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Forest and wildlife resources WE AND FOREST + WILDLIFE @ Weshare this planet with milions of other living beings Micro-organisms, bacteria, lichens to banyan trees, elephants and blue whales. @ We humans along with alliving organisms form a complex web of ecological system in which we are only a part and very much dependent on this system for our own existence. @ ‘Forests play a key role in the ecological system as these are also the primary producers on which all other living beings depend. BIODIVERSITY Biodiversity or Biological Diversity is immensely rich in wilife and cultivated species, diverse in form and function but closely integrated in a system through multiple network of interdependencies. FLORA AND FAUNA IN INDIA @ = Indiais one of the world's richest countries in terms of its vast area of biological diversity. @ = This is possibly twice or thrice the number yet to be discovered. We have a large extent and variety of forest and wilifie resources in lindia. @ = These diverse flora and fauna are so well integrated in our daily life that we take these for granted. But lately, they are under great stress mainly due to insensitivity to our environment. WHY CONSERVATION? @ Conservation preserves the ecological diversity and our life support systems - water, air and soil. e It also preserves the genetic diversity of plants and animals for better growth of species and breeding. @ Forexample, in agriculture, we are still dependent on traditional crop varieties. Fisheries too are heavily dependent on the maintenance of aquatic biodiversity CONSERVATION OF FOREST AND WILDLIFE IN INDIA STEPS TAKEN: 1. THE INDIAN WILDLIFE (PROTECTION) Act @_ . The Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act - 1972- provisions for protecting habitats. An all-tIndia list of protected species was also published. @ = The thrust of the programme was towards protecting the remaining population of certain endangered species by banning hunting, giving legal protection to their habitats, and restricting trade in wildlife. 2 NATIONAL PARKS + WILDLIFE SANCTUARIES » Central and many state governments established national parks and wildlife sanctuaries. 3., PROJECTS @ = The central government also announced several projects for protecting specific animals,which were gravely threatened. @ It includes the tiger, the one horned rhinoceros, the Kashmir stag or hangu, three types of crocodiles - freshwater crocodile, saltwater crocodile and the Gharial, the Asiatic lion, and others. @ Most recently, the Indian elephant, black buck (chinkara), the great Indian bustard (godawan) and the snow leopard, etc. have been given full or partial legal protection against hunting and trade throughout India. E.g .PROJECT TIGER @ —Tigeris one of the key wildlife species in the faunal web @ ___, In 1973,the authorities realised that the tiger population had dwindled to 1827 from an estimated 55,000 at the turn of the century. @ = The majorthreats to tiger population are poaching for trade, shrinking habitat, depletion of prey base species, growing human population, etc. @ ‘The trade of tiger skins and the use of thelir bones in traditional mecicines, especially in the Asian countries left tiger population on the verge of extinction. e Indiand Nepal provide habitat to about two-thirds of the surviving tiger population in the world @ These two nations became prime targets for poaching and illegal trading. @ = "Project Tiger", one of the well publicized wildife campaigns in the world, was launched in 1973 @ ‘Tiger conservation has been viewed not only accepting an effort to save an endangered species, but with equal importance as a means of preserving biotypes of sizeable magnitude. @ Corbett National Park in Ultarakhand, Sunderbans National Parkin West Bengal, Bandhavgarh National, Parkin Madhya Pradesh, Sariska Wildlife Sanctuary in Rajasthan, Manas Tiger Reserve in Assam and Periyar Tiger Reserve in Kerala are some of the tiger reserves of India. 4.FOCUS ON BIODIVERSTY @ = The conservation projects are now focusing on biodiversity rather than on a few of its components. @ . There is now a more intensive search for different conservation measures. Increasingly, even insects are beginning to find a place in conservation planning. @ = Inthe notification under Wildlife Act of 1980 and 1986, several hundred butterflies, moths, beetles, and one dragonfly have been added to the list of protected species. @ |n1991, for the first-time plants were also added to the list, starting with six species. FORESTS e Its difficult to manage, control and regulate forests. @ = In India much of its forest and wilife resources are either owned or managed by the government through the Forest Department or other government departments. FOREST RESERVED FORESTS-Regarded as the most valuable - conservation of forest and wilife resources @ More than half of the total forest land are, declared as reserved forests. PROTECTED FORESTS-Forest Lands protected from any other depletion . e@ Almost one third of the total forest area is protected the forests. UNCLASSED FORESTS @ +A good example for involving local communities in the management and restoration of degraded forests. @ . The programme has been in formal joint forest management. Odisha passed the first resolution for existence since 1988 when the state of @ .JFM depends ont the formation of local'(village) institutions that undertake protection activities mostly on degraded forest land managed by the forest department. @ -Inreturn, the members of these communities are entitled to intermediary benefits like non-timber forest produces_and share in the timber harvested by "successful protection’. Conclusion @ The clear lesson from the dynamics of both environmental destruction and reconstruction in India is that local communities everywhere have to be involved in some kind of natural resource management. @ But there is stil a long way to go before local communities are at the centre- stage in decision-making. that are people centric, @ Accept only those economic or developmental activities, environment- friendly and economicaly rewarding. 
