FOREST & WILD LIFE

Biodiversity:
Biodiversity or Biological Diversity is immensely rich in wildlie and c!ltivated s"ecies# diverse
in orm and !nction $!t closely integrated system thro!gh m!lti"le networ% o
interde"endencies&
Flora and Fa!na in India
India is one o the world's richest co!ntries in terms o its vast array o $iological diversity# and
has nearly ( "er cent o the total n!m$er o s"ecies in the world )estimated to $e *&+million,&
Fa!na or -nimal Lie .ore than (*#/// s"ecies
Flora or 0lant Lie .ore than 12#/// s"ecies
Indigeno!s Flowering 0lants -$o!t *3#/// s"ecies
Endangered Wild Flora -$o!t */4
Endangered .ammals -$o!t 5/4
List o 6ritically Endangered S"ecies:
6heetah# "in%7headed D!c%# .o!ntain 8!ail# Forest S"otted Owl# madh!cha insignis )wild
mah!a,# h!$$ardia he"tane!ron )a grass s"ecies,
6lassiication Based on the International 9nion or 6onservation o :at!re and :at!ral
Reso!rces )I96:,:
:ormal S"ecies: S"ecies whose "o"!lation levels are considered to $e normal or their s!rvival#
s!ch as cattle# sal# "ine# rodents# etc&
Endangered S"ecies: These are s"ecies which are in danger o e;tinction& The s!rvival o s!ch
s"ecies is diic!lt i the negative actors that have led to a decline in their "o"!lation contin!e to
o"erate& The e;am"les o s!ch s"ecies are $lac% $!c%# crocodile# Indian wild ass# Indian rhino#
liontailed maca<!e# sangai )$row anter deer in .ani"!r,# etc&
=!lnera$le S"ecies: These are s"ecies whose "o"!lation has declined to levels rom where it is
li%ely to move into the endangered category in the near !t!re i the negative actors contin!e to
o"erate& The e;am"les o s!ch s"ecies are $l!e shee"# -siatic ele"hant# >angetic dol"hin# etc&
Rare S"ecies: S"ecies with small "o"!lation may move into the endangered or v!lnera$le
category i the negative actors aecting them contin!e to o"erate& The e;am"les o s!ch s"ecies
are the ?imalayan $rown $ear# wild -siatic $!alo# desert o; and horn$ill# etc&
Endemic S"ecies: These are s"ecies which are only o!nd in some "artic!lar areas !s!ally
isolated $y nat!ral or geogra"hical $arriers& E;am"les o s!ch s"ecies are the -ndaman teal#
:ico$ar "igeon# -ndaman wild "ig# mith!n in -r!nchal 0radesh&
E;tinct S"ecies: These are s"ecies which are not o!nd ater searches o %nown or li%ely areas
where they may occ!r& - s"ecies may $e e;tinct rom a local area# region# co!ntry# continent or
the entire earth& E;am"les o s!ch s"ecies are the -siatic cheetah# "in% head d!c%&
:!m$er o Endangered S"ecies:2@ s"ecies o mammals# 11 o $irds# *3 o re"tiles# and A o
am"hi$ians# *#3// "lant s"ecies are considered endangered&
=anishing Forests
Forest cover +A2#5@A s< %m# which is *@&A@4 o the total geogra"hical area&
Dense orest **&1(4
O"en orest 2&2+4
.angrove /&*34
6a!ses o De"letion o Flora and Fa!na:
-gric!lt!ral E;"ansion:
Between *@3* and *@(/# according to the Forest S!rvey o India# over 5+#5// s<& %m& o orest
area was converted into agric!lt!ral land all over India& S!$stantial "arts o the tri$al $elts#
es"ecially in the northeastern and central India# have $een deorested or degraded $y shiting
c!ltivation )Bh!m,# a ty"e o Cslash and $!rn' agric!lt!re&
Enrichment 0lantation:
0romotion o a ew avo!red s"ecies# in many "arts o India# has $een carried thro!gh the
ironically7termed Denrichment "lantationE# in which a single commercially val!a$le s"ecies was
e;tensively "lanted and other s"ecies eliminated&
Develo"ment 0roBects:
Large7scale develo"ment "roBects have also contri$!ted signiicantly to the loss o orests& Since
*@3*# over 3#/// s< %m o orest was cleared or river valley "roBects& 6learing o orests is still
contin!ing with "roBects li%e the :armada Sagar 0roBect in .adhya 0radesh# which wo!ld
in!ndate 1/#/// hectares o orest&
.ining: The B!;a Tiger Reserve in West Bengal is serio!sly threatened $y the ongoing dolomite
