Environmental Studies Test - 3

The correct answer is Jim Corbett National Park.

Key Points

• The first National Park in India was established as Hailey National Park in 1936. Now, it is known as Jim Corbett National Park.
• Jim Corbett National Park is the oldest national park in India. 
• Jim Corbett National Park is located in the Nainital district and Pauri Garhwal district of Uttarakhand.

Additional Information

• Chandoli National Park is located in the Kolhapur, Satara, and Sangli districts of Maharashtra.
  • The park was established as a wildlife sanctuary in 1985.
  • It was later declared as National Park in May 2004.
• Gir National Park is situated in Gujarat state.
  • It has an area of about 1,295 square km. 
  • The Gir Forests Reserve was created in 1913 to protect the largest of the surviving groups of Asiatic lions and established as a sanctuary in 1965.
• Dudhwa National park is located in the Lakhimpur-Kheri district of Uttar Pradesh.
  • ​It was established as National Park in 1977. 

Explanation:

Project Tiger:

• Project Tiger has been implemented since 1973.
• The main objective of the scheme is to ensure the maintenance of the viable population of tigers in India.
• It is important for scientific, aesthetic, cultural and ecological values, and to preserve areas' natural heritage for the benefit, education and enjoyment of the people.
• Initially, the Project Tiger was launched in nine tiger reserves, covering an area of 16,339 sq. km.
• Which has now increased to 50 tiger reserves, encompassing 71,027.10 sq. km of core tiger habitats distributed in 18 states.
• The major threats to the tiger population are numerous, such as poaching for trade, shrinking habitat, depletion of prey base species, growing human population, etc.
• Tiger conservation has been viewed not only as an effort to save an endangered species but also as preserving them in a sizeable magnitude.
• This act helps to stop the illegal hunting of tigers and maintained the population of tigers in India.

Thus, the main purpose of the project tiger is to protect tigers from illegal hunting.

Additional Information

​Wildlife conservation in India:

• The protection of wildlife has a long tradition in India.
• In 1972, a comprehensive Wildlife Act was enacted.
• This provides the main legal framework for the conservation and protection of wildlife in India.
• The two main objectives of the Act are:
  • to provide protection to the endangered species listed in the schedule of the Act and
  • to provide legal support to the conservation areas of the country classified as National parks, sanctuaries and closed areas.

The correct answer is 1, 2, and 3.

Key Points

There are four major causes 

• Habitat loss and fragmentation:
  • This is the most important cause of driving animals and plants to extinction.
  • The most dramatic examples of habitat loss come from tropical rainforests.
  • Once covering more than 14 percent of the earth’s land surface, these rain forests now cover no more than 6 percent.
    • They are being destroyed fast.
  • Besides total loss, the degradation of many habitats by pollution also threatens the survival of many species.
  • When large habitats are broken up into small fragments due to various human activities, mammals and birds requiring large territories, and certain animals with migratory habits are badly affected, leading to population declines.
• Over-exploitation:
  • Humans have always depended on nature for food and shelter, but when ‘need’ turns to ‘greed’, it leads to over-exploitation of natural resources.
  • Many species extinctions in the last 500 years were due to overexploitation by humans.
  • Presently many marine fish populations around the world are over-harvested, endangering the continued existence of some commercially important species.
• Alien species invasions:
  • When alien species are introduced unintentionally or deliberately for whatever purpose, some of them turn invasive and cause the decline or extinction of indigenous species.
  • The Nile perch introduced into Lake Victoria in east Africa led eventually to the extinction of an ecologically unique assemblage of more than 200 species of cichlid fish in the lake.
  • The recent illegal introduction of the African catfish Clarias gariepinus for aquaculture purposes is posing a threat to the indigenous catfishes in our rivers.
• Co-extinctions:
  • When a species becomes extinct, the plant and animal species associated with it in an obligatory way also become extinct.
  • When a host fish species becomes extinct, its unique assemblage of parasites also meets the same fate.
  • Another example is the case of a coevolved plant-pollinator mutualism where the extinction of one invariably leads to the extinction of the other. 

Concept:

Forest conservation:

• The Government of India proposed to have a nationwide forest conservation policy and adopted a forest policy in 1952, which was further modified in 1988.
• It aimed at:
  • Maintaining environmental stability and restoring forests where ecological balance was disturbed.
  • Conserving the natural heritage of the country, its biological diversity and genetic pool.
  • Checks soil erosion, an extension of the desert lands and reduction of floods and droughts.
  • Increasing the forest cover through social forestry and afforestation on degraded land.
  • Increasing the productivity of forests to make timber, fuel, fodder and food available to rural populations dependent on forests.
  • Creating a massive people's movement involving women to encourage the planting of trees, and stop the felling of trees.

