We observe a vast diversity of plants and animals around us and in different regions. These living organisms are crucial for the survival and well-being of humans.

However, many plant and animal species are currently facing a significant threat: deforestation.

Deforestation And Its Causes

Deforestation refers to the large-scale clearing or cutting down of forests. The land where the forest once stood is then used for other purposes.

Trees are cut down for various reasons, primarily driven by human needs and activities:

• To obtain land for agricultural cultivation to grow crops.
• To build houses and factories for human habitation and industry.
• To get wood for making furniture.
• To use wood directly as fuel for heating or cooking.

Apart from human activities, some natural events also cause deforestation:

• Forest fires (both natural and human-induced).
• Severe droughts, which can kill large numbers of trees.

Consequences Of Deforestation

Deforestation has widespread and serious negative impacts on the environment, climate, soil, and living organisms:

• Increased Temperature and Pollution: Cutting trees contributes to a rise in the Earth's temperature and increases pollution levels.
• Increased Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide and Global Warming: Plants absorb carbon dioxide ($\text{CO}_2$) from the atmosphere for photosynthesis. With fewer trees, less $\text{CO}_2$ is used up, leading to its increased concentration in the air. $\text{CO}_2$ is a greenhouse gas that traps heat reflected from the Earth's surface. An increase in $\text{CO}_2$ levels enhances this trapping effect, resulting in global warming (a rise in the average temperature of the Earth's atmosphere).
• Disturbance of Water Cycle: Increased global temperature disrupts the natural water cycle, potentially leading to decreased rainfall and causing droughts.
• Impact on Soil Properties:
  • Tree roots help hold soil together. Removing trees increases soil erosion, where the top, fertile layer of soil is easily washed or blown away.
  • Loss of the topsoil exposes the harder, rocky layers beneath, which have less humus (decomposed organic matter) and are less fertile.
  • Continued soil erosion can turn fertile land into barren, desert-like areas, a process known as desertification.
  • Deforestation reduces the soil's capacity to hold water.
  • It decreases the infiltration rate, which is how quickly water seeps from the soil surface into the ground. Reduced infiltration leads to more surface runoff, contributing to floods.
  • Other soil characteristics like nutrient content and texture are also negatively affected.
• Shortage of Forest Products: Forests provide numerous valuable products (e.g., timber, medicines, rubber, paper). Continued deforestation will lead to a scarcity of these essential resources.
• Harm to Wildlife: Deforestation destroys the natural homes (habitats) of countless animal species. This leads to loss of shelter, food sources, and breeding grounds, threatening their survival and disrupting ecosystems.

Overall, deforestation severely disrupts the natural balance of the environment.

Conservation Of Forest And Wildlife

Recognising the severe consequences of deforestation, there is an urgent need to protect our forests and the animals that live in them. Both individual and collective societal efforts, as well as government actions, are required for effective conservation.

The part of the Earth where life exists or is supported is called the biosphere.

Biological diversity or biodiversity refers to the wide variety of living organisms (plants, animals, microorganisms) found on Earth, including how they interact with each other and their environment.

To safeguard our biodiversity and the habitats of plants and animals, specific geographical areas are designated as protected areas. These areas include:

• Wildlife Sanctuaries
• National Parks
• Biosphere Reserves

In these protected areas, activities such as planting trees (other than conservation efforts), cultivation, grazing by livestock, cutting trees, hunting animals, and poaching (illegal hunting) are strictly prohibited by law and are punishable offenses.

Definitions of protected areas:

• Wildlife Sanctuary: An area where animals are protected from any form of disturbance to themselves or their living environment.
• National Park: An area specifically reserved for wildlife, allowing them to freely use their habitats and natural resources without restriction.
• Biosphere Reserve: Large protected areas intended for the conservation of biodiversity, encompassing wildlife, plant resources, animal resources, and also preserving the traditional lifestyle of tribal communities living in the area.

Government agencies establish rules, methods, and policies to manage and conserve these important natural areas.

Biosphere Reserve

Biosphere reserves are extensive areas specifically dedicated to the conservation of biodiversity and the cultural heritage of the local people. Biodiversity represents the variety of plants, animals, and microorganisms typical of a particular region.

A large biosphere reserve may contain smaller protected areas within its boundaries. For instance, the Pachmarhi Biosphere Reserve includes the Satpura National Park and two wildlife sanctuaries: Bori and Pachmarhi.

Areas of high biological importance, like the Pachmarhi Biosphere Reserve, are considered part of a nation's natural heritage and are protected to maintain their unique biodiversity, such as species found in the Himalayas and Western Ghats coexisting in this region.

Flora And Fauna

Within any given area, the plants and animals found there are specifically referred to by scientific terms:

• The term flora is used to denote all the plant life present in a particular region.
• The term fauna is used to denote all the animal life present in a particular region.

When observing animals in their natural surroundings within a protected area, it becomes clear that animals are most comfortable and thrive best in their own natural habitat. It is important not to disturb them.

In the context of the Pachmarhi Biosphere Reserve, examples of its flora include Sal, Teak, Mango, Jamun, Silver ferns, and Arjun trees. Examples of its fauna include Chinkara, Blue-bull, Barking deer, Cheetal, Leopard, Wild dog, and Wolf.

Endemic Species

Some species of plants and animals are unique to a specific geographical area and are not found anywhere else naturally. These are called endemic species.

An endemic species might be limited to a particular zone, a specific state, or an entire country.

