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CHAPTER, , NATURAL VEGETATION, , H, , ave you ever been to a forest for a picnic?, You might have surely gone to a park if, you live in a city or to a mango, guava, or coconut orchard, if you live in a village. How, do you differentiate between the natural, vegetation and the planted vegetation? The same, variety may be found growing wild in the forest, under natural conditions and the same tree, may be the planted one in your garden under, human supervision., Natural vegetation refers to a plant, community that has been left undisturbed over, a long time, so as to allow its individual species, to adjust themselves to climate and soil, conditions as fully as possible., India is a land of great variety of natural, vegetation. Himalayan heights are marked with, temperate vegetation; the Western Ghats and, the Andaman Nicobar Islands have tropical, rain forests, the deltaic regions have tropical, forests and mangroves; the desert and semi, desert areas of Rajasthan are known for cactii,, a wide variety of bushes and thorny vegetation., Depending upon the variations in the climate, and the soil, the vegetation of India changes, from one region to another., On the basis of certain common features, such as predominant vegetation type and, climatic regions, Indian forests can be divided, into the following groups:, , Tropical Evergreen and, Semi Evergreen Forests, These forests are found in the western slope, of the Western Ghats, hills of the northeastern, region and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands., They are found in warm and humid areas with, an annual precipitation of over 200 cm and, mean annual temperature above 22 oC., Tropical evergreen forests are well stratified,, with layers closer to the ground and are, covered with shrubs and creepers, with short, structured trees followed by tall variety of trees., In these forests, trees reach great heights up, to 60 m or above. There is no definite time for, trees to shed their leaves, flowering and, fruition. As such these forests appear green, all the year round. Species found in these, forests include rosewood, mahogony, aini,, ebony, etc., The semi evergreen forests are found in the, less rainy parts of these regions. Such forests, have a mixture of evergreen and moist, deciduous trees. The undergrowing climbers, provide an evergreen character to these forests., Main species are white cedar, hollock and kail., , TYPES OF FORESTS, (i) Tropical Evergreen and Semi, Evergreen forests, (ii) Tropical Deciduous forests, (iii) Tropical Thorn forests, (iv) Montane forests, (v) Littoral and Swamp forests., , Figure 5.1 : Evergreen Forest, , 2021-22
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INDIA : PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT, , 58, , Figure 5.2 : Natural Vegetation, , 2021-22
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NATURAL VEGETATION, , 59, , The British were aware of the economic, value of the forests in India, hence, large scale, exploitation of these forests was started. The, structure of forests was also changed. The oak, forests in Garhwal and Kumaon were replaced, by pine (chirs) which was needed to lay railway, lines. Forests were also cleared for introducing, plantations of tea, rubber and coffee. The, British also used timber for construction, activities as it acts as an insulator of heat. The, protectional use of forests was, thus, replaced, by commercial use., Tropical Deciduous Forests, These are the most widespread forests in India., They are also called the monsoon forests. They, spread over regions which receive rainfall, between 70-200 cm. On the basis of the, availability of water, these forests are further, divided into moist and dry deciduous., , the plains of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. In the, higher rainfall regions of the Peninsular plateau, and the northern Indian plain, these forests, have a parkland landscape with open stretches, in which teak and other trees interspersed with, patches of grass are common. As the dry, season begins, the trees shed their leaves, completely and the forest appears like a vast, grassland with naked trees all around. Tendu,, palas, amaltas, bel, khair, axlewood, etc. are, the common trees of these forests. In the, western and southern part of Rajasthan,, vegetation cover is very scanty due to low, rainfall and overgrazing., Tropical Thorn Forests, Tropical thorn forests occur in the areas which, receive rainfall less than 50 cm. These consist, of a variety of grasses and shrubs. It includes, semi-arid