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The Keoladeo National Park of Rajasthan is included in the list of the world heritage sites.

Ranthambhore National Park, Sawai Madhopur National Park and Keoladeo National Park (Bharatpur). The Ranthambhore National Park and Sariska sanctuary are for conservation of tigers. The Keoladeo National Park is included in the list of world heritage sites. Bharatpur Sanctuary is famous for Siberian cranes. Mukundra Hills Sanctuary in Kota and Sariska Sanctuary of Alwar are famous for wildlife conservation while the National Desert Park of Jaisalmer is famous for wildlife as well as conservation of fossils.

The tidal forests are also called the Swamp forests.

Causes of Bio-diversity destruction are: 

1. Construction of large dams 

2. Industrialisation 

3. Intensive cultivation 

4. Necessity of habitat and food for growing population 

5. Poaching and reckless exploitation of natural resources

The Khejari tree is considered the Kalpvraksha of Thar. On 28th August, 1730 the Maharaja of Jodhpur ordered to cut the Khejari trees in the village Khejrali. It was opposed by the villagers under the leadership of Amrita Devi. She sacrificed her life for the protection of the Khejari trees. About 363 villagers gave up their lives. This event is said to be the Khejarli Sacrifice movement. A monument has been constructed in the memory of martyrs of Khejarli village, where the Vriksh Sahid Mela (fair) is organised every year. In the memory of Amrita Devi, the Black Deer Sanctuary has been established in Jodhpur. The state government gives Amrita Devi Awards every year in the field of awareness for environmental conservation.

Three categories of forests are mentioned in the constitution of India: 

1. State forests 

2. Community forests 

3. Personal fbrests.

About 34610 sq. km area of Rajasthan is covered with different types of vegetation. It is about 10.12% of the total area of the state.

Types of forests in India 

1. The Evergreen forests: Such forests are found in the areas with rainfall more than 200 cm and an average temperature of 24°C. Arunanchal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, West Bengal, Western slopes of Western Ghats and Andaman-Nicobar islands are such areas where these forests are found. The main trees are Rubber, Mahogany, Ebony, Bamboo and Gurjan. There is a diversity and intensity of vegetation. The trees are so dense that the sun rays can hardly reach the lower part of the trees. Their height varies between 30 to 45 metres.

2. The Monsoon forests: These forests are found in the areas having rainfall between 100 to 200 cm. They are also called Deciduous forests because they shed leaves in summers. They are found in the lower and outer slopes of Punjab to Assam along Himalayas, leeward slopes of Western Ghat, South part of Eastern Ghat and Chhota Nagpur plateau area. Major trees found here are the Teakwood, Sal, Sheesham, Kusum, Palas, Bamboo, Jarul, Redwood, Aamla, etc. Their woods are used for making furniture, railway sleepers, ships, etc. The trees found in the Monsoon forests are high and dense.

3. The Dry Thorny forests: They are found in the areas with rainfall between 50 to 100 cm. Roots of the trees found here are very large and thick. They are found in the South-West Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Southern Uttar Pradesh of the Northern India and Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, arid parts of Maharashtra and Gujarat. Main trees are Babul, Khejra, Nagfani, Bargad, Keekar, Kair, etc.

4. The Desert forests: They are found in the areas with rainfall less than 50 cm. They are found in the Western Rajasthan, Punjab and Gujarat. The trees found here are Kair, Babul, Khejra, Nagfani, etc.

5. The Tidal forests: They are also called the Swamp forests. They are found mainly in the area where the water is brought by the tides along the sea coast. These areas are the deltas of the rivers Ganga, Mahanadi, Godavari, Krishna and Kaveri.

6. The Mountain forests: These forests are found in the Himalayan region having a height more than 1500 mt and in the Southern India in the areas having height more than 910 mt, as in Nilgiri, Shivoiy, Annamalai, Palnihills, Mahabaleshwar and Panchmadhi. Oak, Chestnut, Deodar, Chic, etc. are some important trees found here.

Conservation of forests in India The conservation of forests is a necessity to meet the rising demands and to save from environmental hazards. The first forest policy in India was adopted in 1894. A new forest policy was declared, after independence on 31st May, 1954 specifying that there should be forests on 33% part of land. In 1988, a new forest policy was declared, with three objectives. 

They are:

1. Environmental stability. 

2. Conservation of plants and wildlife. 

3. To meet out the basic needs of the common people.

The government is running several programmes and plans in the direction of forest conservation.

