BIODIVERSITY OR BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY IS IMMENSELY
RICH IN WILDLIFE AND CULTIVATED SPECIES, DIVERSE IN
FORM AND FUNCTION BUT CLOSELY INTEGRATED SYSTEM
THROUGH MULTIPLE NETWORK OF
INTERDEPENDENCIES.
ForestsAre Useful To Man In The Following Ways:
1. Forests MaintainEcological Balance And Natural Ecosystems.
2. They Provide Timber And Fuel Wood.
3. Soft Wood Is UsedIn Furniture, Packages, And Also Other Building Material.
4. PulpIs Made FromSoft Wood And Is Used In Paper Making.
5. Forests Also Provide Us Lac, Cane, Resin, Charcoal, Fire Wood, Gums,
Medicinal HerbsFodder And Grass.
6. They Attract Moisture FromThe Atmosphere And Help CauseRainfall.
7. Their Roots Do Not Allow Soil Erosion Being Aggravated.

India is one of the world’s richest countries in terms
of its vast array of biological diversity, and has
nearly 8 per cent of the total number of species in the
world (estimated to be 1.6 million).
Fauna or Animal Life More than 81,000 species
Flora or Plant Life More than 47,000 species
Indigenous Flowering Plants About 15,000 species
Endangered Wild Flora About 10%
Endangered Mammals About 20%

List of Critically Endangered Species:

ForestSpottedOwl

Number of Endangered Species:
79 species of mammals, 44 of birds, 15 of reptiles, and3 of
amphibians, 1,500 plant species are consideredendangered.
VanishingForests
Forest cover 637,293 sq km, whichis 19.39% of the total
geographical area.
Dense forest 11.48%
Open forest 7.76%
Mangrove 0.15%

AGRICULTURALEXPANSION:
Between1951 and 1980, according to the Forest Survey of India,
over 26,200 sq. km. of forest area was converted intoagricultural
land all over India. Substantialparts of the tribal belts, especially
in thenortheasternand central India, have beendeforested or
degraded by shiftingcultivation (jhum),a type of ‘slash and burn’
agriculture.

ENRICHMENTPLANTATION:
Promotionof a few favoured species, in many partsof India,
has been carriedthroughthe ironically-termed
“enrichmentplantation”,in which a single commercially
valuablespecies was extensively plantedand other
species eliminated.

Large-scale Development Projects Have Also Contributed Significantly To The Loss Of Forests.
Since 1951, Over5,000 Sq KmOf Forest Was ClearedForRiverValley Projects. Clearing Of
Forests Is Still Continuing With Projects Like The Narmada SagarProject In Madhya Pradesh,
Which Would Inundate 40,000 Hectares Of Forest.
Mining: The Buxa Tiger Reserve in West Bengal is
seriously threatened by the ongoing dolomite mining. It
has disturbed the natural habitat of many species and
blocked the migration route of several others, including
the great Indian elephant.

The richest five per cent of Indian
society probably cause more
ecological damage because of the
amount they consume than the
poorest 25 per cent. The former
shares minimum responsibilities for
environmental well-being.

In manysocieties,womenbearthemajor responsibilityofcollectionoffuel,
fodder,waterandotherbasicsubsistenceneeds.Astheseresourcesare depleted,
thedrudgeryofwomenincreasesandsometimestheyhavetowalkfor more
than10kmto collecttheseresources.Thiscausesserioushealthproblemsfor
womenandnegligenceofhomeand childrenbecauseoftheincreasedhours of
work,whichoftenhas serioussocial implications.Theindirectimpactof
degradationsuchasseveredroughtor deforestation-inducedfloods,etc. also
hitsthepoorthehardest. Povertyinthesecasesisa directoutcomeof
environmentaldestruction.
Thedestructionofforestsandwildlifeisnot justa biologicalissue.Thebiological
lossisstronglycorrelatedwiththeloss of culturaldiversity.Suchlosseshave
increasinglymarginalizedandimpoverishedmanyindigenousandotherforest-
dependentcommunities,whodirectlydependonvarious componentsofthe
forestandwildlifeforfood, drink,medicine,culture,spirituality,etc.

Conservation preserves the ecological diversity and our life support systems –
water, air and soil.
It also preserves the genetic diversity of plants and animals for better growth of
species and breeding. For example, in agriculture, we are still dependent on
traditional crop varieties. Fisheries too are heavily dependent on the
maintenance of aquatic biodiversity.

Humanshave clearedthejunglesfortheconstructionof theirhouses,therebydepletingthe natural
habitat of floraand fauna.
The agriculturalexpansiontomeettheever-increasingdemandhas alsoproved one ofthe major
causesof thedepletionof thefloraand fauna.
The great demandof woodformakingsleepersforthe expansionof railwaysand ship-buildinghas
alsoinflicteda great damage to theIndianforests.
The removaloftheoriginalplant coverand itsreplacementbyasinglecrophas resultedinreduction
of biologicaldiversityand a singlecrophas becomevulnerableto pestsand diseases.
The burningof fossilfuels,automobileexhausts,gaseouseffluentsfromfactories,etc.have ledto the
pollutionof air and water,due towhichvariousspeciesof plantshave becomeextinctas pollutionof
airandwateradverselyaffectsplants.
As a resultofcontinuoushuntingand poaching,somespecies ofbirdsand animalshave become
extinctand othersare nearingextinction

Q1) FILL IN THE BLANKS :-

Q2} EXPLAIN ANY TWO
CAUSES OF DEPLETION OF
FLORA AND FAUNA
CAUSE1 CAUSE2 CAUSE4Cause 3