For example, within the Pachmarhi Biosphere Reserve, Sal and Wild Mango trees are examples of endemic flora, while the Bison, Indian Giant Squirrel, and Flying Squirrel are examples of endemic fauna.

The natural habitat of endemic species can be threatened by several factors, including the destruction of their habitat, the increasing human population encroaching on their areas, and the introduction of new species (which might compete with or prey on the endemic species). These threats can put the existence of endemic species in danger.

A species is generally defined as a group of populations whose members are capable of interbreeding with each other to produce fertile offspring. Members of the same species share common characteristics and can only reproduce successfully within their own group, not with members of other species.

Wildlife Sanctuary

Wildlife Sanctuaries are protected areas established to provide protection and suitable living conditions for wild animals. Within a sanctuary, activities such as killing (poaching) or capturing animals are strictly prohibited and are punishable by law.

Unlike national parks where human activities are generally restricted, in some wildlife sanctuaries, people who traditionally live within the area might be permitted to carry out certain activities, such as grazing their livestock, collecting medicinal plants, or gathering firewood, provided these activities do not significantly harm the wildlife or their habitat.

Indian wildlife sanctuaries protect several threatened animal species, including the black buck, white-eyed buck, elephant, golden cat, pink-headed duck, gharial, marsh crocodile, python, and rhinoceros. These sanctuaries feature diverse landscapes, including broad level forests, mountain forests, and bushlands in river deltas.

While zoos also provide protection for animals, the key difference is that animals in zoos are kept in artificial settings, whereas in a wildlife sanctuary, they live in their natural habitat.

National Park

National Parks are larger and more diverse protected areas than sanctuaries. Their purpose is to conserve entire ecosystems, encompassing the flora, fauna, landscapes, and sometimes even historical objects of the area.

Satpura National Park in India holds the distinction of being the first Reserve Forest of India. It is also renowned for having some of the finest quality Indian teak wood.

Despite the protected status of national parks, they can still face threats, such as encroachment and destruction by people living near their boundaries.

Within Satpura National Park, evidence of prehistoric human habitation exists in the form of rock shelters, which contain rock paintings depicting scenes of animals, fighting, hunting, dancing, and playing musical instruments. These paintings provide insights into the life of early inhabitants of these forests. Many tribal people continue to live in and around such forest areas.

Project Tiger, a conservation initiative launched by the government, aims specifically at protecting tigers across the country and ensuring the survival and maintenance of their population. Satpura Tiger Reserve is notable for having seen a significant increase in its tiger population.

Tigers, along with other animals like lions, elephants, wild buffaloes, and barasingha, which were once common in areas like Satpura National Park, are now among the species whose numbers are declining to a level where they are at risk of disappearing forever.

Animals whose populations are decreasing to the point that they might become extinct are called endangered animals.

The survival of some wild animals is challenging due to disturbances to their natural homes.

Strict rules are enforced in National Parks to protect plants and animals. Human activities like grazing livestock, poaching, hunting, capturing animals, and collecting forest products (like firewood or medicinal plants) are generally not permitted.

It's important to note that even small animals like snakes, frogs, lizards, bats, and owls, which are sometimes killed thoughtlessly, are crucial components of the ecosystem. Their importance in food chains and food webs cannot be overlooked, and their decline harms the overall balance of nature.

An ecosystem is a complex system made up of all the living organisms (plants, animals, microorganisms) in a particular area, interacting with each other and with the non-living components of their environment, such as climate, soil, water bodies (rivers, deltas), etc.

Red Data Book

To keep track of species that are at risk, a special record is maintained. The Red Data Book is a sourcebook that contains comprehensive records of all endangered animals and plants.

This book is maintained globally by an international organisation. India also maintains its own Red Data Book, listing the endangered species found within the country.

Migration

Some animal species undertake regular, seasonal journeys from their home habitat to another area. This phenomenon is called migration.

Migratory movements often occur at specific times of the year, usually in response to changes in climate. For instance, migratory birds travel long distances to warmer regions during winter because the weather in their natural habitat becomes extremely cold and unsuitable for survival or breeding. They migrate specifically for purposes like laying eggs.

Birds that cover vast distances to reach other lands for seasonal reasons are known as migratory birds.

Recycling Of Paper

Paper production is a significant contributor to deforestation. It takes a substantial number of trees – about 17 fully grown trees – to produce just one tonne of paper.

Therefore, conserving paper is an important step in protecting forests. Paper can be recycled and reused multiple times, typically between five and seven times. Saving paper not only reduces the number of trees cut down but also conserves the considerable amounts of energy and water required during the paper manufacturing process. Furthermore, recycling paper helps reduce the quantity of harmful chemicals used in its production.

Encouraging habits like saving unused paper, reusing paper that has only been used on one side, and actively participating in paper recycling programmes can collectively save a large number of trees each year.

Reforestation

The most direct solution to combat deforestation is reforestation. This involves actively replanting trees in areas where forests have been cleared or destroyed.

Ideally, when reforestation is done, the trees planted should be of the same species that originally grew in that forest. It is important to plant at least as many trees as were cut down, or preferably more, to restore forest cover.

Reforestation can also happen naturally if a deforested area is left undisturbed. Over time, seeds from surrounding areas can germinate and grow, allowing the forest to regenerate on its own without human intervention.

Given the extensive damage already caused to forests, planting more trees through active reforestation efforts is the only viable option to preserve our valuable green wealth for future generations.

In India, the government has enacted the Forest (Conservation) Act. This legislation is designed to help preserve and conserve natural forests and simultaneously address the basic needs of people who live in or near forest areas and depend on forest resources.

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