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INTRODUCTION                         

 

• Natural Vegetation refers to all the plants and plant life that has developed in an environment untouched by human beings.
• Natural vegetation is determined mainly by sunlight and rainfall.
• The type of vegetation depends mainly on the amount of rainfall. For instance, trees grow best in regions of high rainfall. Hence, forests are found in wet regions. As rainfall decreases, the trees become shorter in height and fewer in number. Thus, the trees found in grasslands, which receive moderate to low rainfall, are widely sparced and stunted in height. Deserts are too dry for the growth of trees. While hot deserts can support thorn bushes and shrubs, cold deserts support only plants like mosses and lichens.
• Different type of plants and animals living together under similar environmental conditions make up a biome. A biome comprises all the ecosystem within a given geographical area. Biomes are found on land (terrestrial) as well as in water (aquatic). Terrestrial biomes     coincide roughly with the broad climate regions of the world. Biomes do not have sharply defined boundaries because they merge with each other.

Major Vegetation Types            

                   

NATURAL VEGETATION IN INDIA

v    In studying the natural vegetation of India, it is necessary to know the distinction between flora, vegetation and forest. ‘Flora’ refers to plants of a particular region or period, listed by species and considered as a group. ‘Vegetation’ refers to assemblage of plant species living in association with each other in a given environmental frame-often termed as ecological frame. The word forest is generally used to denote a large tract covered by trees and shrubs.

  

 

FOREST COVERAGE AND DISTRIBUTION

 In India, much of forest and wildlife resources are either owned or managed by the government through the Forest Department or other government departments. These are classified as -
(i)Reserved Forests :
    More than half of the total forest land has been declared reserved forests. Reserved forests are regarded as the most valuable as far as the conservation of forest and wildlife resources are concerned.
(ii) Protected Forests :
    Almost one-third of the total forest areas is protected forest, as declared by the Forest Department. This forest land are protected from any further depletion.
(iii) Unclassed Forests :
    These are other forests and wastelands belonging to both government and private individuals and communities.
(iv) India has been divided into the following five regions for studying forest distribution in the country. Percentage of forest coverage in these five regions is as follows :
*    Himalayan region                 18 per cent
*    North Plain region                5 per cent
*    Peninsular Hills and             57 per cent
    Plateau regions        
*    Western Ghats and               10 per cent
    Coastal regions        
*    Eastern Ghats and                10 per cent
    Coastal regions        
    Total                 100 per cent

DISTRIBUTION OF WILDLIFE

• Wildlife comprises animals, birds, fishes, insects, etc., that are not domesticated. Similar types of animals live in regions having similar climate and vegetation. Hence, every biome has its characteristics wildlife, although the species may vary from region to region.
• The animals of the tundra are adapted to extreme cold. The larger ones, like polar bears, have thick coats of fur. Some, like seals, have a thick layer of fat below the skin. Many small mammals like lemmings burrow into the insulating snow to conserve body heat. Most animals of the taiga also have furry coasts. Some, like the brown bear. Hibernate in the harsh winter. when food becomes scarce.
• Temperate and tropical forests are home to a wide variety of wildlife, including birds, monkeys, apes, large cats, reptiles and insects. The species vary from place to place. For instance, jaguars, leopards and tigers are all large cats. But while the jaguar is found in America, the leopard is found in Africa and Asia, and the tiger is found in Asia.
• Grasslands are inhabited mostly by grazing animals and their predators. Small burrowing animals like rabbits. Marmots and field mice area also common. As in the case of forests, the species vary widely from place to place. Thus, while lions, cheetahs, leopards, etc., hunt animals like antelope, giraffes and zebras in the African savanna, coyotes hunt prey like rabbits in the North American prairies.
• Tropical and temperate deserts are home to various species of rodents, reptiles and insects. Many animals, especially in the tropical deserts, survive the daytime heat by hiding away in burrows or under rocks. Camels have adapted themselves very well to the Sahara Desert and the deserts of Asia.

WILDLIFE AND ITS CONSERVATION

1. The term “wildlife” refers to the wild undomesticated animals living in their natural habitats, such as forests, deserts and grasslands. Wild animals and plants make up an essential part of nature.
2. Wildlife is important to people for four main reasons :
    (i) beauty 
    (ii) economic value 
    (iii) scientific value 
    (iv) survival value. 
    Wildlife biologists use three main classifications for animals and plants that face possible extinction.
3.    Endangered Species are those that face the most serious threat of extinction. e.g., the California condor.
4.    Threatened species are generally abundant in some area, but they face serious dangers due to excessive hunting, fishing or trapping, e.g., the grey wolf.
5.    Rare species have small populations. They live in protected environments, and their numbers are not decreasing. The Torrey pine tree of California is an example of rare species.
(a) Wildlife In India 
    Wildlife of India is a great natural heritage. It is estimated that about 4-5 per cent of all known plant and animal species on the earth are found in India. The main reason for this remarkable diversity of life forms is the great diversity of the ecosystem which this country have preserved and supported through the ages. India has more than 1200 species of birds, 2500 species of fish and between 5 to 8 percent of the world’s amphibians, reptiles and mammals. India is the only country in the world that has both tigers and lions. The Himalayas have a large range of animals that survive the bitter cold.
(b)  Conservation of Wildlife in India :

• Fourteen biosphere reserves have been set up in the country to protect flora and fauna. Four out or 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 or Bioshpere reserves.
• Financial and technical assistance is provided to many Botanical Gardens by the Government since 1992.
• Project Tiger, Project Rhino, Project Great Indian Bustard and many other eco-developmental projects have been introduced.
• 89 National Parks, 492 Wildlife sanctuaries and Zoological gardens are set up to take care of Natural heritage.