CBSE Class 8 Geography Chapter 10 India: Natural Vegetation And Wildlife Notes

CBSE Class 8 Geography Chapter 10 India: Natural Vegetation And Wildlife

Natural Vegetation refers to the plant cover that has not been disturbed over a long time, allowing its species to adjust themselves fully to the climate and soil conditions.

• Thus, grasses, shrubs, and trees, which grow on their own without any interference, constitute the natural vegetation of an area.
• There is a difference between flora, vegetation, and forest. Flora refers to plants of a particular region or period, listed as species and considered as a group.

For example:

• The Eastern Himalayas have about 4000 species of plants, which vary from tropical to temperate and Alpine with increasing altitude.
• Vegetation, on the other hand, refers to the assemblage ofplant species livinginassociation with each other in a given environmental set-up.

For example:

The redwood forests, coastal mangroves, roadside weed patches, cultivated gardens and lawns, etc., all are encompassed by the term vegetation.

The major vegetation types of the world are grouped as forests, grasslands, shrubs, and tundra.

• Forest refers to a large tract of land covered with trees and accompanying undergrowth of shrubs, herbs, and sustaining thousands of life forms, which include both plants and animals.
• In legal terminology, a forest is any land with its vegetative cover that has been so declared under a legal provision.

CBSE Class 8 Geography Chapter 10 India: Types Of Vegetation

India has a variety of forests and natural vegetation due to variations in climatic conditions, soil types, and relief features.

The Western Ghats and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands are marked with tropical rainforests; the Himalayas have temperate vegetation; the desert and semi-desert regions of Rajasthan have a wide variety of bushes and thorny vegetation; and the Delta regions have tropical forests and mangroves.

The country can be divided into five major vegetation regions, which are:

• Tropical Evergreen
• Tropical Deciduous
• Tropical Desert
• Littoral; and
• Montane

1. Tropical Evergreen or Rain Forests

Climatic Conditions:

These forests are found in the hot wet humid areas where the annual rainfall is more than 250 cm, average annual temperature is between 25°C and 27°C and average annual humidity exceeds 77 per cent.

Distribution:

Heavy rainfall areas of the western slopes of the Western Ghats, hills of north-eastern region, parts of West Bengal, Odisha and the island groups of Lakshadweep, the Andaman and Nicobar and Tamil Nadu coast.

Characteristic Features:

These forests have the following characteristic features:

• They are dense, multi-layered, and have many types of trees and shrubs.
• Trees reach great heights of more than 60 m or above.
• The carpet layer of herbs and grasses cannot grow because ofthe dense canopy of trees, which does not allow enough sunlight to reach the ground.
• These forests appear green all year round. The trees in these forests do not have a fixed time to shed their leaves, to flower or to produce fruit.
• The main variety of trees found in these forests include rosewood, ebony, mahogany, toon, chaplas, sissoo, gurjan, telsur, etc.

Economic Value:

Tropical Evergreen forests produce various plant species of high economic value. The timber produced is hard, durable and fine-grained. However, due to tangled mass of canes, palms, bamboos, ferns and climbers along with the lack of means of transport, these forests have not been fully exploited.

2. Tropical Deciduous Forests

These forests are also known as the Monsoon forests. They are the most widespread forests in India. Based on the availability of water, these forests are further categorised into two types: the moist deciduous forests; and the dry deciduous forests.

1. The Moist Deciduous Forests

Climatic Conditions:

Such forests are found in areas with moderate or low annual rainfall of 100 cm to 200 cm and a mean annual temperature of 24°C and 27°C, and a humidity percentage of 50 to 80.

Distribution:

These forests are found in North-eastern States along the foothills of Himalayas, Jharkhand, West Odisha and Chhattisgarh and eastern slopes of the Western Ghats.

Characteristic Features:

These forests have the following features:

• The trees in these forests shed their leaves from six to eight weeks during spring and early summer when the storage of water is acute.
• Further, the sub-soil water is not enough for the trees to keep their leaves all year round.

A particular species can be found over a large area. The common trees of such forests are sal, teak, arjun, shisham, mahua, mulberry, palas, semul, and sandalwood.