The important ones are:

1. Social forestry scheme 

2. Establishment of National Parks and Sanctuaries 

3. Efforts by the Forest Research Institute of Dehradun and the Central Arid Zone Research Institute of Jodhpur to increase the land under forests and to check the expansion of forests.

In order to encourage the efforts for forest conservation, the Rajasthan government provides different types of awards as Vaniki Pandit Award, Amrita Devi Award, etc. Similar efforts by the other states of India can go a long to promote the programmes for forest conservation in India.

The Rajasthan governments provided these awards for the forest conservation programmes – Vaniki Pandit award, Amrita Devi award, Vriksha Mitra award, Vriksha Vardhak award, etc.

In Rajasthan, evergreen forests are found in Mount Abu region.

I. Types of Forests in Rajasthan: 

1. Sub-tropical Evergreen forests: 

They are spread over 32 km around Abu mountains. This area is the most prosperous in view of vegetational diversity. The main trees found here are Bamboos, Siris, Jamun, Mango, Bel, Rohira, etc. 

2. The Tropical Dry Deciduous forests: 

Such types of forests are found mainly in Banswara and Udaipur. The major tree is Dhokda. Other trees are of Tendu, Bamboo, Bargad, Aamla, Karaunda, Neem and Gular. The wood of Dhokda tree is used in different works due to its strength and hardness with elasticity. Bidi from tendu, kattha from khair and toys from Khirni are made.

3. The Tropical Thorny Scruby forests: 

These forests are found mainly in Bikaner, Sikar, Jodhpur, Ajmer, Jaipur, Jhunjhunu, Nagaur and Dausa districts. The trees found here are dry and with scrubs. Besides the major trees of Khejari, the other trees are Rohira, Ber, Kair, Kantila Babul, etc.

4. The Dry Teakwood forests: 

These types of forests are found mainly in the districts of Chittore, Udaipur, Baran and Banswara. The teakwood is used for household purpose, furniture, tools and agricultural works. The main teak trees are of Bamboo, Mango, Gular, Tendu, Khair, Salar and Bargad.

5. The Mixed Deciduous forests: 

These forests are found in Udaipur, Kota, Bundi, Rajsamand, Chittour and Sirohi districts. Main trees found here are of Dhokda, Bargad, Mango, Jamun, Khair and Babul.

6. The Dhak or the Salar forests: 

They are found in river valleys. Besides Dhak the other trees found here are of Bahera, Gular, Mahua, Karanj, etc. 

7. The Salar forests: 

They are spread in the districts of Udaipur, Rajsamand, Chittaur, Sirohi, Ajmer, Jodhpur, Alwar and Jaipur. The gum and resin are received from the Salar forests and their wood is used for packing and furniture.

II. Wildlife of Rajasthan: 

The animals which live in natural habitat are a part of wildlife. The main animals of Rajasthan are tigers, panthers, cheetals, sambhars, chinkaras, black deer, wolves, bears, jackals, etc. Chinkara is the state animal of forest while camel is the state animal. There are about 22 wildlife sanctuaries in the state. Main national parks of Rajasthan are Ranthambhore National park.

Sawai Madhopur National Park and Keoladeo National Park. Bharatpur is a famous wildlife sanctuary. Other parks of national importance are the National Desert Park, Jaisalmer, Sariska Sanctuary and Daral (Darrah) Sanctuary. The Ranthambhore National Park and Sariska Sanctuary are for the conservation of tigers. Keoladeo National Park and Bharatpur Sanctuary are famous for Siberian cranes. The National Desert Park of Jaisalmer is famous for wildlife as well as conservation of fossils.

Soil is the topmost gift of nature. It is the great asset of farmers. The whole agricultural production depends upon it. Rajasthan is an agriculture-based state and the supplementary occupation of people beside agriculture is animal rearing. It also increases the importance of soil.

Variation in natural environment gives birth to different types of soils. Climate, vegetation, time are the factors responsible for soil formation. Parent Rock, water, air and humus are four main components of soil.

Soil is a mixture of solid, liquid and gases which, is a result of inter-reaction among weathering of rocks, climate, plants and bacterias.

Types of soil found in Rajasthan: On the basis of colour, texture and fertility soils of Rajasthan is classified in five types.

1. Desert soil 

(a) It is found in western Rajasthan in Jallore, Badurer, Jaisalmer, Jodhpur, Bikaner, Churn, Jhunjhunu, Nagaur, etc. 

(b) It is less fertile. 

(c) The main factor responsible for its formation is physical weathering. It is transferred due to wind from one place to another. It is saline and less holding capacity of water in it.

