2.3 ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS :
I. Answer the following questions :
1. What is meant by ‘Vulnerable species’ of plants and animals? Give two examples.
Ans: Such species of plants and animals whose number has reduced to such levels from where they enter in the endangered category slowly are called ‘Vulnerable Species’ of plants and animals .
Eg: Gangetic Dolphins, Asiatic elephants, Blue sheep and so on.
2. What are ‘ Endemic Species’ of plants and animals? Give two examples.
Ans: Species of plants and animals which are limited to particular areas due to natural or geographical conditions are called Endemic Species’.
Eg: Andaman Wild pig, Andaman Teal (duck), Nicobar Pigeon and so on.
3. Where are one horned Rhino found in India?
Ans: One horned Rhino are found in the swampy and marshy areas of i) Assam and ii) West Bengal .
4. What do you mean by ‘Endangered Species’ of plants and animals? Give two examples.
Ans: Species of plants and animals which are near extinction if conditions for their decline are not checked are called ‘Endangered Species’ of plants and animals.
Eg: Indian wild Ass, Indian Rhino, Crocodile, Black buck, Lion Tailed macaque (Africa Ape) and so on.
5. What are ‘Extinct Species’ of plants and animals? Give two examples.
Ans: Such species of plants and animals which have not been found for more than 25 years in any part of the world are known as ‘Extinct Species’ .
Eg: Asiatic Cheetah , Pink head Duck and so on .
6. What are Un-classed forests?
Ans: These are other forests and waste lands belonging to both government and private individuals and the community.
7. How does mining leads to degradation?
Ans: Mining disturbs the natural habitat of many species, leading to degradation.
8. What is the main objective of the Beej Bachao Andolan in Tehri?
Ans: To show that enough levels of different types crop production without the use of synthetic chemicals is possible. It is also economically cheap.
9. How have the villagers benefitted from the Joint Forest Management programme?
Ans:
i) The villagers get benefits like non- timber forest products.
ii) The villagers share in the timber harvested.
10. What are the ill-effects of deforestation?
Ans:
i) Deforestation leads to soil erosion and affects the underground flow of water.
ii) Depletion of forests leads to disappearance of wildlife as well as many wild varieties of plants.
11. ‘ Is it necessary to conserve forests and wildlife’. Why?
Ans:
i) Conservation preserves the ecological diversity and our life support system i.e. Water, air and soil.
ii) It preserves the genetic diversity of plants and species and breeding.
12. Why is Biodiversity important to human beings?
Ans:
i) Human beings depend on biodiversity for their very survival.
ii) Without plants and animals we cannot survive.
iii) Plants create the quality of air that we breathe in.
13. Distinguish between reforestation and afforestation.
Ans:
| Reforestation | Afforestation |
| i) It is practiced in areas where forest is destroyed. | i) New forest are planted in new areas . |
| ii) Two sapling are planted to replace every felled tree. | ii) One sapling is planted to get one tree. |
14. How is forest useful to man?
Ans: Forests are very useful to in number of ways:
i) The wood obtained from the forests is useful for building and construction purposes, for making furniture and for fuel.
ii) The raw material for paper industry, match industry and sports materials are mainly derived from the forests.
iii) They help in controlling soil.
iv) They provide a natural environment for wildlife.
v) They help in enhancing the quality of rainfall.
15. State any three steps taken by the Government of India to conserve wildlife.
Ans: To conserve the endangered species of wildlife, various steps have been taken by the government the important one among them are the following:
i) National parks, Sanctuaries and biosphere reserves have been set up in various parts of the country where wild animals and birds are kept in their natural habitat.
ii) The Rhino project is also being implemented in Kaziranga in Assam.
iii) Killing of wildlife has been banned by the government. Special forest officers have been appointed to stop animal hunters.
16. Women have been affected more than men as a result of the destruction of forests and wildlife. Explain giving three points .
