Question.1

• Sarpagandha: It is used to treat blood pressure. It is found only in India.
• Jamun: The juice from ripe fruit is used to prepare vinegar, which is carminative and diuretic, and has digestive properties.
• Arjun: The fresh juice of leaves is a cure for earache. It is also used to regulate blood pressure.

Question 2.
Write a short note on Mangrove Forests.
Answer:
The mangrove tidal forests are found in the areas of coasts influenced by tides. Mud and silt get accumulated on such coasts. Dense mangroves are the common varieties with roots of the plants submerged under water. The deltas of the Ganga, the Mahanadi, the Krishna, the Godavari and the Kaveri are covered by such vegetation. In the Ganga-Brahmaputra delta, sundari trees are found, which provide durable hard timber. Palm, coconut, keora, agar, etc., also grow in some parts of the delta.

Royal Bengal Tiger is the famous animal in these forests. Turtles, crocodiles, gharials and snakes are also found in these forests.

Question 3.
Distinguish between the moist and dry deciduous forests.
Answer:

Question 4.
Write a short note on thorny forests and scrubs.
Answer:
The thorny forest and scrubs are found in regions with less than 70 cm of rainfall, the natural vegetation consists of thorny trees and bushes. This type of vegetation is found in the north-western part of the country, including semi-arid areas of Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana. Acacias, palms, euphorbias and cacti are the main plant species. Trees are scattered and have long roots penetrating deep into the soil to get moisture. The stems are succulent to conserve water. Leaves are mostly thick and small to minimise evaporation. These forests give way to thorn forests and scrubs in arid areas. In these forests, the common animals are rats, mice, rabbits, fox, wolf, tiger, lion, wild ass, horses and camels.

Question 5.
Write three measures to conserve ecosystem.
Answer:
The measures to conserve ecosystem are :

• Deforestation has disturbed our ecosystem. It must be stopped forthwith.
• Indiscriminate killing of wild animals has distorted our ecosystem. Hence, killing of
  animals should be stopped immediately.
• Ecosystem can be conserved by developing more wildlife sanctuaries, national parks and biosphere reserves.

Question 6.
Why is conservation of wildlife very essential? Explain.
Answer:
The government has taken many special efforts to preserve endangered species of birds and animals. Periodic census is undertaken to find out the latest position and trends in this regard. The Project Tiger has been a great success. We have many tiger reserves in various parts of the country. Likewise, the Project Rhino is being implemented in Assam. The Indian Bustard of Rajasthan and Malwa Plateau are yet another endangered species. Even the number of lions had been dwindling for long. Conservation of wildlife is essential in order to protect the endangered species of birds and animals and also to maintain the ecological balance. The Government of India has so far set-up eighteen biosphere reserves.

Question 7.
How do the forests play both a productive and protective role?
Answer:
Productive Role of Forests :

• The forests supply us wood, pulp, cellulose, packaging material etc. to run a number of industries like paper industry, packaging industry etc.
• We obtain a number of consumer goods like fuel wood, timber, medicinal herbs, resins, gums, lac and honey from our forests.
• Forests control the wind force and temperature and cause rainfall.

Protective Role of Forests :

• Forests help in maintaining the ecological balance and providing pollution free air.
• These help in checking soil erosion and raising the water table which receding presently at a faster rate.
• These provide humus to the soil and make it fertile.
• These provide manure to the plants as their leaves and stems after they die, decompose in a natural way.

Question 8.
What are the different steps taken by the government to protect flora and fauna?
Answer:
The different steps taken by the government to protect flora and fauna are :

• Eighteen biosphere reserves have been set up in the country to protect flora fauna.
• The Sunderbans in the West Bengal, Nanda Devi in Uttarakhand, the Gulf of Mannar in Tamil Nadu and the Nilgiris have been included in the world network of biosphere reserves.
• Financial and technical assistance is provided to many botanical gardens by the government since 1992.
• Project Tiger, Project Rhino, Project Great Indian Bustard and many other eco-developmental projects have been introduced by the government.
• 103 National Parks, 535 Wildlife Sanctuaries and Zoological Gardens are set up to take care of natural heritage.

Question 9.
Write a short note on wildlife in India.
Answer:
India is also rich in its fauna. It has approximately 90,000 animal species. The country has about 2,000 species of birds. They constitute 13% of the world’s total. There are 2,546 species of fish, which account for nearly 12% of the world’s stock. It also shares between 5 and 8 per cent of the world’s amphibians, reptiles and mammals.

The elephants are the most majestic animals among the mammals. They are found in the hot wet forests of Assam, Karnataka and Kerala. One-horned rhinoceroses are the other animals, which live in swampy and marshy lands of Assam and West Bengal. Arid areas of the Rann of Kachchh and the Thar Desert are the habitat for wild ass and camels respectively. Indian bison, nilgai (blue bull), chousingha (four-horned antelope), gazel and different species of deer are some other animals found in India. It also has several species of monkeys.

India is the only country in the world that has both tigers and lions. The natural habitat of the Indian lion is the Gir forest in Gujarat. Tigers are found in the forests of Madhya Pradesh, the Sundarbans of West Bengal and the Himalayan region.

Question. 10

• Preserving plant and animal species of the area in natural forms.
• To protect flora and fauna from their overexploitation.
• To save endangered species and prevent extinction of valuable species.
• To undertake research and experimentation in forestry

Important Link

Quick Revision Notes : Natural Vegetation and Wildlife

NCERT Solution : Natural Vegetation and Wildlife

MCQs: Natural Vegetation and Wildlife

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