2. Red-Yellow soil 

(a) It is found in western part of Sawai Madhopur, Sirohi, Bhilwara, Rajsamand and Udaipur. 

(b) It is less fertile. 

(c) It is formed due to disintegration of granite sheets and rocks. 

(d) It lacks in lime and nitrogen. 

(e) Due presence of iron it is red and yellow in colour. 

(f) It is food for growing groundnut and cotton.

3. Laterite soil 

(a) It is found in East part of Banswara, Udaipur, Chittorgarh and Bhilwara. 

(b) It is fertile, but lacks in lime, nitrogen and phosphorous and rich in potash and chica. 

(c) It is useful for growing cotton, sugarcane and maize.

4. Black soil 

(a) It is found in south Eastern part of Rajasthan in Kota, Bundi, Baran and Jhalawar. 

(b) It is domat soil rich in chica. 

(c) It lacks in nitrogen but rich in potash and calcium. 

(d) It is fertile and good for growing cash crops like sugarcane, cotton, rice and soyabeen.

5. Loamy soil 

(a) It is found in North-Eastern part of Rajasthan in Ganganagar, Hanumangarh, Alwar, Bharatpur, Dholpur, Karauli, Dausa, Sawai Madhopur, Jaipur, Tonk, etc. 

(b) It is light red and brown in colour. It is sandy domatile. 

(c) It is fertile. 

(d) Rich in potash, iron, phosphorus lime and lacks in nitrogen. 

(e) It is good for growing wheat, mustard, tobacco, etc.

Correct Answer is: (b) 33 per cent

About 10.12% of the total area (34,610 sq km) of Rajasthan has vegetations due to variations in climate, soil, location of land, etc. It has 3.83% forest cover which is less than whole India’s per individual forest cover 0.13 hectare. Three types of natural vegetation is found here. i.e., forests, grasses and scrubs (desert vegetation).

The classification and distribution of forests in Rajasthan:

1. Tropical thorny forests mainly in Bikaner, Sikar, Jodhpur, Ajmer, Jaipur, Jhujhunu, Nagaur and Dausa districts. The trees are khejari, rohira, her, kair, kantila babul, etc.

2. Tropical dry deciduous forests are found mainly in Banswara and Udaipur. The major tree is Dhokda known for its strength and hardness with elasticity. Other trees are tendu, bamboo, bargad, amla, karaunda, neem and glar. Bidi, kattha and toys are made from tendu, khair and khirni respectively.

Further, they are divided into seven sub-types: 

(a) Dry teakwood forests: These forests are found in 250-450 mt height. As teak is found in abundance they are named teakwood forests. They are extended in districts of Udaipur, Banswar, Jhalawar, Chittorgarh and Bar an. Teak is found in 50%-75%. Other trees are Tendu, Dhavda, Gurjan, Gondal, Khair, Semai, Reetta, Baheda and Tamarind (Imli). Toys are made of Tendu, Khair and Khirni. The teak cannot bear fog, hence found most in Southern Rajasthan. Its wood is used to manufacture tools and buildings.

(b) Salar forests: These forests are found at 450 mt mountainous area. They are spread in the districts of Udaipur, Rajsamand, Chittore, Sirohi, Ajmer, Jodhpur, Alwar, Jaipur, etc. Wood is used in packing and furniture as well as gum and resin are received from Salar forests. Salar Dhok, Katheera and Dhaved are main trees of this area. Due to abundance of Salar trees, they are called Salar forests.

(c) Bamboo forests: Due to abundance of Bamboo trees, they are called Bamboo forests. They are found in those regions of Rajasthan where rainfall is more. They are found in Banswara, Chittorgarh, Udaipur, Baran, Kota and Sirohi districts of Rajasthan. Other trees are Dhakda, Teak, Dhokda, etc.

(d) Dhokda forests or Mixed Deciduous forests: Except desert region they are found in most of the regions of Rajasthan as environment other than desert region is suitable. Hence, they are the most extended forests in Rajasthan. They are found at 240-760 mt height. It is also known as Dhok and found in Kota, Bundi, Sawai Madhopur, Jaipur, Alwar, Ajmer, Udaipur, Rajsamand and Chittorgarh district of Rajasthan. These forests are included in main forest wealth of state. The wood of Dhok is very strong, it is converted into coal by burning. The other trees are Palash, Adusa, Jhadber, Arunj, Khair and Khirni, etc.

(e) Palash Forests: They are found in hard and rocky region where soil is found less. Main trees are Dhak, Bahera, Gular, Mahua, Karanj, etc.

