🌿 Class 11 Geography – Chapter 5
Natural Vegetation (प्राकृतिक वनस्पति)
✨ Introduction (परिचय)
🔹 In this chapter, we study about natural plants (प्राकृतिक पौधे).
🔹 Natural Vegetation means plants that grow without human help and adapt (अनुकूलित होना) themselves to the environment.
🌳 Types of Natural Vegetation in India
On the basis of climatic conditions & vegetation, Indian forests are divided into 5 categories:
- 🌴 Tropical Evergreen & Semi-Evergreen Forests
- 🍂 Tropical Deciduous Forests
- 🌵 Tropical Thorn Forests
- ⛰️ Mountain Forests
- 🌊 Velachali / Anoop Van (Wetland Forests)
🌲 Sholas Forest
🔹 Found in the Nilgiri, Anaimalai & Palani Hills.
🔹 Belong to the temperate zone.
🌴 Tropical Evergreen Forests (सदैव हरे वन)
🔹 Found in hot & humid regions.
🔹 Conditions:
- Rainfall: 200+ cm
- Humidity: 70%+
- Avg. Temp.: 24°C🔹 Location: Western Ghats, North-East Hills, Andaman & Nicobar.
🍂 Tropical Deciduous Forests (पर्णपाती वन)
🔹 Found in 100–200 cm rainfall areas.
🔹 Location: Bhabar-Terai (Ganga valley), Eastern MP, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Odisha, WB, Andhra, Maharashtra, Karnataka, TN, Kerala.
🔹 Trees: Sal, Teak, Rosewood, Sandalwood, Mango.
🔹 Features:
- Shed leaves in summer → Called Autumn Forests.
- Height: 30–45 m
- Provide timber → High economic value.
- Spread: 25% of total forest area.
🌵 Tropical Thorn Forests (काँटेदार वन)
🔹 Found in less than 70 cm rainfall areas.
🔹 Location: NW India → Rajasthan, Gujarat, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, UP, MP.
🔹 Plants: Acacia, Date Palm, Cactus, Babool.
🔹 Features:
- Scattered trees, long roots, small leaves.
- Animals: Rats, Rabbits, Fox, Wolf, Wild Ass, Horse, Camel, Lion.
🌳 Deciduous Forests (गिरने वाले पत्तों के वन)
🔹 Rainfall: 100–200 cm
🔹 Location: Eastern slopes of Sahyadris, NE plateau, Terai region, NE India.
🔹 Features:
- Less dense, lower height.
- Softer wood.
- Found almost everywhere in India.
- Wood is very useful.
🌊 Anoop Van / Velanchal (आर्द्र वन)
🔹 Found in wetlands (गीली भूमि).
🔹 India has 8 famous wetlands.
🔹 Example: Sundarbans delta (WB) → World-famous mangroves.
🔹 Rich in biodiversity → from tigers to reptiles.
🔹 Need conservation for environment & biodiversity protection.
📍 Forest Area vs Actual Forest Cover
- Forest Area: Notified by government as forest land.
- Actual Forest Cover: Land actually covered with vegetation.
- In 2001 → 20.55% only.
🌱 Social Forestry (सामाजिक वानिकी)
🔹 Meaning: Participation of society in forest management + planting trees on waste lands.
🔹 Objective: Environmental balance, rural development & social welfare.
🔹 First used by National Commission on Agriculture (1976–79).
🌿 Biodiversity, Forest & Wildlife Conservation
🌱 Objectives of Social Forestry
- 🔥 Availability of firewood for population
- 🌳 Supply of small timber
- 🍎 Increase in fruit production
- 🌿 Supply of minor forest products
🌳 Parts of Social Forestry
- Urban Forestry – Planting & management of trees along parks, green belts, roads, railways & industrial sites in cities.
- Rural Forestry – Promotion of agro-forestry & community forestry in villages.
- Farm Forestry – Planting trees on arable & barren land with crops → provides food grains, fodder, fruits, fuel.
🦁 Decrease in the Number of Wild Animals
- Exploitation of forests for industries & technology
- Clearing forests for farming, settlement, roads, mines
- Cutting trees for fodder, fuel, timber
- Hunting for commercial purposes & royal games
- Forest fires destroying habitats
🐘 Wildlife Conservation in India
📝 Wildlife Act, 1972
Objectives:
- Protection of endangered species
- Legal aid to national parks & sanctuaries
🌲 Forest Conservation Policy
- First introduced in 1952, revised in 1988
Main Objectives:
- 🌍 Forest cover on 33% of land
- 🌱 Maintain ecological balance
- 🌳 Conserve biodiversity & natural heritage
- 🛑 Prevent soil erosion, floods, droughts, desertification
- 🌿 Expansion of social forestry & afforestation
- 🌾 Provide timber, fodder, food, fuel for rural tribes
- 👩🌾 Mass participation (including women) in conservation
🌏 Biosphere Reserves (Jeevan Mandal Nichay)
Recognized by UNESCO – Man & Biosphere Programme
🎯 Objectives
- Protection
- Development
- Sustainable Management
👉 Example: Nanda Devi, Nilgiri, Sundarbans, Gulf of Mannar
🌄 Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve
- 📅 Established: 1986 (India’s 1st)
- 🏞️ Area: 5,520 sq. km
- 🌿 Vegetation: Dry/wet deciduous, evergreen, grasslands, swamps
- 🦌 Animals: Elephant, Tiger, Gaur, Sambhar, Chital
- 🐒 Threatened: Nilgiri Tahr & Lion-tailed macaque
🏔️ Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve (Uttarakhand)
- 🌲 Temperate forests → Silverwood, Orchid, Rhododendron
- 🦊 Wildlife: Snow Leopard, Musk Deer, Black & Brown Bear
- 🦅 Birds: Golden Eagle, Snow-cock
🌊 Sundarbans Biosphere Reserve (West Bengal)
- 🏝️ Area: 9,630 sq. km, in Ganga Delta
- 🌴 Forests: Mangroves, Islands
- 🐅 200+ Royal Bengal Tigers
- 🐦 170+ bird species
- 🪵 Valuable timber: Herisiera fomis
🌾 Farm Forestry
- Farmers plant commercial trees in their fields
- Govt. provides free saplings to small farmers
- Trees planted in pastures, meadows, near homes & cattle sheds
🐯 Project Tiger (1973) & 🐘 Project Elephant (1992)
- Aim → Conserve species & natural habitat
- Maintain stable population of tigers & elephants
🏞️ National Parks
- High security areas
- ❌ Grazing & private land rights prohibited
🌳 Sanctuaries
- Lower security compared to national parks
- ✅ Controlled human activities allowed
- ✅ Limited land use permitted
📌 Exam Tip:
Remember → Social Forestry = 3 types, Wildlife Act = 1972, First Biosphere Reserve = Nilgiri (1986), Forest Policy = 1952 & 1988.
