Chapter Notes

Natural Vegetation

Natural vegetation is a community of plants that has grown naturally over a long period without any human interference. This allows the plants to adapt fully to the local climate and soil conditions. This is different from planted vegetation, like a park in a city or a mango orchard in a village, which is grown and managed by people.

India's diverse climate and soil support a wide variety of natural vegetation. You can find temperate vegetation in the high altitudes of the Himalayas, tropical rain forests in the Western Ghats and Andaman Nicobar Islands, and mangroves in the delta regions. In the dry areas of Rajasthan, thorny bushes and cacti are common. This variety is a direct result of the different environmental conditions across the country.

Based on climate and the dominant types of plants, India's forests can be divided into five main groups.

Types of Forests

Tropical Evergreen and Semi Evergreen Forests

These forests grow in warm and humid regions that receive over 200 cm of annual rainfall and have an average annual temperature above 22°C. They are found on the western slopes of the Western Ghats, the hills of the northeastern region, and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

Characteristics of Tropical Evergreen Forests:

• Well-stratified: The forests have multiple layers, from shrubs and creepers on the ground to short trees and then very tall trees, which can reach heights of 60 meters or more.
• Green All Year: There is no specific season for the trees to shed their leaves, flower, or bear fruit. This means the forest appears green throughout the year.
• Key Species: Important trees found here include rosewood, mahogony, aini, and ebony.

Semi-Evergreen Forests are found in the less rainy parts of these same regions. They contain a mix of evergreen and moist deciduous trees. The presence of many climbers gives these forests an evergreen appearance. Key species include white cedar, hollock, and kail.

During the British colonial period, these forests were heavily exploited for their economic value. The British replaced native forests, like the oak forests in Garhwal and Kumaon, with pine (chirs) trees needed to lay railway lines. They also cleared large areas for tea, rubber, and coffee plantations. This shifted the purpose of forests from protection to commercial use.

Tropical Deciduous Forests

These are the most widespread forests in India and are often called the monsoon forests. They are found in regions with rainfall between 70 cm and 200 cm. Based on water availability, they are divided into two types: moist and dry deciduous.

Moist Deciduous Forests:

• Climate: Found in areas with rainfall between 100 cm and 200 cm.
• Location: Found in the northeastern states, the foothills of the Himalayas, the eastern slopes of the Western Ghats, and Odisha.
• Key Species: Teak, sal, shisham, mahua, amla, and sandalwood are some of the main species.

Dry Deciduous Forests:

• Climate: Found in areas with rainfall between 70 cm and 100 cm. These forests transition into moist deciduous forests on their wetter edges and into thorn forests on their drier edges.
• Location: Cover vast areas of the Peninsular plateau and the plains of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.
• Appearance: In the dry season, the trees shed all their leaves, and the forest looks like a large grassland with bare trees. In wetter areas, it creates a "parkland landscape" with trees scattered among open grassy patches.
• Key Species: Common trees include tendu, palas, amaltas, bel, and khair.

Tropical Thorn Forests

These forests are found in areas receiving less than 50 cm of annual rainfall.

• Location: They grow in the semi-arid regions of southwest Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, and Uttar Pradesh.
• Appearance: The vegetation consists of various grasses and shrubs. Plants remain leafless for most of the year, giving the area a scrub-like look.
• Key Species: Important species include babool, ber, wild date palm, khair, neem, and khejri. Tussocky grass, growing up to two meters high, forms the undergrowth.

Montane Forests

In mountainous regions, vegetation changes with altitude because the temperature decreases as you go higher. These forests are classified into two types: northern and southern.

The Northern Mountain Forests (Himalayas): The Himalayan ranges display a change in vegetation from tropical types at the foothills to tundra types at the highest peaks.

• Foothills: Deciduous forests are common.
• 1,000 to 2,000 m: Wet temperate forests with evergreen broad-leaf trees like oak and chestnut are predominant.
• 1,500 to 1,750 m: Pine forests are well-developed. Chir Pine is a commercially valuable tree found here.
• Western Himalayas: Deodar, a highly valued and durable wood used in construction, is found in this zone. Chinar and walnut, which support Kashmir's handicraft industry, also grow here.
• 2,225 to 3,048 m: Blue pine and spruce appear. Temperate grasslands are also common.
• 3,000 to 4,000 m: Alpine forests and pastures are found, with trees like silver firs, junipers, pines, and birch. These pastures are used for transhumance (seasonal migration of livestock) by tribes like the Gujjars, Bakarwals, Bhotiyas, and Gaddis.
• Above 4,000 m: Vegetation is limited to mosses and lichens, which form the tundra vegetation.

The Southern Mountain Forests: These are found in three main areas of Peninsular India: the Western Ghats, the Vindhyas, and the Nilgiris.

• Because these mountains are closer to the tropics, the vegetation is subtropical in the lower regions and temperate in the higher regions (above 1,500 m).
• The temperate forests in the Nilgiris, Anaimalai, and Palani hills are called Sholas.
• Economically significant trees include magnolia, laurel, cinchona, and wattle.