(f) Khair Forests: They are spread in southern plateau region in districts of Jhalawar, Kota, Baran, Chittorgarh and Sawai Madhopur. Trees found here are Ber, Dhokda and Arjun.

(g) Babool Forests: They are found in districts of Ganganagar, Bikaner, Nagaur, Jallore, Alwar and Bharatpur. Where less moisture is found their number decreases but as the moisture increases their number also increases.

“Earth’ is regarded as the mother in our national song, “Vande Mataram’.

Forests are the basis of life. Reckless destruction of forests in our country has affected adversely the climate and landscape, e.g. soil erosion, extension of desert, occurrence of floods, increase in wasteland, irregularity in climate, drought, fall in the level of underground water, loss of wildlife, environmental pollution, etc. The forests are being cleared to obtain more space for human habitation, agriculture and industries. Hence, it is compulsory to save and conserve forests to overcome the environmental hazards.

The first forest policy in India was adopted in 1894. A new forest policy was declared on 31st May, 1954 after independence, specifying that there should be forests on 33% of land area.

In 1988, a new forest policy was declared with three aims:

1. Environmental stability. 

2. Conservation of plants and wildlife, and 

3. To meet the basic needs of the common people.

Besides the government is running various programmes and plans for the forest conservation. Social Forestry Scheme, Establishment of National Parks and Sanctuaries are some of them. The Forest Research Institute, Dehradun and the Central Arid Zone Research Institute, Jodhpur are making efforts to increase the land under forests and to check the expansion of deserts. Different types of forest awards are given by the government of Rajasthan in order to encourage the efforts of forest conservation like Vaniki Pandit Award, Amrita Devi Award, Vriksha Vardhak Award, Vriksha Mitra Award, etc.

(d) Desert forests

(c) Wild animals

(a) Arnaya culture

1.True

2.True

3.False

4.True

5. False

1. Forests provide countless things as raw material or even readymade products.

2. The products obtained through forests hold good commercial value all over the world.

3. The rare and useful flowering plants, herbal plants, etc. are used in many medicines and cosmetics and hence earn a very good revenue.

Different areas of Punjab have different types of soil and these are :

• Alluvial Soil
• Sandy Soil
• Clayey Soil
• Loamy Soil
• Hill Soil or Kandi Soil
• Sodic and Saline Soil.

Himalayan Type Moist Temperature vegetation, Sub Tropical Pine vegetation, Sub Tropical Scrub Hill Vegetation, Tropical Dry, Deciduous Vegetation and Tropical Thorny vegetation.

Correct option is (b) 6500.

Indian vegetation can be divided in five parts.

Tress do not shed their leaves collectively and that’s why they remain green through out the year.

They utilise the vegetation and wild life. The greed of human beings leads over utilisation of these resources. They cut the trees and kill the animals creating ecological imbalance. As a result some of the plants and animals have reached the verge of extinction. 

The following major types of vegetation may be identified in India. 

 (i) Tropical Rain Forests 

 (ii) Tropical Deciduous Forests 

 (iii) Tropical Thorn Forests and Scrubs 

 (iv) Montane Forests 

 (v) Mangrove Forests 

A very large ecosystem on land having distinct types of vegetation and animal life is called a biome. The biomes are identified on the basis of plants. 

The assemblage of plant species living in association with each other in given environmental framework is termed as vegetation.

Deers, sheeps and goats are found in these regions. 

(a) Red Data Book

Continuous and excessive exploitation of the plant and animal resources of the country has damaged the ecosystem badly. Many plant and animal species have become extinct. Some plant and animal species are on the verge of extinction. Natural ecosystem must be maintained to ensure our own survival. 

Biospheres are multipurpose protected areas, where every plant and animal species are protected in its natural habitats. Eg. Nilgiri and Nanda Devi. 

• These are the most wide spread forests in India. 

• They are also called the monsoon forests and spread over the region receiving rainfall between 200 cm and 70 cm. Trees of this forest-type shed their leaves for about six to eight weeks in dry summer. 

• On the basis of the availability of water, these forests are further divided into moist and dry deciduous. 

• The moist deciduous forests are found in areas receiving rainfall between 200 and 100 cm. These forests exist, therefore, mostly in the eastern part of the country – north eastern states, along the foothills of the Himalayas, Jharkhand, West Orissa and Chhattisgarh, and on the eastern slopes of the Western Ghats. Teak is the most dominant species of this forest. Bamboos, Sal, Shisham, sandalwood, khair, kusum, arjun and mulberry are other commercially important species. 

