NATURAL VEGETATION AND WILDLIFE CONSERVATION

1. NATURAL VEGETATION AND WILDLIFE CONSERVATION

2. What is ‘BIODIVERSITY’? Biodiversity or Biological Diversity is immensely rich in wildlife and cultivated species, diverse in form and function but closely integrated in a system through multiple network of interdependencies.

3. Importance Of Wild Life • To maintain ecological balance of nature and maintain food chain and nature cycles. • It has economic value. Many wild plants provide useful substances like timber, paper , gums etc. And they also have wide applications in Ayurveda and other branches of medicine Wild animals products are tusk, ivory ,leather, honey etc • Most important contribution of wild life for human progress is availability of  •  Large gene pool for the scientists to carry breeding programmes in agriculture, animal husbandry and fishery • Wild life provides a esthetic value to man. • Wildlife of a country is its cultural asset

4. India’s rich biodiversity • India has nearly 8 per cent of the total number of species in the world (estimated to be 1.6 million). • Over 81,000 species of fauna and 47,000 species of flora are found in this country so far! • Of the estimated 47,000 plant species, about 15,000 flowering species are endemic (indigenous) to India. • Among the larger animals in India, 79 species of mammals, 44 of birds, 15 of reptiles, and 3 of amphibians are threatened. • Nearly 1,500 plant species are considered endangered. • Flowering plants and vertebrate animals have recently become extinct at a rate estimated to be 50 to 100 times the average expected natural rate.

5. Forest has been of great importance to mankind since prehistoric days. 60% of the earth once covered with forest. With the development of civilization, large areas have been cleared to make way for farms, mines, towns and roads. Today about 30% of earth is still forested.

6. FOREST PROVIDES MULTIPLE BENEFITS TO ENVIRONMENT, PEOPLE, AND ANIMALS

7. BENEFITS OF FORESTS• Forest cool air temperature by release of water vapour into the air.• They are the lungs of the planet and the only natural source of free oxygen.At day time trees generate oxygen and store carbon dioxide, which helps to clean air.• Forest attracts wild life and offer food and protection to them.• Forests help in controlling the level floods.• Forest help in giving the direction of wind and its speed.• Forest helps in keeping environment healthy and beautiful.

8. THE ECONOMIC VALUE OF FORESTS: • They supply many products like wood from trees as lumber, plywood and fuel wood or charcoal. Timber is used in furniture making, building houses, ships and railway sleepers. • Pulp and paper are made from the cellulose of trees. • Processed wood products include cellophane, plastics, synthetic fibres like rayon and nylon. • Latex from trees such as the rubber tree goes to make tyres, tunes and a wide range of rubber goods.  • Other uses; fruits, nuts(balls) and spices are gathered from the forest. • Many medicinal plants such as camphor, cinchona, coca (from which the drug cocaine is extracted) also come from the forests. • Cork from the thick bark of the cork oak is stripped for making bottling cork. 

9. TYPES OF SPECIES

10. NORMAL SPECIES Species whose population levels are considered to be normal for their survival, such as cattle, sal, pine, rodents, etc. Rodents Cattle and pine Lion tailed macaque ENDANGERED SPECIES These are species which are in danger of extinction. The survival of such species is difficult if the negative factors that have led to a decline in their population continue to operate. The examples of such species are black buck, crocodile, Indian wild ass, Indian rhino, lion tailed macaque, sangai (brow anter deer in), etc. Black Buck

11. VULNERABLE SPECIES These are species whose population has declined to levels from where it is likely to move into the endangered category in the near future if the negative factors continue to operate. The examples of such species are blue sheep, Asiatic elephant, Gangetic dolphin, etc. Asiatic Elephant Hornbill Gangetic Dolphin RARE SPECIES Species with small population may move into the endangered or vulnerable category if the negative factors affecting them continue to operate. The examples of such species are the Himalayan brown bear, wild Asiatic buffalo, desert fox and hornbill, etc. Himalayan Brown Bear

12. Endemic SpeciesThese are species which are only found in some particular areas usually isolated by natural or geographical barriers. Examples of such species are the Andaman teal, Nicobar pigeon, Andaman wild pig, Mithun in Arunchal Pradesh. Andaman Teal Nicobar Pigeon Pink Head Duck Asiatic Cheetah Extinct Species These are species whichare not found after searches of known orlikely areas where they may occur. A species may be extinct from a local area, region, country, continent or the entire earth.Examples of such species are the Asiatic cheetah, pink head duck.