Explanation:

Social forestry:

• Social forestry means the management and protection of forests and afforestation on barren lands.
• Its main purpose is environmental, social and rural development.
• The National Commission on Agriculture (1976) has classified social forestry into three categories.
• These are urban forestry, rural forestry and farm forestry.
• Urban forestry:
  • ​It pertains to the raising and management of trees on public and privately owned lands in and around urban centres such as green belts, parks, roadside avenues, industrial and commercial green belts, etc.
• Rural forestry:
  • It lays emphasis on the promotion of agro-forestry and community forestry.
• ​Farm forestry:
  • ​Farm forestry is a term applied to the process under which farmers grow trees for commercial and non-commercial purposes on their farmlands.

Important Points

• Agro-forestry is the raising of trees and agricultural crops on the same land inclusive of the waste patches.
• It combines forestry with agriculture, thus, altering the simultaneous production of food, fodder, fuel, timber and fruit.
• Community forestry involves the raising of trees on public or community land such as the village pasture and temple land, roadside, canal bank, strips along railway lines, schools etc.

Thus, social forestry means the management and protection of forests and afforestation of barren lands for helping the environment.

Biosphere Reserve (BR) is an international designation by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) for representative parts of natural and cultural landscapes extending over large areas of terrestrial or coastal/marine ecosystems or a combination of both.

• It tries to balance economic and social development and maintenance of associated cultural values along with the preservation of nature.
• These are special environments for both people and nature and are living examples of how human beings and nature can co-exist while respecting each others’ needs.

Important Points

There are 18 biosphere reserves in India:

• Cold Desert, Himachal Pradesh
• Nanda Devi, Uttrakhand
• Khangchendzonga, Sikkim
• Dehang-Debang, Arunachal Pradesh
• Manas, Assam
• Dibru-Saikhowa, Assam
• Nokrek, Meghalaya
• Panna, Madhya Pradesh
• Pachmarhi, Madhya Pradesh
• Achanakmar-Amarkantak, Madhya Pradesh-Chhattisgarh
• Kachchh, Gujarat (Largest Area)
• Similipal, Odisha
• Sundarban, West Bengal
• Seshachalam, Andhra Pradesh
• Agasthyamala, Karnataka-Tamil Nadu-Kerala
• Nilgiri, Tamil Nadu-Kerala (First to be Included)
• Gulf of Mannar, Tamil Nadu
• Great Nicobar, Andaman & Nicobar Island

Thus, it is right to say that there is a total of 18 biosphere reserves present in India at present.

The correct answer is 1988.

Key Points

• The National Forest Policy in India is launched to bring a minimum of one-third of India’s total geographical area under forest or tree cover.
• The first edition of the National Forest Policy in India took effect in 1952.
• India launched its second edition of the National Forest Policy in 1988.
• The national forest policy 1988 aims at the maintenance of environmental stability through preservation and restoration of ecological balance.
• The national forest policy in 1988 is now replaced by the draft national forest policy in 2018.
• The new draft national forest policy 2018 was launched in March 2018.
  • The new policy focuses on the international challenge of climate change.
  • It was published by the ministry of environment, forest, and climate change.
• Bhupender Yadav is the current minister responsible for the ministry of environment, forest, and climate change.

Additional Information

• The Wildlife Protection Act in India was enacted in 1972.
• The Forest Conservation Act in India was enacted in 1980.
• The Environment Protection Act India was enacted in 1986.
• Central Forest Research Institute is situated at Dehradun.
• The largest forest area in India - Madhya Pradesh.
• The least forest area in India - Haryana.
• World Forest Day - 21st March.

The correct answer is Uttarakhand.

Key Points

• Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve is located in the northern part of India in Uttarakhand. 
• It comprises Nanda Devi National Park and the Valley of Flowers National Park.
• Declared as Biosphere Reserve under the UNESCO’s Man and Biosphere (MAB) programme.
• It has been included in the World Network of Biosphere Reserves.
• The biosphere reserve is spread in Chamoli, Pithoragarh and Bageshwar district of Uttarakhand.
• It comprises the catchment area of Alaknanda River and its tributaries, including Rishi Ganga, Dhauli Ganga, Pushwapati, and Khir Ganga.
• Fauna:- Snow leopard, the Himalayan musk deer, Asiatic black bear, Himalayan brown bear, bharal and Himalayan tahr etc.
• Flora: Birch, Rhododendron, Fir, Juniper, Lichens etc are found in the reserve.

• Depending upon the variations in the climate and the soil, the vegetation of India changes from one region to another
• According to state records, the forest area covers 23.28 percent of the total land area of the country.

The forest area and the actual forest cover are the same: Incorrect

• The forest area and the actual forest cover are not the same.
• The forest area is the area notified and recorded as the forest land irrespective of the existence of trees. 
• While the actual forest cover is the area occupied by forests with canopy.
• The former is based on the records of the State Revenue Department.
• While the latter is based on aerial photographs and satellite imageries.
• According to the India State of Forest Report 2011, the actual forest cover in India is only 21.05 percent.
• Of the forest cover, the share of dense and open forests are 12.29 and 8.75 percent respectively.