Economical Value:

Tropical Deciduous Forests are commercially the most exploited. Besides providing valuable timber, they provide various other products. Sandalwood found in these forests is in great demand in India and abroad.

2. Dry Deciduous Forests

Climatic Conditions:

These forests are found in areas having a mean annual temperature of 23°C to 27°C, annual rainfall between 70 cm to 100 cm and humidity between 51 to 58 per cent.

Distribution:

These forests are found in the rainier parts of the Peninsular Plateau and the plains of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.

Characteristic Features:

• These forests thrive between moist deciduous forests (in the east) and tropical thorn forests (in the west).
• On the wetter margins, these forests have a transition into moist deciduous, while on the drier margins they degrade into thorn forests.
• In the northern Indian plains and in the areas of higher rainfall in the Peninsular Plateau, these forests have open stretches in which teak and other trees are interspersed with patches of grass.
• During the dry season, the trees in these forests shed their leaves completely and give the forests a look of a vast grassland with naked trees.
• The common trees of these forests are teak, tendu, sal, rosewood, amaltas, bel, khair, axlewood, etc

Economical Value:

The trees of these forests provide timber, fruits and other useful products. Large tracts of these forests have been cleared for agricultural activities

3. Tropical Desert Forests

These are also known as Tropical Thorn Forests.

Climatic Conditions:

These forests are found in the areas which receive rainfall less than 50 cm, the mean annual temperature ranges between 25°C to 27°C and has humidity below 47 per cent.

Distribution:

These forests are chiefly distributed in south-western Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, central and eastern Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, parts of Maharashtra, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.

Characteristic Features:

These forests have the following features:

• These forests have Xerophytic vegetation. Due to paucity of rainfall, the trees are stunted with large patches of coarse grasses.
• In these forests, plants remain leafless for most part of the year and look like scrub vegetation.
• The important trees found here include babool, date palm, her, khair, neem, khejri, kanju, cactii, kokko,etc.

Economical Value:

• Ber fruit is eaten raw or made into pickle or beverages. Its timber is hard, strong, tough and durable.
• It is used to make legs for bedsteads, boat ribs, agricultural implements, charcoal, etc. Babool bark and gum have medicinal value.
• Date Palm is eaten raw and also used as an astringent, as a decoction, syrup or paste for sore throat, cold, fever, etc.
• Neem bark and roots have medicinal properties. Neem oil, leaves, and neem extracts are used to manufacture health and beauty products.
• It is also used as an insecticide

4. Littoral or Tidal Forests

Climatic Conditions:

These forests are found in wet marshy areas, in river deltas, in tidal or other swampy areas and along the sea coasts.

Distribution:

These forests are chiefly distributed in the deltas of large rivers on the eastern coast and in pockets on the western coast in saline swamps of the Sunderbans in the Ganga-Brahmaputra delta in West Bengal and coastal areas of Andhra Pradesh and Odisha.

Characteristic Features:

These forests have the following features:

• They have mainly evergreen species of varying density and height, usually associated with wetness.
• The tree trunks are supported by a number of stilt-like roots which remain submerged under water during high tide and can be seen during low tide.
• They have profuse growth with tangle of climbers, which is an adaptation for survival in soft and shifting mud.

The important trees include keora, amur, bhara, rhizophora, screw pines, canes and palms, sundari, agar, etc.

• Mangrove forests grow along the coasts in the salt marshes, tidal creeks, mud flats and estuaries.
• They are found in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and West Bengal. Other areas of significance include the Mahanadi, the Godavari, and the Krishna deltas.
• These forests have Sundari trees, after the name of which these forests are known as ‘Sunderbans’ in the Ganga Delta.

Economical Value:

Mangrove trees are utilised for fuel, whereas sundari trees provide har,d durable timber

5. Montane Forests

In the mountain regions temperature decreases with altitude. This has a corresponding effect on the natural vegetation of the mountain regions. The Himalayas have a variety of trees from sub-tropical to Tundra.

Climatic Conditions:

These forests are found in areas where annual temperature is 12°C to 13°C, rainfall is between 100 and 300 cms and annual humidity is between 56 and 65 per cent.