areas of south west Punjab,, Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, and Uttar Pradesh. In these forests, plants, remain leafless for most part of the year and, give an expression of scrub vegetation., Important species found are babool, ber, and, wild date palm, khair, neem, khejri, palas, etc., Tussocky grass grows upto a height of 2 m as, the under growth., , Figure 5.3 : Deciduous Forests, , The Moist deciduous forests are more, pronounced in the regions which record rainfall, between 100-200 cm. These forests are found, in the northeastern states along the foothills of, Himalayas, eastern slopes of the Western Ghats, and Odisha. Teak, sal, shisham, hurra,, mahua, amla, semul, kusum, and sandalwood, etc. are the main species of these forests., Dry deciduous forest covers vast areas of, the country, where rainfall ranges between, 70 -100 cm. On the wetter margins, it has a, transition to the moist deciduous, while on the, drier margins to thorn forests. These forests, are found in rainier areas of the Peninsula and, , Figure 5.4 : Tropical Thorn Forests, , Montane Forests, In mountainous areas, the decrease in, temperature with increasing altitude leads to, a corresponding change in natural vegetation., Mountain forests can be classified into two, types, the northern mountain forests and the, southern mountain forests., , 2021-22
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INDIA : PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT, , 60, , The Himalayan ranges show a succession, of vegetation from the tropical to the tundra,, which change in with the altitude. Deciduous, forests are found in the foothills of the, Himalayas. It is succeeded by the wet, temperate type of forests between an altitude, of 1,000-2,000 m. In the higher hill ranges of, northeastern India, hilly areas of West Bengal, and Uttaranchal, evergreen broad leaf trees, such as oak and chestnut are predominant., Between 1,500-1,750 m, pine forests are also, well-developed in this zone, with Chir Pine as, a very useful commercial tree. Deodar, a highly, valued endemic species grows mainly in the, western part of the Himalayan range. Deodar, is a durable wood mainly used in construction, activity. Similarly, the chinar and the walnut,, which sustain the famous Kashmir, handicrafts, belong to this zone. Blue pine and, spruce appear at altitudes of 2,225-3,048 m., At many places in this zone, temperate, grasslands are also found. But in the higher, reaches there is a transition to Alpine forests, and pastures. Silver firs, junipers, pines, birch, and rhododendrons, etc. occur between, 3,000-4,000 m. However, these pastures are, used extensively for transhumance by tribes, like the Gujjars, the Bakarwals, the Bhotiyas, and the Gaddis. The southern slopes of the, Himalayas carry a thicker vegetation cover, because of relatively higher precipitation than, the drier north-facing slopes. At higher, altitudes, mosses and lichens form part of the, tundra vegetation., , Figure 5.5 : Montane Forests, , The southern mountain forests include, the forests found in three distinct areas of, Peninsular India viz; the Western Ghats, the, Vindhyas and the Nilgiris. As they are closer, to the tropics, and only 1,500 m above the, sea level, vegetation is temperate in the higher, regions, and subtropical on the lower regions, of the Western Ghats, especially in Kerala,, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. The temperate, forests are called Sholas in the Nilgiris,, Anaimalai and Palani hills. Some of the other, trees of this forest of economic significance, include, magnolia, laurel, cinchona and, wattle. Such forests are also found in the, Satpura and the Maikal ranges., Littoral and Swamp Forests, India has a rich variety of wetland habitats., About 70 per cent of this comprises areas, under paddy cultivation. The total area of wet, land is 3.9 million hectares. Two sites —, Chilika Lake (Odisha) and Keoladeo National, Park (Bharatpur) are protected as water-fowl, habitats under the Convention of Wetlands of, International Importance (Ramsar Convention)., An international convention is an, agreement among member states of, the United Nations., The country’s wetlands have been grouped, into eight categories, viz. (i) the reservoirs of the, Deccan Plateau in the south together with the, lagoons and other wetlands of the southern, west coast; (ii) the vast saline expanses of, Rajasthan, Gujarat and the Gulf of Kachchh;, (iii) freshwater lakes and reservoirs from Gujarat, eastwards through Rajasthan (Keoladeo, National Park) and Madhya Pradesh; (iv) the, delta wetlands and lagoons of India’s east coast, (Chilika Lake); (v) the freshwater marshes of the, Gangetic Plain; (vi) the floodplains of the, Brahmaputra; the marshes and swamps in the, hills of northeast India and the Himalayan, foothills; (vii) the lakes and rivers of the montane, region of Kashmir and Ladakh; and (viii) the, mangrove forest and other wetlands of the island, arcs of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands., Mangroves grow along the coasts in the salt, marshes, tidal creeks, mud flats and estuaries., , 2021-22