Littoral and Swamp Forests

India has a rich variety of wetlands, with about 70% of this area used for paddy cultivation. These wetlands are crucial habitats.

• Two sites, Chilika Lake (Odisha) and Keoladeo National Park (Bharatpur), are protected as waterfowl habitats under the Convention of Wetlands of International Importance (Ramsar Convention).
• Mangrove forests grow along coasts in salt marshes, tidal creeks, and estuaries. The plants here are salt-tolerant.
• These forests, with their network of creeks, provide shelter for a wide variety of birds.
• India's mangrove forests cover about 6,740 sq. km, which is 7% of the world's total. They are highly developed in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and the Sunderbans of West Bengal. Other important areas include the deltas of the Mahanadi, Godavari, and Krishna rivers.

Forest Conservation

Forests are vital for life, the environment, and our economy. Realizing this, the Government of India adopted a forest policy in 1952, which was later modified in 1988. The new policy focuses on sustainable forest management to both conserve forests and meet the needs of local people.

The main goals of the forest policy include:

• Bringing 33 per cent of India's geographical area under forest cover.
• Maintaining environmental stability and restoring ecological balance.
• Conserving the country's natural heritage, including its biological diversity and genetic pool.
• Checking soil erosion and the spread of deserts.
• Reducing floods and droughts.
• Increasing forest cover through social forestry and afforestation.
• Increasing the productivity of forests to provide timber, fuel, fodder, and food.
• Creating a massive people's movement, especially involving women, to encourage tree planting and prevent tree felling.

Forests and Life

For many tribal communities, the forest is their home and source of livelihood. It provides them with food, materials for building houses, and items for their arts and crafts. Tribal communities are known to live in harmony with nature and have a deep, traditional knowledge of forestry. This knowledge can be used to help develop and conserve forests. Instead of just being collectors of forest produce, they should be encouraged to become growers and active participants in conservation.

Social Forestry

Social forestry refers to the management and protection of forests, as well as planting trees on barren lands, to help with environmental, social, and rural development. The National Commission on Agriculture (1976) classified social forestry into three categories:

• Urban Forestry: This involves planting and managing trees on public and private lands in and around cities, such as in green belts, parks, and along roadsides.
• Rural Forestry: This focuses on agro-forestry and community forestry.
  • Agro-forestry is the practice of growing trees and agricultural crops on the same land. This allows for the simultaneous production of food, fodder, fuel, and timber.
  • Community forestry involves planting trees on community lands like village pastures, temple lands, and along roadsides and railway lines. This benefits the entire community and allows landless people to participate in tree-raising.
• Farm Forestry: Under this process, farmers grow trees on their own farmland for both commercial and non-commercial purposes. Forest departments often provide seedlings free of cost to encourage this.

Wildlife

India is home to about 4-5 per cent of all known plant and animal species on Earth, making its wildlife a great natural heritage. This incredible biodiversity is due to the country's diverse ecosystems. However, human activities have disturbed wildlife habitats, causing a significant decline in animal populations and pushing some species to the brink of extinction.

Reasons for the decline of wildlife:

• Rapid exploitation of forest resources due to industrial and technological advancement.
• Clearing of land for agriculture, human settlements, roads, and mining.
• Pressure on forests for fodder and fuelwood.
• Grazing by domestic cattle, which harms wildlife habitats.
• Hunting as a sport in the past and rampant commercial poaching today.
• Incidents of forest fires.

Wildlife Conservation in India

India has a long tradition of protecting wildlife, often reflected in stories from the Panchtantra and Jungle Books. To provide a legal framework for this, the government enacted the comprehensive Wildlife Act in 1972.

The main objectives of the Wildlife Act are:

1. To provide protection to endangered species listed in the Act.
2. To provide legal support to conservation areas like National Parks and sanctuaries.

The Act was amended in 1991 to make punishments stricter and to include provisions for protecting specific plant species. Today, there are 103 National Parks and 563 wildlife sanctuaries in the country.

To further conserve flora and fauna, the government has collaborated with UNESCO's 'Man and Biosphere (MAB) Programme' and launched several special schemes.

• Project Tiger (1973): This project was launched to ensure a viable population of tigers in India. It started with nine tiger reserves and has now expanded to 50 reserves across 18 states. The project has been a success, with the tiger population increasing from 1,411 in 2006 to 2,967 in 2020, which is 70% of the global tiger population.
• Project Elephant (1992): This project was launched to protect wild elephants and their habitats in 16 states.
• Other conservation projects include the Crocodile Breeding Project and Project Hangul.

Biosphere Reserves

A Biosphere Reserve is a unique ecosystem of land or coastal areas that is internationally recognized under UNESCO's Man and Biosphere (MAB) Programme. These reserves aim to balance conservation with sustainable use.

There are 18 Biosphere Reserves in India. Out of these, twelve have been recognized by UNESCO and are part of the World Network of Biosphere Reserves.