Relief:

These forests occur at an altitude between 1000m to 4000m.

Distribution:

These forests cover the entire Himalayan zone from Ladakh to Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh. In the Peninsular region, they are found in the Vindhyas, Nilgiris, and the Western Ghats.

Characteristics Features:

These forests have the following features:

• These forests contain mixed species of broad-leafed evergreen trees and conifers. They also contain scrubs, creepers, and ferns.
• At the foothills of the Himalayas, Deciduous forests are found.
• At an altitude of 1000m to 2000m they are the moist temperate forests.
• In the hilly areas of West Bengal and Uttarakhand, evergreen broad leaf trees like chestnut and oak are found
• Between the altitude of 1500m and 1750m, coniferous trees like Chir pine is an important tree. At an altitude of 2250m and 3000m blue pine and spruce are found.
• At higher altitudes, alpine forests and pastures are found followed by mosses and lichens. Beyond the snowline, no vegetation is found.
• In the Peninsular regions, the area is only about 1500 m in height and vegetation varies from tropical to temperate forests.
• The important trees found in these forests include magnolia, laurel, cinchona, wattle, jamun, plum, etc

CBSE Class 8 Geography Chapter 10 India: Importance Of Forests

Forests have the following importance in our daily life:

Productive Functions:

Various trees provide us with products such as fruits, leaves, roots and tubers of plants. Wood is used for making furniture in houses as well as industrial units.

• Wood and bamboo pulp are used for manufacturing paper and paper boards. Wood is used indiscriminately as a source ofenergy for cooking and for providing warmth.
• Forest products, otherthan timberand firewood, include fibres, essential oils, oil seeds and edible plants.
• Bamboos provide a means of livelihood for the tribals who make mats, baskets, ropes, etc., using bamboo.
• It is also used in the manufacture of rayon (yams and artificial silk fibres).

Protective Functions:

• Forests control the water flow.
• The thick layer of humus in the forests prevents evaporation of water.
• The humus acts as a natural sponge and helps to soak the rainwater in the soil.
• The forest with its complex root system binds the soil, thereby preventing soil erosion and loss of nutrients.
• The thick humus over the years is formed by the decay of forest litter, which increases the fertility of the soil.

Regulatory Functions:

• The trees use carbon dioxide from respiration and release oxygen during photosynthesis.
• The oxygen released by the trees is used by the animal world.
• Thus, the trees perpetuate the cycles of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the biosphere.
• They also regulate the water cycle. The trees absorb water from the ground, release water (during transpiration) into the atmosphere, which helps to form clouds and precipitation, which brings water again into the soil, thus completing the Water Cycle.

Accessory Functions:

Accessory functions of the trees means that the forests provide habitat for the wildlife. Forests also provide aesthetics and recreation to human beings through National Parks, Wildlife Sanctuaries and Biosphere Reserves

Forest Conservation

• Man has been overexploiting the forests to satisfy not only his needs but also his greed. This has led to a decline in the forest cover.
• Due to rapid population growth and the demand for more food, forests have been cleared to convert them into agricultural land.
• Forests have been converted into pasture land for expanding dairy farming and cattle ranching.
• Overgrazing in the forests by animals in the tropical and sub-tropical regions has resulted into large-scale degradation of natural vegetation.
• Ever-increasing demand for timber for various purposes due to industrial expansion and urbanisation has added to the problem of deforestation.
• Construction of multi-purpose river valley projects has led to the submergence of land and the destruction of forested riversides.

All these factors have led to the decline in forests, which have the following effects:

Decline in the forests has led to a decline in forest productivity.

• Forests influence human environment by moderating climate, regulating water supply, maintaining the fertility of soil and purifying air.
• Absence of forest cover leads to soil erosion, which increases load of the rivers.
• The increased surface load reduces water in the rivers for human use.
• Siltation causes floods which destroy property, crops and living beings.
• Lack of forest cover reduces precipitation, thus causing droughts.
• Forests use carbon dioxide during photosynthesis but the absence of forests allows more cpncentration ofcarbon dioxide in the atmosphere because of its non¬ consumption.
• Thus, deforestation increases greenhouse effect in the atmosphere.
• This raises the temperature ofthe Earth’s surface and of the atmosphere, leading to global warming and its harmful consequences.
• Reduced forests have led to the loss of habitat for animals.