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NATURAL VEGETATION, , 61, , They consist of a number of salt-tolerant species, of plants. Crisscrossed by creeks of stagnant, water and tidal flows, these forests give shelter, to a wide variety of birds., , Figure 5.6 : Mangrove Forests, , In India, the mangrove forests spread over, 6,740 sq. km which is 7 per cent of the world’s, mangrove forests. They are highly developed in, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and the, Sunderbans of West Bengal. Other areas of, significance are the Mahanadi, the Godavari and, the Krishna deltas. These forests too, are being, encroached upon, and hence, need conservation., , FOREST COVER IN INDIA, According to state records, the forest area, covers 23.28 per cent of the total land area of, the country. It is important to note that the, forest area and the actual forest cover are not, the same. The forest area is the area notified, and recorded as the forest land irrespective of, the existence of trees, while the actual forest, cover is the area occupied by forests with, canopy. The former is based on the records of, the State Revenue Department, while the latter, is based on aerial photographs and satellite, imageries. According to India State of Forest, Report 2019, the actual forest cover in India is, only 21.67 per cent. Of the forest cover, the, share of dense and open forests are 12.41 and, 9.26 per cent respectively., Both forest area and forest cover vary from, state to state. Lakshadweep has zero per cent, forest area; Andaman and Nicobar Islands have, 86.93 per cent. Most of the states with less than, 10 per cent of the forest area lie in the north and, northwestern part of the country. These are, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Punjab, Haryana and Delhi., , Most of the forests in Punjab and Haryana have, been cleared for cultivation. States with 10-20, per cent forest area are Tamil Nadu and West, Bengal. In Peninsular India, excluding Tamil, Nadu, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Goa, the area, under forest cover is 20-30 per cent. The, northeastern states have more than 30 per cent, of the land under forest. Hilly topography and, heavy rainfall are good for forest growth., There is a lot of variation in actual forest cover,, which ranges from 9.56 per cent in Jammu and, Kashmir to 84.01 per cent in Andaman and, Nicobar Islands. From the table showing the, distribution of forests in India (Appendix IV), it is, clear that there are 15 states where the forest cover, is more than one-third of the total area, which is, the basic requirement for maintaining the, ecological balance., On the basis of the percentage of the actual, forest cover, the states have been grouped into, four regions:, The Region, , Percentage, Cover of the, Forest, , (i) The region of high concentration, , > 40, , (ii) The region of medium concentration, , 20-40, , (iii) The region of low concentration, , 10-20, , (iv) The region of very low concentration, , < 10, , Taking the data from Appendix IV, list the states under, the four regions of forest cover, , FOREST CONSERVATION, Forests have an intricate interrelationship with, life and environment. These provide numerous, direct and indirect advantages to our economy, and society. Hence, conservation of forest is of, vital importance to the survival and prosperity, of humankind. Accordingly, the Government, of India proposed to have a nation-wide forest, conservation policy, and adopted a forest, policy in 1952, which was further modified in, 1988. According to the new forest policy, the, Government will emphasise sustainable forest, management in order to conserve and expand, forest reserve on the one hand, and to meet, the needs of local people on the other., The forest policy aimed at : (i) bringing 33, per cent of the geographical areas under forest, , 2021-22