13. Negative Factors that have caused fearful depletion of flora and fauna

14. EFFECTS OF DEPLETION IN FOREST COVER • Loss of cultural diversity especially of the various forest dependent communities • Direct effect on women who have the responsibility of collection of fuel, fodder, water and other basic subsistence needs • Severe droughts • Deforestation induced floods • Deforestation results in the loss of habitat for many rare or endangered species, • Environmental degradation like air pollution, lowering of water table, lesser rainfall • Fewer forests means larger amounts of greenhouse gases entering the atmosphere—and increased speed and severity of global warming. • Poverty is a direct outcome of environmental destruction

16. TYPES OF FORESTS

18. SACRED GROVES • Typically, such groves are associated with the concept of a • "presiding deity“ • Sacred groves of India are forest fragments of varying sizes, • which are communally protected, and which usually have a • significant religious connotation for the protecting community. • Hunting and logging are usually strictly prohibited within these patches. Other forms of forest usage like honey collection and deadwood collection are sometimes allowed on a sustainable basis. • Sacred groves did not enjoy protection via federal legislation in India. • Some NGOs work with local villagers to protect such groves. • Traditionally, and in some cases even today, members of the community take turns to protect the grove. • However, the introduction of the protected area category community reserves under the Wildlife (Protection) Amendment Act of 2002 has introduced legislation for providing government protection to community held lands, which could include sacred groves.

19. CHIPKO MOVEMENT The Chipko movement or ChipkoAndolan is a movement that practised the Gandhian methods of satyagrahaand non-violent resistance, through the act of hugging trees to protect them from being felled. The modern Chipko movement started in the early 1970s in the Garhwal Himalayas of Uttarakhand and then in Uttar Pradesh with growing awareness towards rapid deforestation. The landmark event in this struggle took place on March 26, 1974, when a group of peasant women in Reni village, Hemwalghati, in Chamoli district, Uttarakhand, 

20. BEEJ BACHAO AANDOLAN The BeejBachaoAndolan, or Save the Seeds movement began in the late 1980s as a group of activists from the Henwal River Valley in Tehri district (Uttarakhand, India). Led by farmer and social activist Vijay Jardhari, the 'Andolan' has made village Jardhargaon of district Tehri in Uttaranchal state (India) famous for its unique movement to save the traditional seeds of the hills.The 'BeejBachaoAndolan' is not only a crusade to conserve traditional seeds but also to promote agricultural biodiversity, sustainable agriculture and local traditions.The hallmark of this movement is that it is a people's campaign and flourishing without any government financial assistance or help. 

21. NAVDANYA Navdanya is an Indian-based non-governmental organization which promotes biodiversity conservation, biodiversity, organic farming, the rights of farmers, and the process of seed saving. Navdanya began in 1984  Navdanya is a network of seed keepers and organic producers spread across 16 states in India. Navdanya has helped set up 54 community seed banks across the country, trained over 500,000 farmers in seed sovereignty, food sovereignty and sustainable agriculture over the past two decades, and helped set up the largest direct marketing, fair trade organic network in the country.

22. PROJECT TIGER • Project Tiger was launched in 1973 in India. • The project aims at ensuring a viable population of tigers in their natural habitats and preserving areas of biological importance as a natural heritage for the people. • The selection of areas for the reserves represented as close as possible the diversity of ecosystems across the tiger's distribution in the country. • Various tiger reserves were created in the country based on a 'core-buffer' strategy. For each tiger reserve, management plans were drawn up based on the following principles: • Elimination of all forms of human exploitation and biotic disturbance from the core area and rationalization of activities in the buffer zone. • Restricting the habitat management only to repair the damages done to the ecosystem by human and other interferences so as to facilitate recovery of the ecosystem to its natural state. • Monitoring the faunal and floral changes over time and carrying out research about wildlife.

23. SAVE THE GHARIAL

24. SAVE THE RIDLEY TURTLE Located on the eastern coast of India, the state of Orissa is known to host the world’s largest olive ridley sea turtle nesting site. Every year, between the months of December and April, thousands of olive ridleys emerge from the cool, clear waters of the Bay of Bengal for their famed mass nesting. In India, the rapid pace of development has had serious environmental consequences. Orissa is no exception. Development along and close to the shore of the Bay of Bengal includes several ports, shipbuilding yards, petro-chemical manufacturing hubs and a Special Investment Region (SIR) meant to spur urbanization. Rise in sea levels have caused entire beaches to get submerged thus leading to the loss of the turtle’s natural nesting grounds. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UhsxVpZb-cQ

25. HOW CAN THE COMMUNITY CONTRIBUTE TOWARDS CONSERVATION? The government can formulate laws and policies, put various Conservation Projects into place but the success of these projects lies with the people. It is the community that is responsible for the effective implementation of these initiatives. As members of a community it is our duty to conserve and protect the Natural Vegetation and Wildlife not just for our present but for the future generation as well. It also ensures sustainable development.