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Short Answer Type Questions

1. Why is there a need to create protected areas such as wildlife sanctuaries, national parks, and biosphere reserves?

• Answer: Protected areas are created for several crucial reasons:
  • Conservation of Biodiversity: They provide a safe habitat for plants and animals, protecting them from poaching, hunting, and habitat destruction.
  • Maintaining Ecological Balance: They help preserve the complex relationships between different species and their environment.
  • Scientific Research: They serve as living laboratories for scientists to study ecosystems and species.
  • Preservation for Future Generations: They ensure that our rich natural heritage is not lost and can be enjoyed by future generations.

2. What makes an ecosystem? Name the Act instrumented by the Government of India to conserve the forests.

• Answer: An ecosystem is made up of all the living organisms (plants, animals, microbes) in a given area, along with the non-living components (air, water, soil, climate) that they interact with.
• The Act instrumented by the Government of India to conserve forests is the Forest (Conservation) Act of 1980.

3. How is the life of people living in forests disrupted due to deforestation?

• Answer: Deforestation severely disrupts the lives of forest-dwelling communities (tribals) by:
  • Loss of Livelihood: It destroys their source of food, fuelwood, fodder, and medicinal plants.
  • Displacement: It often forces them to leave their ancestral lands and migrate to cities.
  • Loss of Culture: Their traditions and cultural practices, which are deeply connected to the forest, are lost.
  • Increased Conflict: It can lead to human-wildlife conflict as animals lose their habitat and enter human settlements in search of food.

4. What do you understand by the flora and fauna of a region?

• Answer:
  • Flora refers to all the plant species present in a particular region or time. For example, the flora of the Himalayas includes rhododendrons, deodar trees, and blue poppies.
  • Fauna refers to all the animal life found in a particular region or time. For example, the fauna of the Gir forest includes Asiatic lions, leopards, and antelopes.

5. Name three national parks of India. Also, state which animals are protected there.

• Answer:
  1. Kaziranga National Park (Assam): Protects the one-horned rhinoceros, tigers, elephants, and wild water buffalo.
  2. Gir National Park (Gujarat): Protects the Asiatic lion, leopards, and various deer species.
  3. Sunderbans National Park (West Bengal): Protects the Royal Bengal tiger, saltwater crocodiles, and river terrapins.

6. Give reason for the following:
(a) Deforestation leads to desertification.

• Answer: Deforestation involves cutting down trees. Tree roots bind the soil together and their leaves provide shade, reducing water evaporation. When trees are removed, the soil becomes loose and is easily eroded by wind and water. The land also loses its moisture-holding capacity, turning the fertile land into a dry, barren desert over time. This process is called desertification.

(b) Paper should be saved and recycled.

• Answer: Paper should be saved and recycled because it is made from wood pulp, which comes from trees. Saving paper means fewer trees need to be cut down. Recycling paper reduces the demand for fresh wood, saves water and energy used in manufacturing, and reduces the amount of waste sent to landfills.

Long Answer Type Questions

1. What are the objectives of the conservation of forest and wildlife?

• Answer: The main objectives are:
  • To Preserve Biodiversity: To protect the variety of life forms on Earth, including plants, animals, and microorganisms.
  • To Maintain Ecological Balance: To ensure that natural cycles like the water cycle, oxygen cycle, and food chains remain stable.
  • To Prevent Soil Erosion: Trees hold the soil together with their roots, preventing it from being washed away by rain or wind.
  • To Regulate Climate: Forests act as “carbon sinks,” absorbing carbon dioxide and helping to regulate the global climate.
  • To Protect Endangered Species: To provide safe havens for species that are on the verge of extinction.
  • To Support Human Life: Forests provide essential resources like food, medicine, timber, and fuelwood.

2. How does deforestation affect the environment?

• Answer: Deforestation has severe and wide-ranging effects on the environment:
  • Increase in Carbon Dioxide: Trees absorb CO₂. Cutting them down increases the amount of this greenhouse gas in the atmosphere, contributing to global warming.
  • Loss of Biodiversity: It destroys the habitats of countless species, leading to their extinction.
  • Soil Erosion: Without tree roots to hold the soil, it gets washed away, making the land less fertile.
  • Disturbance in the Water Cycle: Trees release water vapour into the atmosphere. Deforestation reduces rainfall and can lead to droughts.
  • Increased Flooding: The soil, unable to absorb water without vegetation, leads to more surface runoff, causing floods.