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INDIA : PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT, , 62, , cover; (ii) maintaining environmental stability, and to restore forests where ecological balance, was disturbed; (iii) conserving the natural, heritage of the country, its biological diversity, and genetic pool; (iv) checks soil erosion,, extension of the desert lands and reduction of, floods and droughts; (v) increasing the forest, cover through social forestry and afforestation, on degraded land; (vi) increasing the, productivity of forests to make timber, fuel,, fodder and food available to rural population, dependant on forests, and encourage the, substitution of wood; (vii) creating of a massive, peoples movement involving women to, encourage planting of trees, stop felling of trees, and thus, reduce pressure on the existing forest., Forests and Life, To a vast number of tribal people, the, forest is a home, a livelihood, their, very existence. It provides them food,, fruits of all kinds, edible leaves, honey,, nourishing roots and wild game. It, provides them with material to build, their houses and items for practising, their arts. The importance of forests, in tribal economy is well-known as, they are the source of sustenance and, livelihood for tribal communities. It is, commonly believed that the tribal, communities live in harmony with, nature and protect forests. Out of a, total of 593 districts 188 have been, identified as tribal districts. The tribal, districts account for about 59.61 per, cent of the total forest cover of the, country whereas the geographical, area of 188 tribal districts forms, only 33.63 per cent of the total, geographical area of the country. It, demonstrates that tribal districts are, generally rich in forest cover., Forest and tribals are very closely, related. The age-old knowledge of, tribals regarding forestry can be used, in the development of forests. Rather, than treating tribals as minor forest, produce collectors they should be, made growers of minor forest produce, and encouraged to participate in, conservation., , Based on the forest conservation policy the, following steps were initiated:, Social Forestry, Social forestry means the management and, protection of forests and afforestation on barren, lands with the purpose of helping in the, environmental, social and rural development., The National Commission on Agriculture, (1976) has classified social forestry into three, categories. These are Urban forestry, Rural, forestry and Farm forestry., Urban forestry pertains to the raising and, management of trees on public and privately, owned lands in and around urban centres, such as green belts, parks, roadside avenues,, industrial and commercial green belts, etc., Rural forestry lays emphasis on promotion, of agro-forestry and community-forestry., Agro-forestry is the raising of trees and, agriculture crops on the same land inclusive, of the waste patches. It combines forestry with, agriculture, thus, altering the simultaneous, production of food, fodder, fuel, timber and, fruit. Community forestry involves the raising, of trees on public or community land such as, the village pasture and temple land, roadside,, canal bank, strips along railway lines, and, schools etc. Community forestry programme, aims at providing benefits to the community, as a whole. Community forestry provides a, means under which the people of landless, classes can associate themselves in treeraising and thus, get those benefits which, otherwise are restricted for landowners., Farm Forestry, Farm forestry is a term applied to the process, under which farmers grow trees for, commercial and non-commercial purposes on, their farm lands., Forest departments of various states, distribute seedlings of trees free of cost to, small and medium farmers. Several lands, such as the margins of agricultural fields,, grasslands and pastures, land around homes, and cow sheds may be used for raising trees, under non-commercial farm forestry., , 2021-22
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NATURAL VEGETATION, , 63, , W ILDLIFE, You would have visited a zoo and may have seen, animals and birds in captivity. Wildlife of India, is a great natural heritage. It is estimated that, about 4-5 per cent of all known plant and, animal species on the earth are found in India., The main reason for this remarkable diversity, of life forms is the great diversity of the ecosystem, which this country has preserved and, supported through the ages. Over the years,, their habitat has been disturbed by human, activities and as a result, their numbers have, dwindled significantly. There are certain species, that are at the brink of extinction., Some of the important reasons of the, declining