mining& It has dist!r$ed the nat!ral ha$itat o many s"ecies and $loc%ed the migration ro!te o
several others# incl!ding the great Indian ele"hant&
9ne<!al -ccess to Reso!rces: The richest ive "er cent o Indian society "ro$a$ly ca!se more
ecological damage $eca!se o the amo!nt they cons!me than the "oorest 53 "er cent& The ormer
shares minim!m res"onsi$ilities or environmental well7$eing&
Social Eect o Reso!rce De"letion:
In many societies# women $ear the maBor res"onsi$ility o collection o !el# odder# water and
other $asic s!$sistence needs& -s these reso!rces are de"leted# the dr!dgery o women increases
and sometimes they have to wal% or more than */ %m to collect these reso!rces& This ca!ses
serio!s health "ro$lems or women and negligence o home and children $eca!se o the
increased ho!rs o wor%# which oten has serio!s social im"lications& The indirect im"act o
degradation s!ch as severe dro!ght or deorestation7ind!ced loods# etc& also hits the "oor the
hardest& 0overty in these cases is a direct o!tcome o environmental destr!ction&The destr!ction
o orests and wildlie is not B!st a $iological iss!e& The $iological loss is strongly correlated with
the loss o c!lt!ral diversity& S!ch losses have increasingly marginalised and im"overished many
indigeno!s and other orest7de"endent comm!nities# who directly de"end on vario!s com"onents
o the orest and wildlie or ood# drin%# medicine# c!lt!re# s"irit!ality# etc&
Beneits o 6onservation:
6onservation "reserves the ecological diversity and o!r lie s!""ort systems F water# air and soil&
It also "reserves the genetic diversity o "lants and animals or $etter growth o s"ecies
and$reeding& For e;am"le# in agric!lt!re# we are still de"endent on traditional cro" varieties&
Fisheries too are heavily de"endent on the maintenance o a<!atic $iodiversity&
The Indian Wildlie )0rotection, -ct *@25:
-n all7India list o "rotected s"ecies was also "!$lished& The thr!st o the "rogramme was
towards "rotecting the remaining "o"!lation o certain endangered s"ecies $y $anning h!nting#
giving legal "rotection to their ha$itats# and restricting trade in wildlie& 6entral and many state
governments esta$lished national "ar%s and wildlie sanct!aries& The central government also
anno!nced several "roBects or "rotecting s"eciic animals# which were gravely threatened#
incl!ding the tiger&
>overnmentGs 6ategoriHation o Forests:
)i, Reserved Forests: .ore than hal o the total orest land has $een declared reserved orests&
Reserved orests are regarded as the most val!a$le as ar as the conservation o orest and
wildlie reso!rces are concerned&
)ii, 0rotected Forests: -lmost one7third o the total orest area is "rotected orest# as declared
$y the Forest De"artment& This orest land are "rotected rom any !rther de"letion&
)iii, 9nclassed Forests: These are other orests and wastelands $elonging to $oth government
and "rivate individ!als and comm!nities&
:ew Trends In 6onservation 0olicy
Increase Biodiversity:
The conservation "roBects are now oc!sing on $iodiversity rather than on a ew o its
com"onents& There is now a more intensive search or dierent conservation meas!res&
Increasingly# even insects are $eginning to ind a "lace in conservation "lanning& In the
notiication !nder Wildlie -ct o *@(/ and *@(+# several h!ndred $!tterlies# moths# $eetles# and
one dragonly have $een added to the list o "rotected s"ecies& In *@@*# or the irst time "lants
were also added to the list# starting with si; s"ecies&
6omm!nity and 6onservation
I In some areas o India# local comm!nities are str!ggling to conserve these ha$itats along with
government oicials# recognising that only this will sec!re their own long7term livelihood&
I In Saris%a Tiger Reserve# RaBasthan# villagers have o!ght against mining $y citing the Wildlie
0rotection -ct& In many areas# villagers themselves are "rotecting ha$itats and e;"licitly