Natural vegetation of India:

Hence, the conservation of forests is of vital importance for the survival and prosperity of humankind.

Conservation Measures

To arrest deforestation and stop the diversion of forest lands for non-forest uses, the following conservation practices must be undertaken:

1. Increasing the Area Under Forests:

Loss of forests can be remedied by a massive programme of tree plantation. Planting trees on degraded lands and land that is unfit for agriculture will not only help in improving the environment but will also relieve harvesting pressure on these forests.

2. Afforestation around Industrial Units:

The level of pollution is much higher in areas where industries are located. For example, cities having Iron and Steel Plants, pollute the air with particulate matter, sulphur oxides, nitrogen oxides, hydrocarbons and hydrogen fluoride.

• Besides, these steel plants emit significant dust levels of about 20 kg per metric ton of steel.
• To prevent pollution, trees are planted around the cities having Iron and Steel Industries.
• The trees act as a barrier for the dust and purify the air.

3. Stopping Indiscriminate Felling of Trees:

There should be a strict ban on the felling of naturally growing trees. If a tree has to be cut, the necessary permission has to be obtained. Besides, proper replacement of trees by planting saplings at least in the ratio of 1:10 (1 tree to 10 saplings) should be undertaken.

4. Using Alternative Sources of Energy:

In many parts of the world including India, trees are felled for providing firewood. So, in order to conserve forests, we must use non-conventional or renewable sources of energy, like solar energy, tidal energy, hydel energy, etc.

5. Adopting Social Forestry and Agro Forestry:

• Social Forestry refers to the management and protection of forests and afforestation on barren lands to help in the environmental, social and rural development.
• Agro-forestry is being practised to provide conservation of the land and its improvement to achieve a combined production of forest and agricultural crops.

CBSE Class 8 Geography Chapter 10 India: Wildlife

Wildlife traditionally refers to undomesticated animal species, but has come to include all plants, fungi, and other organisms that grow or live wild in an area without being introduced by humans.

• However, the term wildlife in popular usage refers to the wild, undomesticated animals living in their natural habitats such as forests, grasslands, oceans, seas, etc.
• India has a rich variety of animals. There are about 81,000 species ofanimals spread across the country.
• It includes about 2500 species of fresh and marine water fish and nearly 1200 species of birds, besides a large number of amphibians, reptiles, mammals and small insects and worms.
• India is home to Royal Bengal tigers, Asiatic lions, Snow leopards, One-horned rhinoceroses, various species of deer, including Chital, Hangul, Swamp deer or Barasingha, the Indian elephant, pythons, saltwater crocodiles, alligators, blackbuck, golden langur, etc.
• Many species of animals in India have become extinct and there are many others facing the danger of extinction.

All these species have been grouped into three categories:

Endangered Species are species that are the imminent danger of extinction. These include the Asiatic lion, found in the Gir National Park (Gujarat) and in the Chandra Prabha Wildlife Sanctuary (Uttar Pradesh).

• The other endangered species include the one-homed rhino, the hangul, the black buckand the great Indian bustard.
• Threatened Species are those that are likely to become endangered, at least locally, within the foreseeable future.
• India contains 172 or 2.9 per cent of the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN)- designated threatened species.
• These include the Asian elephant, the Asiatic lion, Bengal tiger, Indian rhinoceros, mugger crocodile and Indian white-rumped vulture.
• Vulnerable Species are naturally rare or have been locally depleted by human activities to a level that puts them at risk.

The reasons for the animals getting endangered and their extinction are the following:

Destruction of the natural habitats of animals due to expanding agriculture, urbanisation, and industrialisation. Overgrazing by animals that convert the grasslands into deserts. Poaching for meat, skin, fur, ivory, and horns.

Conservation of Wildlife

Due to the continuous increase in the number of endangered species, many steps have been taken to protect and manage wildlife in India.

