CBSE Class 10 Social Science Forests And Wildlife Resources Notes Set 02

These CBSE Class 10 Geography notes for Chapter 2 Forest and Wildlife Resources cover India's flora and fauna and the IUCN species categories, the state of India's forests and the causes of flora/fauna depletion, the loss of cultural diversity that comes with forest degradation, the Wildlife Protection Act and India's Forest Policy, Project Tiger, the types of forests by ownership, and community-led conservation efforts.

Flora and Fauna in India

India, though covering only about 2.4% of the world's land area, is biologically very diverse, home to roughly 45,500 plant species and 91,000 animal species — around 7-8% of all recorded species worldwide. Of these, 12.6% of mammals, 4.5% of birds, 45.8% of reptiles, 55.8% of amphibians and 38% of Indian plant species are endemic, found nowhere else.

Flora refers to plants growing naturally in a region — grasslands, woodlands, flowering and non-flowering plants, and trees. Fauna refers to animals living naturally in a region — birds, animals, fish, insects and more.

By some estimates, at least 10% of India's recorded wild flora and 20% of its mammals are at risk of extinction. Species such as the cheetah, the pink-headed duck, the mountain quail, the forest spotted owlet, and plants like Madhuca insignis (a wild mahua) and Hubbardia heptaneuron (a grass species) are now classed as "critical", on the edge of extinction — and the true number of species already lost is unknown.

IUCN Categories of Species

The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) classifies species as follows:

Normal species: populations considered large enough for survival — e.g. cattle, sal, pine, rats.
Endangered species: species whose survival is uncertain if the negative factors affecting them continue — e.g. black buck, crocodile, Indian wild ass, Indian rhino, lion-tailed macaque, sangai (the brow-antlered deer of Manipur).
Vulnerable species: species whose populations have declined enough that they are likely to become endangered if negative factors persist — e.g. blue sheep, Asiatic elephants, Gangetic dolphins.
Rare species: species with naturally small populations, which may become vulnerable or endangered if conditions worsen — e.g. Himalayan brown bear, wild Asiatic buffalo, desert fox, hornbill.
Endemic species: species found only in specific, limited areas, due to natural or geographical barriers — e.g. Andaman teal, Nicobar pigeon, Andaman wild pig, Mithun (Arunachal Pradesh).
Extinct species: species not found despite searches in their known or likely habitats, whether locally, regionally, nationally or globally — e.g. the Asiatic cheetah and the pink-headed duck.

The cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus), the world's fastest land mammal, capable of speeds up to about 112 km/h, is sometimes confused with the leopard, but is distinguished by the long, teardrop-shaped black lines running from the corners of its eyes to its mouth. Once found across Africa and Asia, the Asiatic cheetah is now practically extinct due to habitat and prey loss; it was declared extinct in India as early as 1952. The Himalayan yew (Taxus wallachiana), an endangered medicinal plant found in Himachal Pradesh and Arunachal Pradesh, is used in cancer treatment.

Forests on the Brink

Deforestation in India has occurred on an enormous scale. India's forest and tree cover is estimated at 80.9 million hectares, about 24.62% of the country's total geographical area (dense forest 12.4%, open forest 9.34%, mangroves 0.15%). The 2021 State of Forest Report recorded an increase of 2,261 sq. km in total forest and tree cover since 2019 — though this apparent gain largely reflects active conservation programmes, management efforts and tree planting, rather than natural forest growth alone.

Factors Causing the Depletion of Flora and Fauna

Excessive use during the colonial period: while earlier human needs from forests were limited, today forests are used both directly and indirectly for wood, bark, leaves, rubber, medicine, dyes, food, fuel and fodder, among much else. During the colonial era, the expansion of railways, agriculture, commercial and scientific forestry, and mining caused the greatest damage to Indian forests.

Agricultural expansion: a major cause of forest loss even after Independence; the Forest Survey of India recorded about 26,200 sq. km of forest converted to agricultural land between 1951 and 1980. Shifting cultivation (jhum), a form of slash-and-burn agriculture, has deforested or degraded large tribal belt areas, particularly in north-eastern and central India. In jhum cultivation, a patch of forest is cleared and burned, the ashes mixed into the soil for cultivation, and the land abandoned once it loses fertility, with the farmer moving to a new plot. While this causes deforestation, habitat loss and soil erosion, it remains an important part of the food supply for many people in north-eastern states such as Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Mizoram, Meghalaya, Tripura and Manipur.

Multipurpose river projects: over 5,000 sq. km of forest have been cleared for river valley projects since 1951; the ongoing Narmada Sagar Project in Madhya Pradesh alone is expected to eventually submerge about 40,000 hectares of forest. The Bhakra Nangal Project, India's largest multipurpose river valley project, spans Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan, situated on the Sutlej river near Bhakra.

Mining activities: mining requires heavy machinery, labour, roads and railways, all contributing to deforestation; mining has, for example, endangered the Buxa Tiger Reserve in West Bengal and disrupted the migration routes of the Indian elephant.

Grazing and fuelwood collection: excessive grazing causes soil erosion, leaving many hillsides across India barren; some environmentalists also point to fuelwood collection as a contributing factor to deforestation.

Reduction in India's Biodiversity

Key causes include habitat destruction, hunting, poaching, over-exploitation, pollution, poisoning and forest fires, along with unequal access to resources and unequal sharing of responsibility for environmental protection — the richest 5% of Indian society, through excess consumption, likely causes more environmental damage than the poorest 25%, while bearing far less responsibility for it. Rapid population growth in developing countries is also linked to a faster rate of environmental damage.

