Prevention of further depletion of forests is called conservation of forests. Few measures that could be followed to conserve our forests are given below.
Afforestation: People should be made aware of the damages caused by felling of trees. Governments and communities should take steps to plant trees on a large scale. Afforestation is the large-scale planting of trees on lands where there were no forests previously.
Planned cultivation: A forest should not be cleared of all its trees and converted into an agricultural land; this can lead to soil erosion.
Prevent illegal logging: Illegal logging has led to the decrease of a lot of trees over the years. The Indian government has laid out rules to prevent illegal logging by making it punishable under law.
Prevent overgrazing: Provision of sufficient pastures should be made, especially in areas adjoining forests, to prevent overgrazing and trampling of growing plants by cattle. Stall-feeding of cattle should be encouraged.
Protection from forestfires: Forest fires are considered beneficial for plants, but they might have devastating effects on animal life and people living nearby. These forest fires can be prevented by being careful while burning debris. Fire retardants and water bombs are also used to prevent forest fires.
The area where a particular organism lives naturally is called its habitat. The five major habitats are – forests, grasslands, deserts, mountains and polar regions, and aquatic habitat. Oceans and freshwater together form the aquatic habitat.
Forests
Forests are large areas covered with plants. Forests cover about one-third of our planet. Different types of plants and animals are found in forests.
There are three major types of forests on Earth: tropical, temperate, and boreal.
Tropical forestsTropical forests, also known as rainforests, are found between the equator and the two tropics (Tropic of Cancer and Tropic of Capricorn). The temperature of these forests ranges from 20°C to 34°C. These regions receive heavy rainfall throughout the year; the annual rainfall is more than 200 cm. The variety of flora and fauna found in these forests is vast (Fig. 10.1). Plants: Orchid, vine, moss, and fern. Animals: Bat, gorilla, monkey, jaguar, sloth, macaw, toucan, and a variety of insects.
Fig. Plants and animals of tropical forest
Temperate forestsTemperate forests are found in eastern North America, northeastern Asia, and western and central Europe. The temperature of these regions ranges from -30°C to 30°C. The annual rainfall is about 150 cm and is even throughout the year. Most trees found here are deciduous, that is, they shed their leaves once a year (mostly in winter). Temperate forests have well-defined winter and summer seasons. Plants: Maple, oak, and elm. Animals: Fox, bald eagle, mountain lion, bobcat, and black bear.
Fig. Plants and animals of temperate forest
Boreal forestsBoreal forests are also called taiga. These forests are found in Canada, Russia, Scandinavia, China, Mongolia, and northern Japan. These forests are characterized by very low temperatures, that is, between -50°C and 30°C. The annual snowfall in these regions ranges from 40 to 100 cm. Plants: Evergreen trees like pine, fir, and spruce. Animals: Wolf, lynx, fox, deer, woodpecker, hare, bat, bear, moose, and chipmunk.
Fig. Plants and animals of boreal forest
Grasslands
Grasslands are regions dominated by grasses. There aren’t too many trees and shrubs here. Temperature ranges between -20°C and 30°C. The annual rainfall varies between 50 and 90 cm. Grasslands provide shelter to a large variety of animals including giraffe, zebra, lion, elephant, and gazelle.
Deserts
Deserts are areas that receive very little rainfall. Sahara, Kalahari, and Thar are some deserts. In hot deserts, daytime temperature in summer can reach 45°C. Annual rainfall is less than 25 cm. Though deserts are mostly considered to be hot, some are very cold (e.g., the Gobi desert in China). Organisms like cactus, camel, rattlesnake, gila monster, and kangaroo rat are found in deserts.
Mountains and Polar Regions
Earth’s polar regions (the Arctic in the north and the Antarctic in the south) and tall mountains are extremely cold. The lowest temperature recorded ever in the Antarctic is -88°C. Animals like polar bear, penguin, seal, and walrus are found in the polar regions. Mountain goat, sheep, yak, and snow leopard are some of the animals found in the mountains.
Aquatic Habitat
The aquatic habitat comprises all the water bodies on the planet. It is mainly of three kinds: freshwater, marine, and coastal. Freshwaterhabitat Rivers, lakes, ponds, and streams are examples of freshwater habitat. Fish, frog, duck, lotus, and water lily are found in freshwater. Marine habitatOceans and seas form the largest habitat on the planet. A large variety of animals live in the marine habitat, from tiny plankton to the largest animal in the world – the blue whale. Fish, whale, shark, jellyfish, crab, starfish, sea turtle, octopus, and seaweed are found in marine habitat.
Coastal habitatCoastal habitat refers to the region where the land meets the sea.
Estuaries are regions where saltwater (from the ocean) rivers or streams). Thus, unique habitats provide shelter to several marine animals and birds. Animals found here include crab, oyster, waterfowl, and worm. Mangroves (Fig. 10.4) seaweed, and marsh grasses are some of the plants found here. The Sundarban delta, spread across West Bengal and Bangladesh, is the largest mangrove forest in the world. Coral reefs are rock-like structures made from calcium carbonate secreted by corals. They are also called ‘rainforests of the sea’ as they provide shelter to a large number of marine organisms. Besides corals, sea anemones, starfish, octopus, sea urchins, and a variety of fish are found in coral reefs. Examples of coral reefs are the Great Barrier Reef of Australia and those of the Andaman and Nicobar islands in India.
Forests play a major role in our life. Early humans gathered food and were dependent on forests for all their basic needs such as food, clothing, and shelter. We depend on forests for several or various other things directly or indirectly.
