🌱 NETURAL VEGETATION

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.
Himalayan heights- temperate vegetation, the Western Ghats and the Andaman Nicobar Islands- tropical rain forests, Deltaic regions- tropical forests and mangroves; Desert and semi desert areas of Rajasthan- 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.

Types of Forests

On the basis of certain common features such as predominant vegetation type and climatic regions, Indian forests can be divided into the following groups:

1. Tropical Evergreen and Semi Evergreen forests,
2. Tropical Deciduous forests,
3. Tropical Thorn forests,
4. Montane forests,
5. Littoral and Swamp forests.

1. Tropical Evergreen Forests

The Western slope of the Western Ghats, hills of the north- eastern region and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
They are found in Warm and humid areas with annual precipitation of over 200 cm and mean annual temperature above 22º C.
They are well stratified, with layers closer to the ground and are covered with shrubs and creepers, with short structured trees followed by a tall variety of trees.
There is no definite time for trees to shed their leaves, flowering and fruition.
Species- mahogony, aini, ebony, etc.

Semi-evergreen Forests

Found in the less rainy parts of these regions.
They have a mixture of evergreen and moist deciduous trees.
The under growing climbers provide an evergreen character to these forests.
Species- white cedar, hollock and kail.
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. (i)The oak forests in Garhwal and Kumaon were replaced by pine (chirs) which was needed to lay railway lines. (ii) Forests were also cleared for introducing plantations of tea, rubber and coffee. (iii) The British also used timber for construction activities as it acts as an insulator of heat. (iv) The protectional use of forests was, thus, replaced, thus, replaced by commercial use.

2. 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.

(i). Moist deciduous forests : They are mostly found in the regions which record rainfall between 100-200 cm. These forests are found in the northeastern states along the foothills of the 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 the forests.
(ii). Dry deciduous forests : Rainfall ranges between 70 -100 cm. Found in rainier areas of the Peninsula and the plains of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. The dry season begins, the trees shed their leaves completely and the forest appears like a vast grassland with naked trees all around. Species- Tendu, palas, amaltas, bel, khair, axlewood, etc.

3. 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 the 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 undergrowth.

4. Montane Forests

In mountainous areas, the decrease in temperature with increasing altitude leads to a corresponding change in natural vegetation. Can be classified into two types, the northern mountain forests and the southern mountain forests.
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.
The Southern Mountain forests : 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.
Species- magnolia, laurel, cinchona and wattle. Also found in the Satpura and the Maikal ranges.

5. Littoral And Swamp Forests

India has rich variety of wetland habitats. About 70 % of this comprises areas under paddy cultivation.
Two sites — Chilika Lake (Odisha) and Keoladeo National Park (Bharatpur) are protected as water-fowl habitat under the Convention of Wetlands of International Importance (Ramsar Convention).
India's wetlands have been grouped into eight categories :

(a). The Reservoirs of the Deccan plateau in the south together with the lagoons and other wetland of the southern west coast.
(b). The vast saline expenses of Rajasthan Gujarat and the Gulf of Kachchh. Freshwater lakes and reservoirs from Gujarat eastward through Rajasthan (Keoladeo National park) and Madya Pradesh.
(c). The delta wetlands and lagoons of India's east coast (Chilika Lake).
(d). The freshwater marshes of the Gangetic Plain.
(e). The floodplains of the Brahmaputra, the marshes and swamps in the hills of northeast India and the Himalayan foothills.
(f). The lakes and rivers of the mountainous region of Kashmir and Ladakh.
(g). The mangrove forest and other wetlands of the island arcs of Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

Mangroves: They grow along the coasts in the salt marshes, tidal creeks, mud flats and estuaries. 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.

In India, the mangrove forests spread over 7 percent of the world’s mangrove forests. They are highly developed in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and the Sunder bans 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

Forest area covers 23.28 % of the total land area of the country.
According to India State of Forest Report 2011, the actual forest cover in India is only 21.05 %.
Lakshadweep has 0 % forest area; while Andaman and Nicobar Islands have 86.93%.
Most of the states with less than 10 percent of the forest area lie in the north and north-western 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 percent 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 percent.
The north-eastern states have more than 30 percent of the land under forest. Hilly topography and heavy rainfall are good for forest growth.
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: (a). The regions of high concentration are > 40 % cover of the forests. (b). The regions of medium concentration are 20-40 % cover of the forest. (c). The regions of low concentration are 10-20 % cover of the forest. (d). The regions of very low concentration are < 10 % cover of the forest.

1. Forest Conservation

A forest policy in 1952, which was further modified in 1988.
According to the new forest policy, the Government will emphasize sustainable forest management in order to conserve and expand forest reserves on the one hand, and to meet the needs of local people on the other.
The forest policy aimed at : (i) Bringing 33 percent of the geographical areas under forest cover ; (ii). Maintaining environmental stability and to restore forests where ecological balance was disturbed; Conserving the natural heritage of the country, its biological diversity and genetic pool; (iii). Checks soil erosion, extension of the desert lands and reduction of floods and droughts; (iv). Increasing the forest cover through social forestry and afforestation on degraded land; (v). Increasing the productivity of forests to make timber, fuel, fodder and food available to rural population dependent on forests, and encourage the substitution of wood; (vi). 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.