Forest area and forest cover vary from state to state: Correct

• Both forest area and forest cover vary from state to state.
• Lakshadweep has zero percent forest area; Andaman and Nicobar Islands have 86.93 percent.
• Most of the states with less than 10 percent of the forest area lie in the north and northwestern part of the country.
• These are Rajasthan, Gujarat, Punjab, Haryana, and Delhi.
• Most of the forests in Punjab and Haryana have been cleared for cultivation.
• States with 10-20 percent forest areas are Tamil Nadu and West Bengal.
• In Peninsular India, excluding Tamil Nadu, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, and Goa, the area under forest cover is 20-30 percent.
• The northeastern states have more than 30 percent of the land under forest.
• There is a lot of variation in actual forest cover, which ranges from 9.56 percent in Jammu and Kashmir to 84.01 percent in Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
• In India, there are 15 states where the forest cover is more than one-third of the total area, which is the basic requirement for maintaining the ecological balance.
• On the basis of the percentage of the actual forest cover, the states have been grouped into four regions: 

Hence, only statement 2 is correct.

Concept:

Tribal People:

• Many large tribes thrived in different parts of the subcontinent.
• They usually lived in forests, hills, deserts and places difficult to reach.
• Examples of some tribal groups are the gonds, the ahoms, etc.

Explanation:

Forest and tribals people:

• The life of tribal groups is directly connected to the forest. 
• A vast number of tribal people, the forest is a home, a livelihood, their very existence.
• It provides them food, fruits of all kinds, edible leaves, honey, nourishing roots and wild game.
• It provides them with materials to build their houses and items for practising their arts.
• The importance of forests in the tribal economy is well-known as they are the source of sustenance and livelihood for tribal communities.
• It is commonly believed that the tribal communities live in harmony with nature and protect forests.
• Out of a total of 593 districts, 188 have been identified as tribal districts.
• The tribal districts account for about 59.61 per cent of the total forest cover of the country.
• Whereas the geographical area of 188 tribal districts forms only 33.63 per cent of the total geographical area of the country.
• It demonstrates that tribal districts are generally rich in forest cover.
• Forest and tribals are very closely related.
• The age-old knowledge of tribals regarding forestry can be used in the development of forests.
• Rather than treating tribals as minor forest produce collectors they should be made growers of minor forest produce and encouraged to participate in conservation.

Thus,

Forests provide tribal people with food, shelter and livelihood: Correct

Forest and tribals are very closely related: Correct

Tribal communities harm nature and destroy forests: Incorrect

The age-old knowledge of tribals regarding forestry can be used in the development of forests: Correct.

Additional Information

Forest Rights Act (FRA):

• It was enacted on 29 December 2006.
• It came into force on 31 December 2007.​
• It deals with the rights of the communities that dwell in the forests over land and other resources.
• It recognizes the forest rights of forest-dwelling Scheduled Tribes and other traditional forest dwellers who have been residing in such forests for generations.
• It provides grants of land to forest dwellers to the extent of their present holding but not exceeding four hectares.
•  It provides that people who have been living in the forests for at least 25 years have a right over the forest land and what is grown on it.
• The Forest Rights Act provides for the declaration of Critical Wildlife Habitats in National Parks and Sanctuaries.
• The act provided that, that the work of protecting the forest should be done by their Gram Sabha.
• It provided for three major changes:
  • Empowered local self-governance.
  • Community Participation and recognition of community rights.
  • Conservation and Management of natural resources.
  • It is also known by other names like the Tribal Rights Act or the Tribal Land Act.

Concept:

• Biodiversity conservation deals with providing protection to organisms to prevent them from getting extinct
• Need for biodiversity conservation:
• Narrowly utilitarian benefits: short term benefit derived by humans such as forest produce, timber, rubber, silk, wool etc
• Broadly utilitarian benefits: Biodiversity conservation is important as each organism play a key role in balancing the stability of the ecosystem. The extinction of one species can drive the extinction of other. The plant also provide other ecosystem services such as purification of air, maintaining temperature on Earth etc
• Ethics: We have a moral duty to care for their well-being and pass on our biological legacy in good order to future generations

Explanation:

Biodiversity conservation can be achieved by one of the following methods:

In vivo conservation: Conservation of live organisms

• In-situ conservation: When we conserve and protect the whole ecosystem, its biodiversity at all levels is protected. This approach is called in situ conservation.(on-site)For the purpose of this approaches such as biodiversity hotspots, sacred groves are undertaken at international and local levels
• Ex-situ Conservation: In this approach, threatened animals and plants are taken out of their natural habitat and placed in a special setting where they can be protected and given special care. 
• l parks, botanical gardens and wildlife safari parks serve this purpose.

In vitro Conservation: Conservation of preserved organisms eg. sperm bank, germplasm storage

Additional Information

• The historic Convention on Biological Diversity (‘The Earth Summit) held in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, called upon all nations to take appropriate measures for conservation of biodiversity and sustainable utilisation of its benefits.
• At the World Summit on Sustainable Development held in 2002 in Johannesburg, South Africa, 190 countries pledged their commitment to be achieved by 2010, a significant reduction in the current rate of biodiversity loss at global, regional and local levels.  

∴: Conservation of species outside their natural habitat is called ex-situ conservation