• Though India has an ancient tradition of conservation, the modern concept of conservation was developed in 1952 with the establishment of the Indian Board of Wildlife.
• Since then, several measures have been taken to conserve wildlife.
• The first week of October is observed as Wildlife Week every year.

National Park, Wildlife Sanctuary, and Biosphere Reserve- a Comparison:

The following two strategies are used for the conservation of biodiversity and wildlife in India:

In-Situ Conservation

The in-situ conservation means conservation of wildlife in its natural habitat. It emphasises the protection ofthe ecosystems ofthe original habitats or natural environment.

• The in-situ approach includes protection of a typical ecosystem through a network of protected areas on land or sea.
• These are managed through state or other effective agencies. India has 381 protected areas, covering about 4.7 per cent of the land surface.

The biosphere reserves, national parks, and wildlife sanctuaries are included in the protected areas.

• National Parks:
  • A national park is an area that is strictly reserved for the betterment of the wildlife and where human activities like forestry, grazing or cultivation are not permitted. India has 104 national parks encompassing an area of 40, 501 sq. km.
  • India’s first national park was established in 1936 as Hailey National Park, now known as Jim Corbett National Park in Uttarakhand of these national parks, some of the popular ones include Kaziranga National Park (Assam), Gir Forest National Park (Gujarat), Bandhavgarh National Park (Madhya Pradesh), Ranthambore National Park (Rajasthan), Silent Valley (Kerala), Bandipur National Park (Karnataka), Rajaji National Park (Uttarakhand) and Dachigam National Park (Jammu and Kashmir).
• Wildlife Sanctuaries:
  • A wildlife sanctuary is a protected area that is reserved for the conservation only of wildlife — animals and plant species.
  • Human activities like harvesting or timber collection or minor forest products and private ownership rights are allowed. India has 543 wildlife sanctuaries.
  • These include 50 tiger reserves governed by Project Tiger.

Biosphere Reserves

A biosphere reserve is a special area of land or coastal environment in which multiple use of land is permitted by dividing it into certain zones.

• The natural or core zone consists of an undisturbed and legally protected ecosystem.
• The buffer zone surrounds the core area and is managed to accommodate a greater variety of resource use strategies.
• The transition zone, the outermost part ofthe biosphere reserve, is an area of active cooperation between the management and the local people.
• Here, protection is granted not only to the flora and fauna of the protected region, but also to the human communities who inhabit these regions.
• India has 18 Biosphere Reserves, which protect large areas of natural habitat and often include one or more National Parks.

The basic objectives of national parks, wildlife sanctuaries, and biosphere reserves are:

• Protection of natural habitats through
• Maintenance ofthe viable number of species in protected areas.
• Establishment and protection of areas through legislation for the conservation of wildlife.
• Educating the public on wildlife protection.
• Conducting research in specific areas of wildlife.

Ex-situ Conservation

Ex-situ conservation means conservation ofwildlife outside its natural habitat. The conservation takes place in captivity under man’s supervision.

• Some times, the population ofspecies may decline or may become extinct due to genetic or environmental factors such as inbreeding, habitat loss, disease and over-exploitation.
• In such cases, in-situ conservation may not prove to be effective and a species can be protected from becoming extinct only through maintaining individuals in artificial conditions under human care.

Generally, botanical gardens, zoos, aquariums, parks, agricultural research centres, forest research centres, etc., are the artificial habitats for ex-situ conservation.

Wildlife Conservation Projects

Many projects are being carried out in India to prevent the extinction of some endangered wild animal species.

Some of them are as follows:

• Project Tiger: “Project Tiger’ was launched by the Central Government in April 1973, to save the tiger from extinction in India.
• Gir Lion Project: This project is beingcarried on at Gir forest in the Saurashtra peninsula of Gujarat to save lions in the region.
• Crocodile Project: This project aims at the conservation and management of crocodiles, through incubation of eggs and rearing. It is being conducted in certain sanctuaries of Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh.
• Project Elephant: This project aims to preserve several elephants and identify elephant reserves to protect them.