of wildlife are as follows:, (i) Industrial and technological advancement, brought about a rapid increase in the, exploitation of forest resources., (ii) More and more lands were cleared for, agriculture, human settlement, roads,, mining, reservoirs, etc., (iii) Pressure on forests mounted due to, lopping for fodder and fuelwood and, removal of small timber by the local people., (iv) Grazing by domestic cattle caused an, adverse effect on wildlife and its habitat., (v) Hunting was taken up as a sport by the, elite and hundreds of wild animals were, killed in a single hunt. Now commercial, poaching is rampant., (vi) Incidence of forest fire., It is being felt that conservation of wildlife is, of great significance to the national as well as, the world heritage along with the promotion of, ecotourism. What steps have been initiated by, the government in this direction?, , W ILDLIFE CONSERVATION IN INDIA, The protection of wildlife has a long tradition in, India. Many stories of Panchtantra and Jungle, Books, etc. have stood the test of time relating, to the love for wildlife. These have a profound, impact on young minds., In 1972, a comprehensive Wildlife Act was, enacted, which provides the main legal, framework for conservation and protection of, wildlife in India. The two main objectives of the, Act are; to provide protection to the endangered, , species listed in the schedule of the Act and to, provide legal support to the conservation areas, of the country classified as National parks,, sanctuaries and closed areas. This Act has been, comprehensively amended in 1991, making, punishments more stringent and has also made, provisions for the protection of specified plant, species and conservation of endangered species, of wild animals., There are 101 National parks and, 553 wildlife sanctuaries in the country, (Appendix V)., Wildlife conservation has a very large ambit, with unbounded potential for the well-being of, humankind. However, this can be achieved only, when every individual understands its, significance and contributes his bit., For the purpose of effective conservation of, flora and fauna, special steps have been initiated, by the Government of India in collaboration with, UNESCO’s ‘Man and Biosphere Programme’., Special schemes like Project Tiger (1973), and Project Elephant (1992) have been, launched to conserve these species and their, habitat in a sustainable manner., Project Tiger has been implemented since, 1973. The main objective of the scheme is to, ensure maintenance of viable population of, tigers in India for scientific, aesthetic, cultural, and ecological values, and to preserve areas of, biological importance as natural heritage for the, benefit, education and enjoyment of the people., Initially, the Project Tiger was launched in nine, tiger reserves, covering an area of 16,339 sq. km,, which has now increased to 50 tiger reserves,, encompassing 71,027.10 sq. km of core tiger, habitats distributed in 18 states. The tiger, population in the country has registered an, increase from 1,411 in 2006 to 2,967 in 2020, which is 70 per cent of the global tiger, population., Project Elephant was launched in 1992 to, assist states having free ranging population of, wild elephants. It was aimed at ensuring longterm survival of identified viable population, of elephants in their natural habitat. The, project is being implemented in 16 states., Apart from this, some other projects such, as Crocodile Breeding Project, Project Hangul, and conservation of Himalayan Musk deer have, also been launched by the Government of India., , 2021-22
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NATURAL VEGETATION, , 65, , Figure 5.9 : India : Biosphere Reserves, , 2021-22
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INDIA : PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT, , 66, , Reserves have been recognised by the UNESCO, on World Network of Biosphere Reserves., Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, The Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve (NBR), the first, of the fourteen biosphere reserves of India, was, established in September 1986. It embraces, the sanctuary complex of Wyanad, Nagarhole,, Bandipur and Mudumalai, the entire forested, hill slopes of Nilambur, the Upper Nilgiri, plateau, Silent Valley and the Siruvani hills., The total area of the biosphere reserve is, around 5,520 sq. km., The Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve possesses, different habitat types, unspoilt areas of, natural vegetation types with several dry, scrubs, dry and moist deciduous, semievergreen