Chapter 2 — Forest And Wildlife Resources

Overview

Forest and Wildlife Resources is the chapter in which the Contemporary India course states its ecological argument most directly. It begins from biodiversity - the sum of all forms of life on earth and the web of relationships among them - and from the fact that India is one of the world's richest countries in species diversity, holding a large share of global biodiversity, much of which is now threatened. It sets out the categories used to classify species by their conservation status: normal, endangered, vulnerable, rare, endemic and extinct. It then asks who destroyed India's forests and answers with specific causes rather than a general lament: the colonial forest policy and the expansion of the railways, plantations and commercial forestry; agricultural expansion, which converted 26,200 square kilometres of forest to farmland between 1951 and 1980; shifting cultivation; large development projects such as the Narmada Sagar; mining, as at the Buxa Tiger Reserve, where dolomite quarrying blocks an elephant migration route; and grazing and fuelwood collection. It insists that unequal access and the resource-hungry consumption of the rich, not the poverty of forest dwellers, is the principal driver. Conservation is then traced through the Indian Wildlife Protection Act of 1972 and Project Tiger of 1973, and through the classification of forests into reserved, protected and unclassed. The chapter closes on its most important theme - that conservation succeeds when communities are involved, illustrated by the Bishnois, the sacred groves, the villagers of Sariska and Alwar, the Chipko movement, the Beej Bachao Andolan and Joint Forest Management.

Learning Objectives

• Define biodiversity and explain why India is regarded as rich in species diversity.
• Classify species as normal, endangered, vulnerable, rare, endemic and extinct, with examples of each.
• Explain how colonial forest policy contributed to the depletion of India's forests.
• Describe how agricultural expansion, shifting cultivation and development projects have destroyed forests.
• Explain, with the example of the Buxa Tiger Reserve, how mining threatens wildlife.
• Explain why unequal access and over-consumption, rather than poverty, are the main drivers of depletion.
• Describe the main provisions of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972 and Project Tiger.
• Distinguish between reserved, protected and unclassed forests.
• Explain, with examples, how communities have conserved forests and wildlife.
• Describe the Chipko movement, the Beej Bachao Andolan and Joint Forest Management.

Topics in this chapter

7 topics · tap a topic title to jump straight to it.

Key Concepts

Biodiversity

The immense richness of wildlife and cultivated species, diverse in form and function but closely integrated through a network of interdependencies.

Normal species

Species whose population levels are considered normal for their survival - cattle, sal, pine, rodents.

Endangered species

Species in danger of extinction, whose survival is difficult if the negative factors continue - black buck, crocodile, Indian wild ass, Indian rhino, lion-tailed macaque, sangai.

Vulnerable species

Species whose population has declined to a level from which it is likely to move into the endangered category - blue sheep, Asiatic elephant, Gangetic dolphin.

Rare species

Species with small populations that may move into the endangered or vulnerable category if negative factors continue - Himalayan brown bear, wild Asiatic buffalo, desert fox, hornbill.

Endemic species

Species found only in particular areas usually isolated by natural or geographical barriers - Andaman teal, Nicobar pigeon, Andaman wild pig, mithun.

Extinct species

Species not found after searches of known or likely areas - Asiatic cheetah, pink head duck.

Jhum

Shifting or slash-and-burn cultivation, a major cause of deforestation in the tribal belts of north-eastern and central India.

Buxa Tiger Reserve

A reserve in West Bengal threatened by dolomite mining, which has disturbed habitat and blocked the migration route of the great Indian elephant.

Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972

The law that created an all-India list of protected species, banned hunting of endangered species, protected habitats and restricted trade in wildlife.

Project Tiger

The wildlife campaign launched in 1973 to save the tiger, viewed also as a means of preserving biotypes of sizeable magnitude.

Reserved forests

More than half of India's total forest land, regarded as the most valuable for the conservation of forest and wildlife resources.

Protected forests

Almost one-third of the total forest area, declared by the Forest Department and protected from any further depletion.

Unclassed forests

Other forests and wastelands belonging to both government and private individuals and communities, dominant in the north-eastern states.