Ans:
i) In many societies, women bear the major responsibility for the collection of fuel, fodder, water and so on .
ii) As these resources are gradually being depleted, the misery of women has increased .
iii) This causes a serious health problems for women .
17. “ Goa is facing the problem of flora and fauna” . State any two reasons .
Ans:
i) Humans have cleared the jungles for agricultural activities and also for construction of their houses .
ii) As a result of the pollution of air and water, various species of plants have become extinct because pollution of air and water has adversely affected these plants.
18. How does participation of people play a vital role in the conservation of forest .
Ans:
i) In the Sariska Tiger Reserve in Rajasthan, villagers have fought against mining by citing the Wildlife Protection Act .
ii) The famous ‘Chipko movement’ in the Himalayas has successfully resisted deforestation and has shown the community afforestation is very successful .
19. What are the negative factors that cause such fearful depletion of the flora and fauna ?
Ans: We ourselves have depleted our forests and wildlife .
i) The greatest damage on Indian forests was during the colonial period due to the expansion of the railways , agriculture , commercial and scientific forestry and mining activities . Even after independence , agricultural expansion continues to be one of the major causes of depletion of forest resources .
ii) Many parts of the tribal belts have been deforested or degraded by shifting cultivation (jhum) , a type of ‘slash and burn’ agriculture .
iii) Large scale development projects have also contributed significantly to the loss of forests .
iv) Some degrading factors behind the depletion of forest resources are grazing and fuel-wood collection .
20. What factors have led to the decline in India’s biodiversity ?
Ans: Habitat destruction , hunting , poaching , over-exploitation , environmental pollution , poisoning and forest fires are factors which have led to the decline in India’s biodiversity .
21. What are other important causes of environmental destruction ?
Ans: Other important causes of environmental destruction :
i) They are unequal access , inequitable consumption of resources and differential sharing of responsibility for environmental well-being .
ii) Over-population in third world countries is also the cause of environmental degradation .
22. The destruction of forests and wildlife is not just a biological issue . The biological loss is strongly correlated with the loss of cultural diversity .
Ans:
i) Such losses have increasingly marginalised and impoverished many forest-dependent communities , who directly depend on various components of the forest and wildlife for food , drink , medicine , culture , spirituality , etc .
ii) Within the poor , women are affected more than men .
iii) The indirect impact of degradation such as severe drought or deforestation-induced floods , etc . also hits the poor the hardest .
iv) Poverty in these cases is a direct outcome of environmental destruction .
Therefore , forest and wildlife are vital to the quality of life and environment in the subcontinent .
23. In the notification under Wildlife Act of 1980 and 1986 , Which insects have been added ?
Ans: Several hundred butterflies , moths , beetles and one dragonfly have been added to the list of protected species .
24. Name some animals which the central government also announced several projects for protecting specific animals .
Ans: The central government also announced several projects for protecting specific animals are the tiger , the one-horned rhinoceros , the Kashmir stag or hangul , three types of crocodiles – fresh water crocodile , saltwater crocodile and the Gharial , the Asiatic lion and others .
25. Write a short note on Joint Forest Management (JFM) .
Ans:
i) In India joint forest management programme is a good example for involving local communities in the management and restoration of degraded forests .
ii) JFM depends on the formation of local (village) institutions that undertake protection activities mostly on degraded forest land managed by the forest department .
iii) In return the members of this communities are entitled to intermediary benefits like non-timber forest produces and share in the timber-harvested by ‘successful protection’ .
II. Match the animals given in Column A with the states in which they are found in Column B :
| Column A | Column B |
| i) Lion | a) Assam |
| ii) Elephant | b) Rajasthan |
| iii) Camel | c) Gujarat |
| iv) Yak | d) Rann of Kutch |
| v) Wild Ass | e) Himachal Pradesh |
| f) Tibet . |
Ans: i) – c) ii) – a) iii) – b) iv) – f) v) – d) .