and wet evergreen forests, evergreen, sholas, grasslands and swamps. It includes, the largest known population of two, endangered animal species, namely the Nilgiri, Tahr and the Lion-tailed macaque. The largest, south Indian population of elephant, tiger,, gaur, sambar and chital as well as a good, number of endemic and endangered plants are, also found in this reserve. The habitat of a, number of tribal groups remarkable for their, traditional modes of harmonious use of the, environment are also found here., The topography of the NBR is extremely, varied, ranging from an altitude of 250 m to, 2,650 m. About 80 per cent of the flowering, plants reported from the Western Ghats occur, in the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve., Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve, The Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve situated, in Uttarakhand includes parts of Chamoli,, Almora, Pithoragarh and Bageshwar districts., The major forest types of the reserve are, temperate. A few important species are silver, weed and orchids like latifolie and, , rhododendron. The biosphere reserve has a, rich fauna, for example the snow leopard,, black bear, brown bear, musk deer, snowcock, golden eagle and black eagle., Major threats to the ecosystem are the, collection of endangered plants for medicinal, use, forest fires and poaching., Sunderbans Biosphere Reserve, It is located in the swampy delta of the river, Ganga in West Bengal. It extends over a vast, area of 9,630 sq. km and consists of mangrove, forests, swamps and forested islands., Sunderbans is the home of nearly 200 Royal, Bengal tigers., The tangled mass of roots of mangrove, trees provide safe homes for a large number, of species, from fish to shrimp. More than 170, birds species are known to inhabit these, mangrove forests., Adapting itself to the saline and fresh water, environment, the tigers at the park are good, swimmers, and they hunt scarce preys such, as chital deer, barking deer, wild pig and even, macaques. In the Sunderbans, the mangrove, forests are characterised by Heritiera fomes,, a species valued for its timber., Gulf of Mannar Biosphere Reserve, The Gulf of Mannar Biosphere Reserve covers, an area of 105,000 hectares on the southeast, coast of India. It is one of the world’s richest, regions from a marine biodiversity perspective., The biosphere reserve comprises 21 islands, with estuaries, beaches, forests of the, nearshore environment, sea grasses, coral, reefs, salt marshes and mangroves. Among the, Gulf’’s 3,600 plant and animal species are the, globally endangered e.g. sea cow (Dugong, dugon). Besides six mangrove species, endemic, to Peninsular India are also endangered., , EXERCISES, 1., , Choose the right answer from the four alternatives given below., (i), , Sandalwood is an example of:, (a) Evergreen forest, (b) Deciduous forest, , 2021-22, , (c) Deltaic forest, (d) Thorny forest
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NATURAL VEGETATION, , 67, , (ii), , Which one of the following was the purpose of Project Tiger?, (a) to kill tigers, (c) to protect tigers from illegal hunting, (b) to put tigers in the Zoo, (d) to make films on tigers, , (iii), , In which one of the following states is the Nandadevi Biosphere reserve, situated?, (a), (b), , (iv), , (c) Uttarakhand, (d) Odisha, , How many of the Biosphere reserves from India are recognised by the, UNESCO?, (a), (b), , (v), , Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, , One, Two, , (c) Eleven, (d) Four, , Which one of the following proportion of area of the country was targeted, to be under forest in Forest Policy of India?, (a), (b), , 33, 44, , (c) 55, (d) 22, , 2., , Answer the following questions in about 30 words., (i) What is natural vegetation? Under what climatic conditions are tropical, evergreen forests develop?, (ii) What do you understand by social forestry?, (iii) Define Biosphere reserves?, (iv) What is the difference between forest area and forest cover?, , 3., , Answer the following questions in not more than 150 words., (i) What steps have been taken up to conserve forests?, (ii) How can people’s participation be effective in conserving forests and wildlife?, , Project/Activity, 1., On the outline map of India, mark and label the following., (i) Areas having Mangrove forests., (ii) Biosphere reserves of Nanda Devi, Sunderbans, Gulf of Mannar and Nilgiri., (iii) Mark the location of Forest Survey of India Head Quarter., 2., List the trees, bush and shrub species found around your school. Write, their local names and their uses., , 2021-22