Forests prevent soil erosion and floods. Roots of trees bind the soil particles together and prevent the soil from being washed or blown away.
Trees help to regulate the climate of a place. They absorb water from the ground through their roots, and then release some of it as water vapour. In this way, they manage to keep the surrounding air cool. By raising the water vapour content of the atmosphere, trees are responsible for bringing the rains, too. Trees also help in keeping a check on global warming by using carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse gas for photosynthesis.
Some trees, such as coconuts and palms, help to break strong winds in coastal areas. They act as shields or windbreakers against incoming storms or strong tidal waves.
We get timber from more than a thousand species of trees such as sal, mahogany, teak, and rosewood. Several timber- based industries such as those of plywood, sawmills, paper and pulp, and cardboards are all dependent on these trees. We get firewood from trees.
We get several nuts and spices from plants ‘ growing in forests.
Plants such as neem, eucalyptus, and amla (Indian gooseberry) are used to make several Ayurvedic medicines. Cinchona trees provide quinine, which is an important medicine for treating malaria. Many varieties of grasses such as lemon grass, vanilla, kewra, and khus are the sources of several kinds of essential oils. Sandalwood, eucalyptus, and pine also give us oil, which can be extracted from these trees.
Forests are a source of resins (used to make varnish and paint), latex (used to make rubber), bamboo (useful as fodder, and serves as an important raw material for the manufacture of paper and pulp, basket and other small-scale industries), and cane (used to make walking sticks, furniture, baskets, picture frames, screens, and mats).
Forests Help In Purifying Air
Forests play a vital role in releasing huge amounts of oxygen into the air. Forests are rich in plants and animals. All plants and animals breathe in air to survive. Green plants take in atmospheric carbon dioxide to manufacture their own food (photosynthesis) and release oxygen as a by-product. Forests also serve as a sink for carbon dioxide obtained in the following ways: given out by plants and animals during respiration, produced by burning coal and petroleum, given out as a result of volcanoes and other natural disasters. Thus, forests help to balance the levels of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Forests, especially rainforests, are referred to as the ‘lungs’ of the Earth.
With the increase in human population, there have been ever-rising demands for converting forests into residential and agriculture areas. As a result, lots of trees are being felled and forests are being cleared, thus destroying the habitat of several species of animals and plants. Such large-scale felling of trees is called deforestation. It results in permanent destruction of forests and woodlands.
Forests are a valuable natural resource. Given below are some of the ways in which forests are beneficial to human beings and the environment.
Forests provide habitat to a large number of plants, animals, birds, and insects.
Trees release oxygen, which is needed for survival.
We obtain useful products like timber, gum, paper, and medicines from forests.
Roots of trees help to hold the soil in place, preventing soil erosion and landslides.
Dead plants and trees decompose to form humus, which helps in maintaining soil fertility.
Deforestation refers to the continual degradation of forests due to natural or human-related causes. The main causes of deforestation are
Requirement of wood,
Rapid urbanization resulting in conversion of forests to agricultural land, and
Overgrazing by cattle.
Deforestation may have many adverse effects. Some of them are:
Destruction of the natural habitat of animals and birds: If forests are destroyed, global climate and local weather may change drastically. This will result in the loss of many species of animals and plants, and biological diversity.
Large amounts of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, methane, etc., are released into the atmosphere due to deforestation.
Natural resources such as timber, medicinal plants, fruits, and nuts are depleted due to deforestation.
Increase in global temperature
Reduced rainfall
Floods
Landslides (in mountainous regions)
Case Study: Chipko Movement
The Chipko movement, launched in the early 1970s, aimed at preventing the cutting of trees in the Garhwal Himalayas. The villagers hugged the trees and prevented the contractors from felling them. (The Hindi word ‘Chipko’ means ‘to embrace’ or ‘to hug’.)
The success of the Chipko movement in the hills saved thousands of trees from being felled. Sunderlal Bahuguna, a Gandhian activist and philosopher, played an important role in success of this movement He appealed to Mrs Indira Gandhi, the then Prime Minister of India, which resulted in a 15-year ban on the felling of trees in the Himalayan forests.
Here are some practices that could help in conserving our forests.
Trees should be planted on a large scale on available land. Large-scale planting of saplings is called afforestation. When this is done on deforested lands, it is called reforestation.
More forest reserves and botanical gardens should be established.
Allowing animals to graze on the same patch of land for a long period of time should be avoided. Minimizing overgrazing by animals will go a long way in preventing farmlands from turning barren.
Measures should be taken to prevent and control forest fires.
Awareness programmes could be conducted by school children, organizations, and also through print and television advertisements to promote the need to use our forest resources judiciously.
Since paper is obtained from wood pulp, recycling of paper will also help conserve trees to some extent.
Marine habitat Oceans and seas form the largest habitat on the planet.
Coral reefs are rock-like structures made from calcium carbonate secreted by corals. They are also called ‘rainforests of the sea’ as they provide shelter to a large number of marine organisms. Besides corals, sea anemones, starfish, octopus, sea urchins, and a variety of fish are found in coral reefs. Examples of coral reefs are the Great Barrier Reef of Australia and those of the Andaman and Nicobar islands in India.
The success of the Chipko movement in the hills saved thousands of trees from being felled. Sunderlal Bahuguna, a Gandhian activist and philosopher, played an important role in success of this movement He appealed to Mrs Indira Gandhi, the then Prime Minister of India, which resulted in a 15-year ban on the felling of trees in the Himalayan forests.