2. 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 agroforestry and community-forestry. Agroforestry 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. Community forestry programme aims at providing benefits to the community as a whole. It provides a means under which the people of landless classes can associate themselves in tree raising and thus, get those benefits which otherwise are restricted for landowners.
Farm Forestry : It 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 cowsheds may be used for raising trees under non-commercial farm forestry.

Wildlife

Wildlife of India is a great natural heritage. It is estimated that about 4-5 percent of all known plant and animal species on the earth are found in India.
The reason for this remarkable diversity of life forms is the great diversity of the ecosystem.
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.

1. Wildlife Conservation

In 1972, a comprehensive Wildlife Act was enacted, which provides the main legal framework for conservation and protection of wildlife in India.
Two main objectives are: (i). To provide protection to the endangered species listed in the schedule of the Act. (ii). To provide legal support to the conservation areas of the country classified as National parks, sanctuaries and closed areas.

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 102 National parks and 515 wildlife sanctuaries.
Government of India in collaboration with UNESCO‘s Man and Biosphere Programme‘ MAB’. 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 : The main objective of the scheme is to ensure maintenance of a 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. The tiger population in the country has registered an increase from 1,411 in 2006 to 1,706 in 2010.
Project Elephant : It was launched in 1992 to assist states having free ranging populations of wild elephants. It was aimed at ensuring long- term survival of identified viable populations 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.

Biosphere Reserves

A Biosphere Reserve is a unique and representative ecosystem of terrestrial and coastal areas which are internationally recognised within the framework of UNESCO’s Man and Biosphere (MAB) Programme.
The Biosphere Reserve aims at achieving the three objectives.
- They are conservation, development and logistics.
- Major Biosphere Reserves recognised by UNESCO on the world network of biosphere reserves are: Nilgiri, Nanda Devi, Sunderbans, Gulf of Mannar, Panchamari, Simlipal and Nokerk.

1. Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve

It embraces the sanctuary complex of Wayanad, Nagarhole, Bandipur and Mudumalai, the entire forested hillslopes of Nilambur, the Upper Nilgiri plateau, Silent Valley and the Siruvani hills.
The Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve possesses different habitat types, unspoilt areas of natural vegetation types with several dry scrubs, dry and moist deciduous, semi- evergreen 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.
About 80 percent of the flowering plants reported from the Western Ghats occur in the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve.

2. Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve

The Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve situated in Uttaranchal includes parts of Chamoli, Almora, and 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, snow-cock, golden eagle and black eagle.
Major threats to the ecosystem are the collection of endangered plants for medicinal use, forest fires and poaching.

3. Sunder bans Biosphere Reserves

It is located in the swampy delta of the river Ganga in West Bengal.
Consists of mangrove forests, swamps and forested islands.
Sunder bans is the home of nearly 200 Royal Bengal tigers.
In the Sunder bans, the mangrove forests are characterized by Heritiera fomes, a species valued for its timber.

4. Gulf of Mannar Biosphere Reserve

The Gulf of Mannar Biosphere Reserve 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 like sea cow (Dugong dugon) etc.

5. Other biosphere reserves of India

Nokrek Biosphere is part of Garo Hills (Meghalaya).
Manas Biosphere is part of Kokrajhar, Bongaigaon, Barpeta, Nalbari, Kamrup and Darrang districts (Assam)
Great Nicobar Biosphere is part of Southernmost islands of the Andaman and Nicobar (A & N Islands)
Similipal Biosphere is part of Mayurbhanj district (Orissa).
Dibru-Saikhowa Biosphere is part of Dibrugarh and Tinsukia districts (Assam).
Dihang Dibang Biosphere is Part of Siang and Debang valley in Arunachal Pradesh.
Kanchenjunga Biosphere is part of North and West Sikkim.
Pachmarhi Biosphere is part Betul, Hoshangabad and Chhindwara districts of Madhya Pradesh.
Agasthyamalai Biosphere is part of Agasthyamalai Hills in Kerala.
Achanakmar- Amarkantak Biosphere is Parts of Anuppur and Dindori district of MP and parts of Bilaspur district of Chhattisgarh.
The Kutch Biosphere is part of Gujarat.
Cold desert Biosphere is part of Pin valley national park surroundings chandratal and archu and kibber wildlife sanctuary in Himachal Pradesh.
Seshachalam biosphere is part of seshachalam hills of Andhra Pradesh.
Panna Biosphere is part of Pann and Chhatarpur district in Madhya Pradesh.

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Tuesday, 14 December 2021

Natural Vegetation