Natural vegetation and

wildlife resources

Aryan GoyalVIII A

Natural vegetation and wildlife

Vegetation and wildlife are valuable resources.

Natural vegetation and wildlife exist only in the narrow zone of

contact between the lithosphere, hydrosphere and atmosphere that

we call biosphere. In the biosphere living beings are inter-related and interdependent on

each other for survival. This life supporting system is known as the

ecosystem.

It consists of two parts : 1.flora : Plant species of a particular region or period are called flora. There are innumerable uses of plants , some of them are-They give us timber They give shelter to animalsThey give produce oxygen we breatheThey protect soil so essential for cropsThey also provide us paper that is very essential for us.

They give us fruitsThey help in storage of underground water

2.fauna: The animal species of a particular region or period is called fauna. Animals give us many things. Some of them are – 1. They gives us milk 2. They provide us wool, silk3. Insects like bees provide us honey, help

in pollination of flowers and have an important role to play as decomposers in the ecosystem.

4. The birds feed on insects and act as decomposers as well.

So animals big or small, all are integral

to maintaining balance in the ecosystem.

Natural vegetati

on

Types of vegetation-

There are five major types of vegetation in India: 1.Tropical Rainforests 2.Tropical Deciduous Forests 3.Tropical Thorn Forests and Scrubs 4.Montane Forests 5.Mangrove Forests.

Tropical Rain Forests:The tropical rainforests are confined to areas of heavy rainfall. Such areas are in the Western Ghats, upper parts of Assam, Tamil Nadu coast and the island groups of Lakshadweep and Andaman & Nicobar.Areas which receive more 200 cm of rainfall and have a short dry season are the best area for tropical rainforest. Almost all kinds of vegetation; like trees, shrubs and creepers; are found in such a forest. The forest has a multilayered structure.Ebony, mahogany, rosewood, rubber and cinchona are some of the commercially important trees of tropical rainforests.Elephants, monkey, lemur and deer are the common animals in these forests. Apart from them, a large number of birds, bats, sloth, scorpions and snails are also found in tropical rainforests.

Tropical Deciduous Forests Tropical deciduous forests are the most widespread forests of India. They are spread in those regions which get rainfall between 200 cm and 70 cm. They are also called the monsoon forests. The trees of tropical deciduous rainforests shed their leaves during summer.

These forests can be divided into two types on the basis of availability of water. A. Moist Deciduous Forest: The moist deciduous

forests are found in areas which receive rainfall between 200 cm and 100 cm. Such forests are found mainly in the eastern part of India; like north-eastern states, along the foothills of the Himalayas, Jharkhand, West Orissa and Chhattisgarh. They are also found on the eastern slopes of the Western Ghats.

B. Dry Deciduous Forest: The dry deciduous forests are found in those regions which receive rainfall between 100 cm and 70 cm. Such forests are found in the rainier parts of the peninsular plateau and the plains of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.

Teak, bamboo, sal, shisham, sandalwood, khair,

kusum, arjun, mulberry are some of the commercially important trees in these forests.

Lion, tiger, pig, deer and elephant are the common animals in these forests. Additionally, a large variety of birds, lizards, snakes and tortoises are also found in these forests.

The Thorn Forests and ScrubsThorn forests grow in those regions which receive less than 70 cm of rainfall. This type of vegetation is found in the north-western part of India, e.g. Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana.The main plant species in such a forest are acacia, palms, euphorbias and cactus. The trees are scattered and they have long roots which go very deep in the ground. The stems are succulent to conserve water. Leaves are usually modified into thorns to prevent evaporation. Camel, rats, mice, rabbits, fox, wolf, tiger, lion, wild ass, horse, etc. are the common animals in thorny forests.

Montane ForestsThe forests in the mountainous areas are called montane forest. Different types of vegetation are found at different altitudes in the mountains.A. The wet temperate type of forest is found between a

height of 1000 and 2000 metre. Evergreen broad-leaf trees such as oak and chestnut abound in such forests.

B. Temperate forests are found between the heights of 1500 and 3000 metre. Coniferous trees; like pine, deodar, silver fir, spruce and cedar abound in such forests.

C. Alpine vegetation are found are heights of more than 3600 metre.

These forests are mainly found along the southern slopes of the Himalayas and at high altitudes in southern and north-eastern India. Kashmir stag, spotted deer, wild sheep, jack rabbit, Tibetan antelope, yak, snow leopard, squirrels, Shaggy horn wild ibex, bear, rare red panda, sheep and goats are the common animals in these forests.

Mangrove Forests Mangrove forests are found in the deltas of the Ganga, the Mahanadi, the Krishna, the Godavarai and the Kaveri. Roots of the

mangrove plants are submerged under water. Hollow roots grow out vertically above water so that roots can breathe.

Sundari tree is the most common tree in such forests; especially in the Sunderban

Delta. Royal Bengal Tiger is the most famous animal of these forests.

Additionally, turtles, crocodiles, gharials and snakes are found in these forests.

Wildlife resources

Wildlife traditionally refers to non-domesticated 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.

Wildlife can be found in all ecosystems. Deserts, forests, rain forests, plains, grasslands, and other areas including the most developed urban sites, and all have distinct forms of wildlife. While the term in popular culture usually refers to animals that are untouched by human factors, most scientists agree that much wildlife is affected by human activities.

There are more than 89,000 animal species in India. There are more than 1200 species of birds in India. Elephants are found in the hot wet forests of Assam, Karnataka and Kerala. One-horned rhinos are found in the swampy and marshy lands of Assam and West Bengal. Wild ass and camels are found in the Rann of Kachchh and Thar Desert. Indian bison, nilgai, chousingha, gazel and many other species of deer and some other animals are found in India. India is the only country in the world which has both tigers and lions.

i. There are fourteen biosphere reserves in India. Four out of these, the Sunderbans in the West Bengal, Nanda Devi in Uttaranchal, the Gulf of Mannar in Tamil Nadu and the Nilgiris (Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu) have been included in the world network of Biosphese reserves.

ii. The fourteen biosphere reserves are: Sunderbans, Gulf of

Mannar, the Nilgiris, Nanda Devi, Nokrek, Great Nicobar, Manas, Simlipal, Dihang-Dibang, Dibru Saikhowa, Agasthyamalai, Kanchenjunga, Pachmari, Achanakmar-Amarkantak.

iii. Project Tiger, Project Rhino, Project Great Indian Bustard and

many other ecodevelopmental projects have been introduced. iv. 89 National Parks, 49 Wildlife sanctuaries and Zoological gardens

are set up to take care of Natural heritage.

Hope you like the presentation

-BY Aryan