Permanent forest estate

Reserved and protected forests together, maintained for producing timber and other forest produce and for protective reasons.

Sacred groves

Patches of virgin forest left untouched by local people as the forests of gods and goddesses, where any interference is banned.

Bishnois

A community of Rajasthan around whose villages herds of blackbuck, nilgai and peacocks live unharmed as an integral part of the community.

Chipko movement

The Himalayan movement that resisted deforestation and showed that community afforestation with indigenous species can be enormously successful.

Beej Bachao Andolan

The seed-saving movement in Tehri which showed that diversified crop production without synthetic chemicals is possible and economically viable.

Joint Forest Management (JFM)

The programme, formally begun with Odisha's resolution of 1988, in which village institutions protect degraded forest land in return for non-timber produce and a share of timber.

1. What is biodiversity and why is it important for humans? / जैव विविधता क्या है और यह मनुष्यों के लिए क्यों महत्वपूर्ण है?
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   Biodiversity is the immense variety of all living organisms—plants, animals and micro-organisms—and their interrelationships in a region. It is important because humans, along with all other living beings, form a complex web of ecological system in which we depend on this diversity for food, oxygen, medicines and ecological balance. / जैव विविधता किसी क्षेत्र में सभी जीवित जीवों—पौधों, जंतुओं और सूक्ष्मजीवों—की अपार विविधता और उनके परस्पर संबंध हैं। यह महत्वपूर्ण है क्योंकि मनुष्य अन्य सभी जीवों के साथ एक जटिल पारिस्थितिक तंत्र बनाते हैं जिसमें हम भोजन, ऑक्सीजन, औषधियों और पारिस्थितिक संतुलन के लिए इस विविधता पर निर्भर हैं।

2. On the basis of the IUCN classification, define 'endangered species' and 'extinct species'. / IUCN वर्गीकरण के आधार पर 'संकटग्रस्त जातियों' और 'विलुप्त जातियों' को परिभाषित कीजिए।
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   Endangered species are those which are in danger of extinction if the negative factors affecting them continue to operate, such as the black buck. Extinct species are those which are no longer found at all, either from a local area, region, country or the entire earth, such as the Asiatic cheetah. / संकटग्रस्त जातियाँ वे हैं जो विलुप्ति के संकट में हैं यदि उन्हें प्रभावित करने वाले नकारात्मक कारक जारी रहें, जैसे काला हिरण। विलुप्त जातियाँ वे हैं जो अब किसी स्थानीय क्षेत्र, प्रदेश, देश या पूरी पृथ्वी से बिल्कुल नहीं पाई जातीं, जैसे एशियाई चीता।

3. Explain any two major causes of the depletion of forest and wildlife resources in India. / भारत में वन और वन्य जीव संसाधनों के ह्रास के कोई दो प्रमुख कारण समझाइए।
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   The expansion of agriculture, especially after Independence, led to large-scale clearing of forests, and developmental projects like mining, dams and railways destroyed wildlife habitats. Such activities, along with overgrazing and hunting, have greatly reduced forests and wildlife. / कृषि का विस्तार, विशेषकर स्वतंत्रता के बाद, वनों की बड़े पैमाने पर सफाई का कारण बना, और खनन, बाँध तथा रेलवे जैसी विकास परियोजनाओं ने वन्य जीवों के आवास नष्ट कर दिए। ऐसी गतिविधियों ने अति-चराई और शिकार के साथ मिलकर वनों और वन्य जीवन को बहुत घटा दिया है।

4. What is Project Tiger and why was it launched? / प्रोजेक्ट टाइगर क्या है और इसे क्यों आरंभ किया गया?
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   Project Tiger is a well-publicised wildlife conservation programme launched by the Government of India in 1973 to protect the tiger, whose population had declined sharply due to poaching for trade, shrinking habitat and depletion of prey. It established tiger reserves to conserve the species. / प्रोजेक्ट टाइगर भारत सरकार द्वारा 1973 में आरंभ किया गया एक प्रचारित वन्यजीव संरक्षण कार्यक्रम है जो बाघ की रक्षा के लिए था, जिसकी आबादी व्यापार के लिए अवैध शिकार, सिकुड़ते आवास और शिकार की कमी के कारण तेजी से घटी थी। इसने जातियों के संरक्षण हेतु बाघ रिजर्व स्थापित किए।

