India’s Natural Vegetation and Wildlife Resources

The diversity of natural vegetation and wildlife resources plays a crucial role in maintaining ecological balance and sustaining biodiversity. In India, the varied topography and climatic conditions contribute to a rich array of vegetation types and wildlife habitats. 

The growth of natural vegetation depends primarily on temperature and moisture. The major natural vegetation types are grouped as forests, grasslands, scrubs and tundra.

Types of Forest: Forest Giants to Arctic Tundra Mosses

• Huge Trees: In areas of heavy rainfall, huge trees may thrive. 
  • As the amount of moisture decreases, alterations in Natural Vegetation become evident, with a reduction in the size of trees and their density reduces. 
• Short Stunted Trees and Grasses: These grow in the regions of moderate rainfall forming the grasslands. 
• Thorny Shrubs and Scrubs: These grow in dry areas of low rainfall. In such areas plants have deep roots and leaves with thorny and waxy surfaces reduce loss of moisture through transpiration. 
• Tundra Vegetation:  Found in cold Polar Regions composed of mosses and lichens.

Natural Vegetation through the Classification of Forests and Wildlife Resources

The conservation of our extensive natural vegetation, along with the vast forest and wildlife resources is difficult to manage, control and regulate. In India, much of its natural vegetation, forest and wildlife resources are either owned or managed by the government through the Forest Department or other government departments. These are classified under the following categories.

• Reserved Forests: More than half of the total forest land has been declared reserved forests and are regarded as the most valuable as far as the conservation.
  • Add Natural Vegetation of natural vegetation, as well as forest and wildlife resources.
  • Jammu and Kashmir, Andhra Pradesh, Uttaranchal, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, and Maharashtra have large percentages of reserved forests of its total forest area.
• Protected Forests: Almost 1/3rd of the total forest area is protected forest, as declared by the Forest Department. 
  • This forest land is protected from any further depletion.
  • Bihar, Haryana, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Orissa and Rajasthan have protected forests.
• Unclassed Forests: These are other forests and wastelands belonging to both government and private individuals and communities, contributing to the diverse landscape of natural vegetation in the region.
  • All North-eastern states and parts of Gujarat have a very high percentage of unclassed forests managed by local communities.
  • Permanent Forest Estates: Reserved and protected forests are also referred to as permanent forest estates maintained for the purpose of producing timber and other forest produce, and for protective reasons.
  • Madhya Pradesh has the largest area under permanent forests, constituting 75% of its total forest area.

Conservation Initiatives and Biodiversity Preservation

• The Multifaceted Role of Conservation: Conservation not only preserves ecological diversity and our life support systems – water, air and soil but also preserves the genetic diversity of plants and animals for better growth of species and breeding. 
• Example:
  • In agriculture, we are still dependent on traditional crop varieties. 
  • Conservation of creeks, lakes, and wetlands is necessary to save the precious resource from depletion. 
  • Fisheries too are heavily dependent on the maintenance of aquatic biodiversity. 

• Human Interference: In several parts of the world have disturbed the natural habitats of many species. 
  • Uncontrolled Killings: Due to indiscriminate killings, several birds and animals have either become extinct or are on the verge of extinction. 
  • Poaching: One of the major concerns is poaching. 
    • The animals such as tiger, lion, elephant, deer, black buck, crocodile, rhinoceros, snow leopard, ostrich and peacock are poached for collection and illegal trade of hides, skins, nails, teeth, horns as well as feathers. 

• Factors Accelerating Extinction: Changes of climate, deforestation, soil erosion, constructional activities, forest fires, tsunami and landslides are some of the human and natural factors which accelerate the process of extinction of these resources. 
• Conservation Efforts: Legal Measures, Protected Areas, and Biodiversity Focus
  • Promoting Conservation Awareness: To conserve natural vegetation and wildlife, awareness programmes like social forestry and Vanamahotsava should be encouraged at the regional and community level. 
    • Also school children should be encouraged to bird watch and visit nature camps. 
  • Legal Protections: Many countries have passed laws against the trade as well as the killing of birds and animals. 
    • In India also, killing lions, tigers, deers, great Indian bustards and peacocks is illegal.
  • CITES Convention: An international convention CITES lists several species of animals and birds in which trade is prohibited.
  • The Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act: It was implemented in 1972, to protect the remaining population of certain endangered species by banning hunting, giving legal protection to their habitats, and restricting trade in wildlife with various provisions aimed at protecting natural vegetation. An all-India list of protected species was published. 
    • Central and many state governments established National parks, wildlife sanctuaries, biosphere reserves for the same. 
  • Targeted Conservation Projects: Several projects are also announced for protecting specific animals, which were gravely threatened, including the tiger, the one horned rhinoceros, the Kashmir stag or hangul, three types of crocodiles – freshwater crocodile, saltwater crocodile and the Gharial, the Asiatic lion, Indian elephant, black buck (chinkara), the great Indian bustard (godawan) and the snow leopard, etc.
  • Prioritizing Biodiversity Beyond Flagship Species: The conservation projects are now focusing on biodiversity rather than on a few of its components. 
    • Even insects are beginning to find a place in conservation planning. In the notification under Wildlife Act of 1980 and 1986, several hundred butterflies, moths, beetles, and one dragonfly have been added to the list of protected species. 
    • In 1991, for the first time plants were also added to the list, starting with six species.