reBecting government involvement& The inha$itants o ive villages in the -lwar district o
RaBasthan have declared *#5// hectares o orest as the Bhairodev Da%av CSonch!ri'# declaring
their own set o r!les and reg!lations which do not allow h!nting# and are "rotecting the wildlie
against any o!tside encroachments&
I :at!re worshi" is an age old tri$al $elie $ased on the "remise that all creations o nat!re have
to $e "rotected& S!ch $elies have "reserved several virgin orests in "ristine orm called Sacred
>roves )the orests o >od and >oddesses,& These "atches o orest or "arts o large orests have
$een let !nto!ched $y the local "eo"le and any intererence with them is $anned& 6ertain
societies revere a "artic!lar tree which they have "reserved rom time immemorial&
I The .!ndas and the Santhal o 6hhota :ag"!r region worshi" mah!a )Bassia latiolia, and
%adam$a )-nthoca"hal!s cadam$a, trees# and the tri$als o Orissa and Bihar worshi" the
tamarind )Tamarind!s indica, and mango ).angiera indica, trees d!ring weddings& To many o
!s# "ee"al and $anyan trees are considered sacred&
I Indian society com"rises several c!lt!res# each with its own set o traditional methods o
conserving nat!re and its creations& Sacred <!alities are oten ascri$ed to s"rings# mo!ntain
"ea%s# "lants and animals which are closely "rotected& Jo! will ind troo"s o maca<!es and
lang!rs aro!nd many tem"les& They are ed daily and treated as a "art o tem"le devotees& In and
aro!nd Bishnoi villages in RaBasthan# herds o $lac%$!c%# )chin%ara,# nilgai and "eacoc%s can $e
seen as an integral "art o the comm!nity and no$ody harms them&I The amo!s 6hi"%o
movement in the ?imalayas has not only s!ccess!lly resisted deorestation in several areas $!t
has also shown that comm!nity aorestation with indigeno!s s"ecies can $e enormo!sly
s!ccess!l&
I Farmers and citiHen's gro!"s li%e the BeeB Bachao -ndolan in Tehri and :avdanya have shown
that ade<!ate levels o diversiied cro" "rod!ction witho!t the !se o synthetic chemicals are
"ossi$le and economically via$le&
I In India Boint orest management )KF., "rogramme !rnishes a good e;am"le or involving
local comm!nities in the management and restoration o degraded orests& The "rogramme has
$een in ormal e;istence since *@(( when the state o Orissa "assed the irst resol!tion or Boint
orest management& KF. de"ends on the ormation o local )village, instit!tions that !nderta%e
"rotection activities mostly on degraded orest land managed $y the orest de"artment& In ret!rn#
the mem$ers o these comm!nities are entitled to intermediary $eneits li%e non7tim$er orest
"rod!ces and share in the tim$er harvested $y Cs!ccess!l "rotection'&
I The clear lesson rom the dynamics o $oth environmental destr!ction and reconstr!ction in
India is that local comm!nities everywhere have to $e involved in some %ind o nat!ral reso!rce
management& B!t there is still a long way to go $eore local comm!nities are at the centre7stage
in decision7ma%ing& -cce"t only those economic or develo"mental activities# that are "eo"le
centric# environment7riendly and economically rewarding&
0roBect Tiger
In *@2A#the tiger "o"!lation had dwindled to *#(52 rom an estimated 33#/// at the t!rn o the
cent!ry&
Threats or Tiger 0o"!lation:
"oaching or trade#
shrin%ing ha$itat#
de"letion o "rey $ase s"ecies#
growing h!man "o"!lation# etc&
D0roBect TigerE# one o the well "!$licised wildlie cam"aigns in the world# was la!nched in
*@2A&
S!ccess Rate: Tiger 0o"!lation
*@(3 1#//5
*@(@ 1#AA1
*@@A A#+//
6!rrent Stat!s: 52 Tiger Reserves 6overing A2#2+* s< %m&
Im"ortant Tiger Reserves:
6or$ett :ational 0ar% in 9ttaranchal
S!nder$ans :ational 0ar% in West Bengal
Bandhavgarh :ational 0ar% in .adhya 0radesh
Saris%a Wildlie Sanct!ary in RaBasthan
.anas Tiger Reserve in -ssam and
0eriyar Tiger Reserve in Lerala&