5. Differentiate between Reserved Forests and Protected Forests. / आरक्षित वनों और रक्षित वनों में अंतर बताइए।
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   Reserved forests are regarded as the most valuable as far as the conservation of forest and wildlife resources is concerned, with strict restrictions on use. Protected forests are protected from any further depletion but allow some regulated use by local people. / आरक्षित वन वन और वन्य जीव संसाधनों के संरक्षण की दृष्टि से सबसे मूल्यवान माने जाते हैं, जिनके उपयोग पर कड़े प्रतिबंध होते हैं। रक्षित वन किसी और ह्रास से सुरक्षित होते हैं परंतु स्थानीय लोगों द्वारा कुछ नियंत्रित उपयोग की अनुमति देते हैं।

6. How has the loss of biodiversity affected the poor and women in particular? / जैव विविधता के नुकसान ने विशेष रूप से गरीबों और महिलाओं को कैसे प्रभावित किया है?
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   Loss of forests hits the poor hardest, as they depend on forests for fuel, fodder, food and other resources. Since women in many communities are mainly responsible for collecting fuel, fodder and water, deforestation forces them to walk longer distances and work harder, affecting their health. / वनों का नुकसान गरीबों को सबसे अधिक प्रभावित करता है, क्योंकि वे ईंधन, चारे, भोजन और अन्य संसाधनों के लिए वनों पर निर्भर हैं। चूँकि कई समुदायों में महिलाएँ मुख्यतः ईंधन, चारा और जल एकत्र करने की जिम्मेदार होती हैं, वनोन्मूलन उन्हें अधिक दूरी चलने और अधिक मेहनत करने को विवश करता है, जिससे उनका स्वास्थ्य प्रभावित होता है।

7. What is the Chipko movement and what did it demonstrate? / चिपको आंदोलन क्या है और इसने क्या दर्शाया?
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   The Chipko movement was a community forest movement in the Himalayas in which people, especially women, hugged trees to prevent them from being cut down. It successfully resisted deforestation and showed that community afforestation with indigenous species can be ecologically and economically viable. / चिपको आंदोलन हिमालय क्षेत्र में एक सामुदायिक वन आंदोलन था जिसमें लोगों, विशेषकर महिलाओं ने पेड़ों को कटने से बचाने के लिए उनसे लिपटकर रक्षा की। इसने वनोन्मूलन का सफलतापूर्वक विरोध किया और दर्शाया कि स्थानीय जातियों के साथ सामुदायिक वनरोपण पारिस्थितिक और आर्थिक रूप से व्यवहार्य हो सकता है।

8. How does community participation help in conserving forests, citing the example of Sariska or Chilika? / सरिस्का या चिल्का का उदाहरण देते हुए, सामुदायिक भागीदारी वनों के संरक्षण में कैसे सहायता करती है?
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   Communities can be powerful conservers of nature; for example, villagers around the Sariska Tiger Reserve fought against mining, and in some areas local people protect habitats and explicitly keep human intervention out. Such Joint Forest Management involving local communities effectively conserves degraded forests and wildlife. / समुदाय प्रकृति के शक्तिशाली संरक्षक हो सकते हैं; उदाहरण के लिए, सरिस्का बाघ रिजर्व के आसपास के ग्रामीणों ने खनन के विरुद्ध संघर्ष किया, और कुछ क्षेत्रों में स्थानीय लोग आवासों की रक्षा करते हैं और मानवीय हस्तक्षेप को स्पष्ट रूप से दूर रखते हैं। स्थानीय समुदायों को शामिल करने वाला ऐसा संयुक्त वन प्रबंधन निम्नीकृत वनों और वन्य जीवन का प्रभावी संरक्षण करता है।

Foundational laws & principles behind this chapter. Each one opens a full page — what it says, why it matters, five practice questions and the mistakes to avoid.