Community-Led Conservation Efforts and the Sacred Groves Upholding India’s Natural Vegetation Heritage

• Dependency on Forests: In India, forests are home to some of the traditional communities. These local communities are struggling to conserve these habitats along with government officials, to secure their own long-term livelihood. 
  • Example: In Sariska Tiger Reserve, Rajasthan, villagers have fought against mining by citing the Wildlife Protection Act. 
• Community-Led Conservation: The inhabitants of five villages in the Alwar district of Rajasthan have declared 1,200 hectares of natural vegetation-rich forest as the Bhairodev Dakav ‘Sonchuri’, declaring their own set of rules and regulations which do not allow hunting, and are protecting the wildlife against any outside encroachments. 
• Chipko Movement: The famous Chipko movement in the Himalayas has not only successfully resisted deforestation in several areas but has also shown that community afforestation with indigenous species can be enormously successful. 
• Reviving Traditional Conservation Methods: Attempts to revive the traditional conservation methods or developing new methods of ecological farming are now widespread. 
  • Farmers and citizen’s groups like the Beej Bachao Andolan in Tehri and Navdanya have shown that adequate levels of diversified crop production, harmonizing with the principles of natural vegetation, without the use of synthetic chemicals are possible and economically viable. 
• Joint Forest Management (JFM): In India JFM programme has existed since 1988 furnishes a good example for involving local communities in the management and restoration of degraded forests. 
  • JFM depends on the formation of local (village) institutions that undertake protection activities mostly on degraded forest land managed by the forest department. 
  • In return, the members of these communities are entitled to intermediary benefits like non-timber forest produce and share in the timber harvested, acknowledging their role in the successful protection of natural vegetation’.

Nature’s Contribution: Transforming Natural Vegetation into Human-Made Resources

• Resource Transformation: Sometimes, natural substances become resources only when their original form has been changed. 
  • Example: Iron ore  was not a resource until people learnt to extract iron  from it.  
• Transforming Nature: People use natural resources to make buildings,  bridges, roads, machinery and vehicles, which are known as human made resources. 
• Technology is also  a human made resource, utilizes advancements derived from natural vegetation (Refer Figure).

Nature’s Role in Human Resources and Mining Practices: Exploring the Connection with Natural Vegetation

• Definition: Human Resource refers to the number (quantity) and abilities (mental and physical) of the people.
• Human Capital: People themselves are essential components of resources. 
  • It is their ideas, knowledge, skills, inventions and discoveries that lead to the creation of more resources. 
  • Each discovery or invention leads to many others. 
  • Example: The discovery of fire led to the practice of cooking and other processes while the invention of the wheel ultimately resulted in development of newer modes of transport. 
• Human Resource development: Improving the quality of  people’s skills so that they are able  to create more resources is known as human resource development. 
  • Education and health help in making people a valuable resource.

• Rat-Hole Mining: Most of the minerals in India, intertwined with the preservation of natural vegetation, are nationalized and their extraction is possible only after obtaining due permission from the government. 
  • But in most of the tribal areas of north-east India, minerals are owned by individuals or communities. 
  • In Meghalaya, there are large deposits of coal, iron ore, limestone and dolomite etc. 
  • Coal mining in Jowai and Cherrapunji, amid the rich tapestry of natural vegetation, is done by family members in the form of a long narrow tunnel, known as ‘Rat hole’ mining.

Also Read: Exploring Biotic and Abiotic Resources in Earth’s Mineral Wealth

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