Consider the following statements regarding Reserved Forests: Reserved...
- In India, much of its forest and wildlife resources are either owned or managed by the government through the Forest Department or other government departments. These are classified under the following categories.
- 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. Hence, statement 2 is correct.
- Protected Forests: Almost one-third of the total forest area is protected forest, as declared by the Forest Department. This forest land are protected from any further depletion.
- Unclassed Forests: These are other forests and wastelands belonging to both government and private individuals and communities
- Reserved and protected forests are also referred to as permanent forest estates maintained for the purpose of producing timber and other forest produce, and for protective reasons.
- Reserved Forests (RFs) are areas notified under the Indian Forest Act, 1927. There is another category called as State Forests (SFs) which are areas notified under State Forest Acts. Both these categories have the same legal status. The total area of RFs is 4,34,853 sq km or 13.25% of India’s land area. Hence, statement 1 is not correct.
Consider the following statements regarding Reserved Forests: Reserved...
Reserved Forests (RFs) are areas notified under the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980. More than half of the total forest land has been declared reserved forests.
Explanation:
1. Reserved Forests (RFs) are areas notified under the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980:
The first statement is correct. Reserved Forests (RFs) are areas that have been notified and designated as such under the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980. This act was introduced with the objective of conserving forests and wildlife, and it provides legal provisions for the declaration of RFs. These areas are given a special legal status and are subject to stricter regulations and protection measures compared to other forest areas.
2. More than half of the total forest land has been declared reserved forests:
The second statement is incorrect. Reserved Forests (RFs) do not make up more than half of the total forest land. RFs are only a part of the total forest land, and the extent of RFs varies from region to region and country to country. In many cases, RFs constitute a smaller proportion of the total forest area, while the remaining forest land may be designated as protected forests, national parks, wildlife sanctuaries, or other categories.
In India, for example, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has reported that as of 2019, the total forest cover in the country was about 21.67% of the total geographical area. Within this forest cover, the extent of RFs is not explicitly mentioned, but it is likely to be a fraction of the total forest area.
Therefore, only statement 1 is correct, and the correct answer is option 'B' - 2 only.