,
especially in the Asian countries left the tiger population on the
verge of extinction.
India and Nepal became target of poachers.
“Project Tiger”, one of the well publicised wildlife campaigns in
the world.
What about indangered insects and plants ?
Under Wildlife Act of 1980 and 1986, several hundred
butterflies, moths, beetles, and one dragonfly have been added
to the list of protected species.

In 1991, for the first time plants were also added to the list,
starting with six species.
Types and Distribution of Forest and Wildlife Resources

Reserved Forests
Protected forests
Unclassed forests
Reserved Forests
These forests are regarded as the most valuable as far as the
conservation of forest and wildlife resources are concerned.
(why ?)

More than half of the total forest land has been declared
reserved forests

Jammu and Kashmir, Andhra Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Kerala,

Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, and Maharashtra have large
percentages of reserved forests of its total forest area
Protected Forests
This forest land are protected from any further depletion.

Almost one-third of the total forest area is protected forest, as declared

by the Forest Department.

Whereas Bihar, Haryana, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Odisha and

Rajasthan have a bulk of it under protected forests.

Reserved Forests + Protected Forest = Permanent Forest

Eg. - 75% of total forest area in MP is Permanent forest
Unclassed Forests
Managed by private as well as governmental agencies.
All human activities are allowed in them.
They also consist of wastelands.
States - All North-eastern states and parts of Gujarat have a
very high percentage of their forests as unclassed forests
managed by local communities.
 Community and Conservation
In some areas of India, local communities are struggling to conserve
these habitats along with government officials, recognising that only
this will secure their own long-term livelihood.
Eg. :-
In Sariska Tiger Reserve, Rajasthan, villagers have fought against
mining by citing the Wildlife Protection Act
In many areas villagers are themselves protecting the habitat and
they don't want government involvement.
In Alwar, Rajasthan , inhabitants of five villages have declared 1,200
hectares of forest as the Bhairodev Dakav ‘Sonchuri’, declaring their
own set of rules and regulations which do not allow hunting, and are
protecting the wildlife against any outside encroachments.
 Chipko movement
The famous Chipko
movement in the Himalayas
has successfully resisted
deforestation in several areas.

It also led a great example

that community afforestation
Villagers hugging trees
with indigenous species can
be enormously successful
 Beej Bachao Andolan
Farmers and citizen’s groups like
the Beej Bachao Andolan in Tehri
and Navdanya have shown that
adequate levels of diversified
crop production without the use
of synthetic chemicals are
possible and economically viable.
Joint Forest Management (JFM) Programme
This programme involves local communities in the
management and restoration of degraded forests.
The programme has been in formal existence since 1988 when the
state of Odisha passed the first resolution for JFM

JFM depends on the formation of local (village) institutions that

undertake protection activities mostly on degraded forest land
managed by the forest department.

In return, the members of these communities are entitled to

intermediary benefits like non-timber forest produces and share in
the timber harvested by ‘successful protection’.
Sacred groves - a wealth of diverse and rare species
Nature worship is an age old tribal belief based on the premise that
all creations of nature have to be protected. Such beliefs have
preserved several virgin forests in pristine form called Sacred Groves

These patches of forest or parts of large forests have been left untouched
by the local people and any interference with them is banned.

The Mundas and the Santhal of Chota Nagpur region worship mahua
(Bassia latifolia) and kadamba (Anthocephalus cadamba) trees

Tribals of Odisha and Bihar worship the tamarind (Tamarindus indica) and
mango (Mangifera indica) trees during weddings.
To many of us, peepal and banyan trees are considered sacred.
Indian society comprises several cultures, each with its own set of
traditional methods of conserving nature and its creations

You will find troops of macaques and

langurs around many temples. They
are fed daily and treated as a part of
temple devotees.

In and around Bishnoi villages in

Rajasthan, herds of blackbuck,
(chinkara), nilgai and peacocks can be
seen as an integral part of the
community and nobody harms them.
 The clear lesson from the dynamics of both
environmental destruction and reconstruction in India
is that local communities everywhere have to be
involved in some kind of natural resource management
Gautama Buddha