Details — Forest and Wildlife Resources

1. Ecological System and Biodiversity

We share the planet with millions of living beings—from micro-organisms and lichens to elephants and blue whales. The entire habitat has immense biodiversity.

Humans and all organisms form a complex ecological web. Humans are only a part of it and depend on it for existence. Plants, animals and micro-organisms recreate air quality, water and soil that produces food. Forests are key as primary producers on which other living beings depend.

Biodiversity (Biological Diversity): Immensely rich in wildlife and cultivated species; diverse in form and function; closely integrated through multiple networks of interdependencies.

India is one of the world’s richest countries in biological diversity—possibly twice or thrice the number of species yet to be discovered. Diverse flora and fauna are integrated into daily life but are under great stress mainly due to insensitivity to our environment.

The chapter refers to earlier study of extent/variety of forest and wildlife and to human-caused depletion in exercises; full species lists and detailed depletion mechanisms are not expanded in this extract. Where missing: The book does not provide sufficient information about this beyond stating stress from environmental insensitivity and the need for conservation amid rapid decline.

2. Why Conserve Forests and Wildlife?

Conservation has become essential amid rapid decline in wildlife population and forestry.

Reason	Explanation
Ecological diversity & life support	Preserves water, air and soil systems
Genetic diversity	Better growth of species and breeding
Agriculture	Still dependent on traditional crop varieties
Fisheries	Heavily dependent on aquatic biodiversity

3. Legal and Project-Based Conservation

Demand and Law

1960s and 1970s: Conservationists demanded a national wildlife protection programme.
Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972: Implemented with provisions for protecting habitats; an all-India list of protected species published.
Thrust: Protect remaining populations of certain endangered species by banning hunting, giving legal protection to habitats, and restricting trade in wildlife.
Central and many state governments established national parks and wildlife sanctuaries.

Specific Animal Protection

Central government announced projects for gravely threatened animals including:

Tiger
One-horned rhinoceros
Kashmir stag (hangul)
Three types of crocodiles: freshwater crocodile, saltwater crocodile, Gharial
Asiatic lion
Others

More recently given full or partial legal protection against hunting and trade throughout India: Indian elephant, black buck (chinkara), great Indian bustard (godawan), snow leopard, etc.

Broadening Conservation Focus

Projects now focus on biodiversity rather than a few components.
Even insects enter conservation planning.
Wildlife Act notifications 1980 and 1986: several hundred butterflies, moths, beetles, and one dragonfly added to protected species.
1991: Plants added for the first time, starting with six species.

4. Project Tiger

Point	Detail
Why tiger?	Key wildlife species in the faunal web
Population crisis	Estimated 55,000 at turn of the century → dwindled to 1,827 by 1973
Threats	Poaching for trade; shrinking habitat; depletion of prey base; growing human population
Trade pressure	Tiger skins; bones in traditional medicines (especially Asian countries) → verge of extinction
Habitat share	India and Nepal host about two-thirds of surviving world tiger population → prime poaching/illegal trade targets
Launch	Project Tiger, 1973 — one of the world’s well-publicised wildlife campaigns
Approach	Not only saving an endangered species but also preserving biotypes of sizeable magnitude

Some Tiger Reserves Named in the Chapter

Reserve	Location
Corbett National Park	Uttarakhand
Sunderbans National Park	West Bengal
Bandhavgarh National Park	Madhya Pradesh
Sariska Wildlife Sanctuary	Rajasthan
Manas Tiger Reserve	Assam
Periyar Tiger Reserve	Kerala

5. Types and Distribution of Forest Resources

Most forest and wildlife resources are owned or managed by government (Forest Department or other departments).

Category	Share / Nature	Conservation role
Reserved Forests	More than half of total forest land	Most valuable for conservation of forest and wildlife
Protected Forests	Almost one-third of total forest area	Protected from further depletion
Unclassed Forests	Other forests and wastelands	Belong to government and private individuals and communities

Permanent forest estates: Reserved and protected forests — maintained for timber and other forest produce and for protective reasons.

State Patterns

Pattern	States / regions
Largest area under permanent forests	Madhya Pradesh — 75% of its total forest area
Large % reserved forests	Jammu and Kashmir, Andhra Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Maharashtra
Bulk under protected forests	Bihar, Haryana, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Odisha, Rajasthan
Very high % unclassed forests (often community-managed)	All North-eastern states and parts of Gujarat

6. Community and Conservation

Conservation strategies are not new in India. Forests are home to traditional communities. In some areas, communities struggle to conserve habitats with (or even without) government, recognising that this secures long-term livelihood.

Examples

Example	What happened
Sariska Tiger Reserve, Rajasthan	Villagers fought mining by citing the Wildlife Protection Act
Alwar district, Rajasthan	Five villages declared 1,200 hectares as Bhairodev Dakav ‘Sonchuri’ with own rules—no hunting; protect wildlife from outside encroachments
Chipko movement (Himalayas)	Resisted deforestation; showed community afforestation with indigenous species can be enormously successful
Beej Bachao Andolan (Tehri) and Navdanya	Diversified crop production without synthetic chemicals—possible and economically viable
Sacred groves	Virgin forest patches left untouched; interference banned (forests of God and Goddesses)
Tree reverence	Mundas & Santhal (Chota Nagpur): mahua, kadamba; Odisha & Bihar tribals: tamarind, mango at weddings; peepal & banyan widely sacred
Temple & Bishnoi landscapes	Macaques/langurs around temples; Bishnoi villages (Rajasthan): blackbuck, nilgai, peacocks protected as community members

Nature worship: Age-old tribal belief that all creations of nature must be protected—has preserved several virgin forests.

7. Joint Forest Management (JFM)

Point	Detail
Purpose	Involve local communities in management and restoration of degraded forests
Formal start	Since 1988, when Odisha passed the first JFM resolution
How it works	Local (village) institutions protect mostly degraded forest land managed by Forest Department
Benefits to communities	Intermediary benefits like non-timber forest produce; share in timber from ‘successful protection’

Clear lesson: Local communities must be involved in natural resource management. There is still a long way to go before they are centre-stage in decision-making. Accept only developmental activities that are people-centric, environment-friendly and economically rewarding.

Cause → Effect Snapshot

Environmental insensitivity → Stress on flora and fauna
Rapid wildlife/forest decline → Demand for national protection (1960s–70s)
Wildlife Act 1972 → Habitat protection, hunting ban, trade restriction
Tiger crash (55,000 → 1,827) → Project Tiger 1973
Community stake in forests → Chipko, sacred groves, JFM, local reserves
People excluded from decisions → Incomplete conservation outcomes