Loss of Cultural Diversity

Forest and wildlife loss is not only a biological problem, since biological degradation is closely linked to the loss of cultural diversity: indigenous and other forest-dependent communities, who rely directly on the forest for food, water, medicine, culture and spirituality, are significantly marginalised and impoverished by such losses.

Impact on poor women: women, often responsible for gathering firewood, fodder and water, bear a disproportionate burden as these resources deplete, sometimes having to walk more than 10 km to collect them — increasing their workload, harming their health, and causing neglect of home and children, with wider social consequences.

Increase in poverty: the poor are also hit hardest by the indirect effects of environmental degradation, such as severe droughts or deforestation-driven floods, with environmental devastation often directly causing poverty.

Forests and wildlife are therefore vital to the subcontinent's quality of life and environment, and sound conservation measures are essential.

Conservation of Forest and Wildlife in India

Conservation helps preserve ecological diversity and life-support systems (water, air, soil), and maintains the genetic diversity of plants and animals, supporting further breeding and growth — agriculture, for instance, still depends on older crop varieties, and fisheries depend on preserved aquatic biodiversity.

The Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972

Following demands from conservationists in the 1960s and 70s, the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act was passed in 1972, introducing various habitat-protection provisions and a list of protected species. Its primary aims were to protect the remaining populations of endangered species by banning hunting, giving legal protection to their habitats, and restricting trade in wildlife. As a result, the central and various state governments established National Parks and animal sanctuaries, and launched projects to protect species such as the tiger, the one-horned rhinoceros, the Kashmir stag (hangul), three types of crocodile (freshwater, saltwater, and the gharial), and the Asiatic lion, among others. The Indian elephant, black deer (chinkara), great Indian bustard (godawan) and snow leopard have since received full or partial legal protection against hunting and trade. Conservation efforts increasingly focus on whole ecosystems rather than individual species; hundreds of butterflies, moths, beetles and a dragonfly were added to the protected species list under the Wildlife Acts of 1980 and 1986, and plants were first added to the list in 1991, beginning with six species.

India's Forest Policy

India has had a Forest Policy since 1894, amended in 1952 and 1988, focused on the protection, conservation and plantation of forests, with the main objectives of: (i) maintaining environmental stability by preserving and restoring ecological balance; (ii) protecting and conserving the country's natural heritage; (iii) substantially increasing forest cover through large-scale afforestation and social forestry; and (iv) checking soil erosion in the catchment areas of rivers, lakes and reservoirs.

In 2009, Project Snow Leopard (PSL) was launched to promote an inclusive, participatory approach to conserving snow leopards and their habitat; the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change lists the snow leopard among 21 highly endangered species needing recovery efforts. India is estimated to be home to roughly 450-500 snow leopards, found in its upper Himalayan regions.

National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries

Project Tiger (1973)

Project Tiger treats the tiger as a key, indicator species within the wider flora and fauna web. By 1973, authorities found that the tiger population had fallen from an estimated 55,000 at the turn of the century to just 1,827. Key threats included hunting and trade, shrinking habitat, loss of prey species, and growing human population; the trade in tiger skins and use of tiger bones in traditional medicine, largely in Asian markets, pushed the population to the edge of extinction. Since India and Nepal together hold over two-thirds of the world's remaining wild tigers, both have been prime targets for poaching and illegal trade. Project Tiger, launched in 1973, became one of the world's best-known wildlife conservation campaigns, with tiger conservation valued both for saving an endangered species and for preserving large, intact ecosystems. Notable tiger reserves include Corbett National Park (Uttarakhand), Sunderban National Park (West Bengal), Bandhavgarh National Park (Madhya Pradesh), Sariska Wildlife Sanctuary (Rajasthan), Manas Tiger Reserve (Assam) and Periyar Tiger Reserve (Kerala).

Types and Distribution of Forests

Most of India's forest and wildlife resources are owned or managed by the Forest Department and other government agencies, categorised as follows:

Reserved forests: permanently reserved for timber or other forest produce; over 50% of total forest land falls in this category, managed by the government, found in states such as Jammu & Kashmir, Andhra Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Maharashtra.
Protected forests: protected from further depletion, making up almost one-third of total forest area, managed by the government, found in states such as Bihar, Haryana, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Odisha and Rajasthan (Madhya Pradesh has the largest area under this category).
Unclassed forests: largely inaccessible forests or wastelands, making up about 16% of total forest area, owned by both government and private individuals, found mainly in the north-eastern states and parts of Gujarat.

Community and Conservation

Conservation strategies rooted in local community involvement are not new in India. Indian forests are also home to many traditional communities, who often work with government officials to protect these habitats, recognising this as the only way to secure their own long-term survival. In Rajasthan's Sariska Tiger Reserve, villagers have invoked the Wildlife Protection Act to resist mining, in some places actively guarding habitats and openly resisting government involvement. In Rajasthan's Alwar district, people from five villages declared 1,200 hectares of forest as the Bhairodev Dakav 'Sonchuri', establishing their own rules banning hunting and protecting the area from outside interference.

The Himalayan Chipko Movement, led by the prominent leader Sunderlal Bahuguna, has successfully resisted deforestation in several areas and shown that community afforestation using local species can be highly effective. Attempts to revive traditional conservation methods, or develop new ecological farming practices, are gaining ground: farmers and groups such as the Beej Bachao Andolan (Tehri) and Navdanya have shown that normal levels of crop production are achievable, and cost-effective, without synthetic chemicals.