3. What is an endemic species? Explain with an example.

• Answer: An endemic species is a plant or animal that is found naturally only in a specific geographic area and nowhere else in the world. These species are uniquely adapted to their particular habitat.
• Example: The Nilgiri tahr (a type of mountain goat) is an endemic species found only in the Nilgiri Hills of South India. You will not find it living wild in any other part of the world.

4. What are biosphere reserves? What are the objectives of setting up biosphere reserves?

• Answer: Biosphere reserves are large protected areas of land or coastal environments designated by UNESCO to promote conservation, research, and sustainable development.
• Objectives:
  • Conservation: To protect genetic resources, species, ecosystems, and landscapes.
  • Development: To foster sustainable economic and human development that is ecologically and culturally appropriate.
  • Logistic Support: To provide areas for research, monitoring, education, and information exchange related to local, national, and global issues of conservation and development.

5. Suggest some ways to maintain the green cover of the earth.

• Answer: We can maintain the green cover by:
  • Reforestation and Afforestation: Planting more trees in deforested areas (reforestation) and in new areas (afforestation).
  • Preventing Forest Fires: Creating firebreaks and raising awareness to prevent man-made forest fires.
  • Controlling Overgrazing: Managing livestock grazing to allow grasslands and forests to regenerate.
  • Practicing Sustainable Forestry: Cutting trees in a planned way and ensuring that new trees are planted to replace them.
  • Creating Protected Areas: Establishing more national parks and wildlife sanctuaries.
  • Individual Actions: Participating in van mahotsav, saving paper, and recycling.

Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS)

1. How does deforestation reduce rainfall on one hand and lead to floods on the other?

• Answer: This seems contradictory, but it happens through different mechanisms:
  • Reduces Rainfall: Trees release a lot of water vapour into the air through transpiration. This moisture contributes to cloud formation and rainfall. When forests are cut down, transpiration reduces significantly, leading to drier conditions and less rainfall (droughts).
  • Causes Floods: The roots of trees help the soil absorb rainwater like a sponge. Without trees, the soil becomes hard and compact. When it rains, instead of being absorbed, the water flows quickly over the land surface into rivers, causing them to overflow and flood.

2. The environment would not be damaged if deforestation and reforestation both take place simultaneously. Comment.

• Answer: This statement is only partially correct. While reforestation is crucial, simply planting trees at the same rate as cutting them down is not a perfect solution. The damage occurs because:
  • Loss of Biodiversity: A newly planted forest (often with just one or two species) cannot immediately replace the complex ecosystem of an old-growth forest that may have taken hundreds of years to develop. Many species lose their habitat and become extinct.
  • Soil Damage: The act of clearing a forest damages the soil structure and leads to erosion, which takes time to recover.
  • Time Lag: It takes decades for newly planted saplings to grow into mature trees that can effectively absorb carbon, prevent soil erosion, and support a diverse ecosystem. The damage done by deforestation is instant, while the benefits of reforestation are delayed.

Concept-Based Question

A. Cheetah, the fastest land animal, has been rapidly heading toward extinction… Comment on the significance of Project Cheetah.

• Answer: Project Cheetah is a significant conservation effort for several reasons:
  • Restoring a Lost Species: It aims to bring back a species that was declared extinct in India in 1952, helping to restore the country’s natural heritage.
  • Conserving Biodiversity: By reintrodu a top predator, the project helps maintain the ecological balance of the grassland ecosystem. Predators control the population of herbivores, which in turn affects the vegetation.
  • Global Conservation: It is a unique example of international cooperation in wildlife conservation, translocating cheetahs from Africa to India.
  • Challenges: The project also highlights the challenges of reintroduction, such as ensuring suitable habitat, managing human-wildlife conflict, and ensuring the genetic health of the introduced population. Its success is closely watched by the global conservation community.