• The dry deciduous forests are found in areas having rainfall between 100 cm and 70 cm. These forests are found in the rainier parts of the peninsular plateau and the plains of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. There are open stretches in which Teak, Sal, Peepal, Neem grow. A large part of this region has been cleared for cultivation and some parts are used for grazing. 

• In these forests, the common animals found are lion, tiger, pig, deer and elephant. A huge variety of birds, lizards, snakes, and tortoises are also found here. 

In those areas which receive 70-200 cm of annual rainfall.

Wet Tropical Deciduous forests and Dry Tropical Deciduous Forests.

• The term flora is used to denote plants of a particular region or period. All the flowering and non-flowering plants from a tiny fungus to a creeper to a big tree is called flora. 

• The species of animals are referred to as fauna. All the animal species staring from a tiny bacteria to a big elephant is called fauna. 

Tropical forests are found almost all part of the India and are called evergreen forests because:

1. Tropical rain forests are found in hot and humid regions where annual rainfall exceeds 200 cm.
2. Trees of these forests do not shed their leaves fully in any season.
3. Hence, they remain green throughout the year and are known as evergreen forests.
4. In other words, since the trees do not shed their leaves fully in any season these forests do not see autumn season.

Cheel or Spurse are the trees grown in high mountains.

Effects of destruction of forests:

1. Destruction of forests causes several adverse and harmful effects.
2. Decreased rainfall, drought, global warming, greenhouse effect, advancing deserts, lost habitat of wild animals, etc, are some of these effects.

Natural vegetation depends upon land, soil, temperature, duration of sunlight, rainfall etc.

Tropical Evergreen forest.

There should be atleast 33% land under forests to keep the ecological balance and for forest development of the country. But in India this percentage is just 22.7.

At state level distribution is unequal as it is clear from the following :

1. Tripura (59.6%), H.P. (48.1%), Arunachal Pradesh (48.8%), M.P. (32.9%), Assam (29.3%).
2. Punjab (2.3%), Rajasthan (3.6%), Gujarat (8.8%), Haryana (12.1%), W. Bengal (12.5%), U.P. (13.4%).
3. The Union Territory of Andaman & Nicobar has the maximum area under forests (94.6%) and National Capital Delhi has minimum (2.1%) area under forests.

(d) All of these.

Correct option is C. Tenth

Correct option is C. Tenth

Factor responsible for diverse natural vegetation:

1. Relief features: Presence of diversified relief features like mountains, plateaus, plains, deserts, etc. have created a diverse pattern in vegetation of India.
2. Soil: Different types of soils such as alluvial, black, mountain, desert type etc. are found in this diversified geography of India. This variation in soils also creates differences in vegetation.
3. Temperature: The vast difference in temperature and humidity of cold Himalayan regions and southern peninsula also leads to variations in vegetation.
4. Isolation: The amount of sunlight over a region depends upon its latitude and altitude. Vegetation grows faster in presence of more rain and isolation. Thus, sunshine leads to variation in vegetation.
5. Rainfall: The distribution of rainfall in India is also quite unequal. This too causes diversity in vegetation.

Destruction of forests:

1. Man due to his several anti-environmental activities and selfish motives disturbs the ecosystem.
2. Man’s never-ending desire to procure more and more land and exploit it for commercial purposes leads to destruction of forests.
3. Forests also get destroyed due to increased population, government policies of establishing industrial units away from residential areas, urbanization, multi-purpose projects, construction of roads, Jhoom cultivation for obtaining timber and fuelwood, forest fire, etc.
4. Destroying forests imbalances the ecology.

Forests are important for our environment in the following ways:

1. Forests helps in bringing rain.
2. They control the atmosphere from becoming adverse and hence maintain its optimum level.
3. They purify air by taking up carbon dioxide and releasing life-saving oxygen.
4. They control floods.
5. They absorb harmful gases like carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, etc.
6. They prevent soil erosion.
7. They maintain groundwater level.
8. They prevent deserts from expanding.
9. They enhance natural beauty of a region.
10. They are useful in reducing air pollution.
11. They are used as places for adventures and tourist activities.
12. Some forests are reserved as national parks, sanctuaries and bio-reserves. This help in preserving flora and fauna of the nature.

Role of forests:

1. Trees inhale harmful carbon dioxide and exhale oxygen and hence purify the atmosphere.
2. Temperature remains low and environment becomes pleasant due to trees.
3. Moreover, trees reduce air pollution, bring rains, check soil erosion, etc.
4. Due to all these reasons, it can be said that forests play an important role in maintaining environmental balance.