Forests in India - Indian Geography, UPSC, IAS | Geography (Prelims) by Valor Academy PDF Download

Indian Forest

• Forest area is the area recorded as forest land irrespective of the existence of trees, while the actual forest is the area occupied by the forest with a canopy
• The Forest area is based on the record of the State Revenue Department.
• Forest area covers 23.28% of the total area of the country
• These forests supply a wide variety of resources.
• They provide structural timber and wood for making furniture and pulp, matchwood, wood for charcoal, gum, resins, canes, and fibers.
• Besides these, there are many other forest products such as leaves, fruits, tan dyes, medicinal herbs, beeswax, honey, turpentine oil, and lac.

Spatial variation

• Forest cover varies from state to state
• Lakshadweep has 0% forest area while A&N Islands have 86.93 %
• Most of the states with less than 10% of the forest area are: Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat, and Delhi
• The NE states have more than 30% of the land under forest

Destruction of Forests and Measures for Conservation

• Overgrazing and forest fire often destroy forests.
• Reckless cutting of the trees causes forest destruction.
• Jhum cultivations destroy forest; it invites soil erosion.
• To preserve the forest, the Govt. of India has taken up a series of programmers:
• The forests are declared Reserved Forests.
• The government has chalked out a good program of ‘Van Mahatsov’.
• The Forest Research Institute has been set up at Dehra Dun for the promotion and preservation of the forests properly.
• The GoI adopted a forest policy in 1952 which was modified in 1988

Aims of Forest Policy

1. Forest cover to be increased to 33%
2. Maintain environmental stability
3. Conserving the natural heritage of the country
4. Checking soil erosion
5. Increasing the productivity of the forests
6. Creating a massive people movement
7. Based on the forest conservation policy the following steps were initiated:
8. Social forestry
9. Wildlife conservation
10. Biosphere Reserves

Social Forestry

• It means management and protection of forests and afforestation on barren lands with the purpose of helping in the environment, social and rural development
• National Commission on Agriculture has classified social forestry into- Urban forestry, Rural forestry & Farm forestry

Urban forestry

• It pertains to the raising & management of trees on public and privately owned lands in and around public centers such as green belts, parks, roadside avenues, etc.

Rural forestry

• It emphasizes Agroforestry and Community forestry
• Agro-Forestry is the raising of trees and agricultural crops on the same land inclusive of waste patches
• Community forestry involves the raising of trees on public or community lands
• Farm forestry: a process under which farmers grow trees for commercial & non-commercial purposes on their farmlands

Wildlife conservation

• In 1972 Wildlife Act was enacted with two main objectives-
  1. To provide protection to the endangered species
  2. To provide legal support to the conservation areas of the country classified as National Parks, sanctuaries, and closed areas
• There are 98 National Parks and 492 wildlife sanctuaries in India

Project Tiger

• Implemented in 1973
• The main objective is to ensure the maintenance of the viable population of tigers in India
• There are 27 Tiger reserves in 17 states
• The tiger population has increased from 1827 in 1972 to 3642 in 2001-02

Biosphere Reserves

A Biosphere Reserve is a unique and representative ecosystem of terrestrial and coastal areas.

• These are the areas where every plant and animal is protected in its natural habitat
• It aims at achieving: conservation, development, research & monitoring

List of Biosphere Reserves in India

Biosphere reserves are announced by the state or central governments by notification. The Governments can nominate them under the UNESCO’s Man and Biosphere (MAB) Programme after its establishment as a biosphere reserve. There are 18 biosphere reserves in India.

UNESCO Protected Biosphere Reserves – International Status

Recently, Panna Biosphere Reserve was also given the International status of UNESCO Protected Biosphere Reserve. 

• The status was given in the year 2020, and prior to that, the Khangchendzonga Biosphere Reserve from India was also included in this list in 2018.
• With the addition of the two Biosphere Reserves, 12 of the 18 biosphere reserves in the country have become part of the World Network of Biosphere Reserves which is based on the UNESCO Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Programme list.

The UNESCO Protected Biosphere Reserves list in India are given below: