Question 1

Question 1What do you mean by the term 'Natural Vegetation'?

Accepted Answer

Natural vegetation refers to the plant community which has grown naturally without any human assistance and has not been disturbed over a long time, so as to allow its individual species to adjust themselves fully to the climate and soil conditions.

Question 2

Question 5Why is there shrinkage of forest cover in India? What precautions can be taken to reduce this shrinkage?

Accepted Answer

There is shrinkage of forest cover in India due to following reasons:Urbanization/Industrialization.Increasing population.Conversion of forest land to agricultural land.Faulty agricultural practices like Jhooming cultivation or shifting agriculture.Unauthorized cutting of trees by timber merchants.Increased demand for forest products.Construction of multipurpose river valley projects.Forest fires.Precautions that can be taken to reduce this shrinkage are:Stopping unauthorized deforestation.Promoting afforestation in lands unfit for agriculture.Following reafforestation at the places from where trees have been cut.Measures should be taken to avoid forest fires.Strict regulation to avoid encroachment of forest land.Using alternative sources of energy and avoiding felling of trees for firewood.

Question 3

Question 8What are the characteristics of Tropical Evergreen forest? Name some important trees of these forests.

Accepted Answer

The characteristics of Tropical Evergreen forest are:As they are found in the areas of heavy rainfall, they are also known as 'rain forests'.The thick ground cover of forest is characterized by climbers and epiphytes. Bamboo and ferns are also common.As the do not shed their leaves at the same time, they remain evergreen and are called 'Tropical evergreen forests'.Some important trees of these forests are Rosewood trees, Sisam and Gurjan.

Question 4

Question 9Name the economically most important vegetation belt of India. Justify your answer.

Accepted Answer

Tropical deciduous forests are the economically most important vegetation belt of India because of the following reasons:They provide valuable timber and several other forest products.They are not so dense which make them easier to exploit.They cover a larger area than evergreen forest.

Question 5

Question 10Mention one area where Deciduous Monsoon forests are found. Give one reason stating why they are found there.

Accepted Answer

Deciduous Monsoon forests are found in the belt running along the Western Ghats, surrounding the belt of Evergreen forests both on eastern and western slopes.The Deciduous Monsoon forests are found in areas of average temperature of about 24°C to 27°C and with rainfall between 150 to 200 cm. Such conditions are available in the Western Ghats providing the environment for deciduous forests to grow.

Question 6

Question 16What do you mean by the terms ‘afforestation' and ‘deforestation'?

Accepted Answer

Afforestation — The act or process of establishing a forest by planting fresh trees especially on land not previously forested is called afforestation. This is done to increase the land under forest.Deforestation — The act of depletion of forest cover due to unauthorized felling of trees is called deforestation.

Question 7

Question 20Name the type of vegetation found in saline environment under tidal influence and name the most important tree associated with the above type of vegetation.

Accepted Answer

Mangrove vegetation with breathing roots or pneumatophores which act as respiratory organs are found in saline environment under tidal influence. The most important tree associated with the Mangrove vegetation are 'Sundari trees'. These are the trees after which the forest has been named as Sunderbans. The sundari trees are used for boat building as it wood is very hard, strong and durable.

Question 8

Question 22Why are forests grown in and around steel cities?

Accepted Answer

The level of pollution around steel cities is much higher than other cities. During the manufacture of steel, air emissions from the manufacturing plants emit particulate matter, sulphur oxides, nitrogen oxides, hydrocarbons and hydrogen fluoride which pollute the air. Besides these, steel plants emit significant dust levels of about 20 kilograms per metric ton of steel. Growing forests around them helps to lower the pollution as the trees act as a barrier for the dust and purify the air.

Question 9

Question 25State the total forest cover of the total geographic area of India.

Accepted Answer

The total forest cover of the total geographic area of India is 21% but the effective forest cover as revealed by various surveys is between 12% - 14%.

Question 10

Question 26Give geographical reasons —Tropical Evergreen forests are called Evergreen.Tropical Evergreen forests are called rain forests.The tidal forests occur in and around deltas.

Accepted Answer

The trees in Tropical Evergreen forests do not shed their leaves at the same time. Therefore, they remain green throughout the year and are called Evergreen forests.Tropical Evergreen forests are called rain forests because they are found in the areas of heavy rainfall.Tidal forests are typically found in wetlands with a regular tidal influence. They are adapted to the regular flooding that occurs in these areas. Hence, tidal forests occur in and around deltas as deltas provide the ideal conditions needed by tidal forests to thrive.

Question 11

Question 28Differentiate between social forestry and agroforestry.

Accepted Answer

S. No.Social forestryAgroforestry1.Social forestry is management and protection of forests and afforestation of barren and deforested lands.Agroforestry is an integrated approach of using the interactive benefits from combining trees and shrubs with crops.2.Social forestry is done in order to help environmental, social and rural development.Agroforestry combines agricultural and forestry technologies to create more diverse, productive and profitable land use system.

Question 12

Question 1(b)Give two points of difference between vegetation and forests.

Accepted Answer

VegetationForestsVegetation refers to the assemblage of plant species living in association with each other in a given environmental set-up.Forest refers to a large tract of land covered with trees and accompanying undergrowth of shrubs, herbs and sustaining thousands of life forms.Vegetation includes only plant species.Forests sustain both plant and animals.

Question 13

Question 1(c)Give a geographical reason for each of the following:(i) The Western Ghats are covered with thick evergreen forests while the Eastern Ghats are covered by deciduous forests.(ii) Tropical evergreen forests have tall trees and appear green all the year round.(iii) Deciduous forests are commercially most exploited.

Accepted Answer

(i) Evergreen forests are found in areas of high temperature, having high annual rainfall. Western Ghats receive more than 200 cms. of annual rainfall with an average annual temperature between 25°C and 27°C. Similarly, deciduous forests are found in areas with moderate rainfall and the eastern ghats receive annual rainfall between 100 cm and 200 cm with mean annual temperature range of 24°C and 27°C. Hence, the Western Ghats are covered with thick evergreen forests while the Eastern Ghats are coven by deciduous forests.(ii) Tropical evergreen forests have tall trees as this region remains warm and wet throughout the year. Since the trees do not have a fixed time to shed their leaves, to flower or for fruition, the forest appears green all the year round.(iii) Deciduous forests are commercially most exploited because besides providing valuable timber, they provide various other valuable products, like sandalwood, which are in great demand in India and abroad. Moreover, they are less dense which makes transport between these forests and markets easier and economical.

Question 14

Question 1(d)(i) Name one area where tropical rain forests are found.(ii) Mention two main characteristics of tropical rain forests.

Accepted Answer

(i) Tropical rain forests are found on the western slopes of the Western Ghats.(ii) Two main characteristics of tropical rain forests are-Trees reach great heights of more than 60 m.Since this region remains warm and wet throughout the year, it has a luxuriant vegetation of all kinds- trees, shrubs and creepers which give it a multi-layered structure.

Question 15

Question 2(b)What are the climatic conditions under which Tropical Evergreen Forests develop?

Accepted Answer

The climatic conditions under which Tropical Evergreen Forests develop are-Annual rainfall of more than 200 cmAverage annual temperature between 25°C and 27°CAverage annual humidity exceeds 77 percent

Question 16

Question 2(c)Give a geographical reason for each of the following:(i) Tropical Evergreen Forests are difficult to exploit for commercial purposes.(ii) Delta area of river Ganga is called Sunderbans.(iii) Forests are grown in and around the cities having Iron and Steel Industries, and Thermal Power Plants.

Accepted Answer

(i) Tropical Evergreen Forests are difficult to exploit for commercial purposes because of the tangled mass of canes, palms, bamboos, ferns and climbers along with the lack of means of transport.(ii) Delta area of river Ganga is called Sunderbans because the forests in this area have sundari trees.(iii) Forests are grown in and around the cities having Iron and Steel Industries, and Thermal Power Plants because the level of pollution is much higher in areas where industries are located and forests prevent pollution and act as a barrier for the dust and purify the air.

Question 17

Question 3(c)Give a geographical reason for each of the following:(i) The forest area has greatly depleted in India.(ii) The Tropical Evergreen forests are found on the western slope of the Western Ghats.(iii) Acacia has long roots.

Accepted Answer

(i) The forest area has greatly depleted in India as forests have been cleared for the purpose of cultivation. Timber has become an important commercial resource. Rapid industrialization, urbanisation and expansion of cities has also led to the destruction of forest cover in the country.(ii) The Tropical Evergreen forests are found on the western slope of the Western Ghats because evergreen forests are found in areas of high temperature and high annual rainfall. Western Ghats receive more than 200 cms. of annual rainfall with an average annual temperature between 25°C and 27°C.(iii) Acacia has long roots so that the roots can reach deep, ground water resources and therefore, survive drought like conditions.

Question 18

Question 3(d)(i) State two characteristic features of tropical desert vegetation. Name two typical trees found here.(ii) Why tropical deserts have stunted trees.

Accepted Answer

(i) Two characteristic features of tropical desert vegetation are-These forests have Xerophytic vegetation. Due to paucity of rainfall, the trees are stunted with large patches of coarse grasses.Plants remain leafless for most part of the year and look like scrub vegetation.Two typical trees found here are babool and date palm.(ii) Tropical deserts have stunted trees due to paucity of rainfall.

Question 19

Question 4(a)The communities in India depend on the forest and its products for their well-being. The total forest cover in India is just 21.71% of the land area and various initiatives of government and non-government organisation are being taken to improve the forest cover. People from all walk of lives are engaging themselves at individual level to make others aware of the benefits of trees and making an effort to plant trees in open space, parks, roads, urban and sub urban and rural areas.What is the reason for the low percentage of forest cover in India?

Accepted Answer

Man has been overexploiting the forests to satisfy not only his needs but also his greed. This has led to a decline in the forest cover.Due to rapid population growth and the demand for more food, forests have been cleared to convert them into agricultural land.Forests have been converted into pasture land for expanding dairy farming and cattle ranching.Overgrazing in the forests by animals in the tropical and sub-tropical regions has resulted into large-scale degradation of natural vegetation.Ever increasing demand for timber for various purposes due to industrial expansion and urbanisation has added to the problem of deforestation.Construction of multi-purpose river valley projects has led to submergence of land and destruction of forested riversides.All these factors have led to the decline in forests.

Question 20

Question 4(b)Briefly discuss a successful community-based conservation initiative in India focused on preserving natural vegetation.

Accepted Answer

A successful community-based conservation initiative in India focused on preserving natural vegetation is the Chipko Movement.The Chipko Movement, which began in the 1970s in the Himalayan region of Uttarakhand, was a grassroots environmental movement aimed at preventing deforestation and promoting sustainable forest management. Local villagers, especially women, played a crucial role in this movement by hugging trees to prevent them from being cut down by logging companies. This initiative not only helped in conserving forests but also raised awareness about the importance of trees in maintaining ecological balance.The movement's success led to a ban on tree-felling in the Himalayan region for 15 years and influenced future environmental policies in India.

Natural Vegetation

Answer the following questions

Answer The Following Questions