Biodiversity – Natural Vegetation and Wildlife
* A plant community that has grown naturally without human aid is called natural vegetation.
* Virgin vegetation is natural vegetation that has been left undisturbed by humans for a long time.
* Virgin vegetation of purely Indian origin is known as endemic or indigenous species.
* Plants that have come from outside India are termed exotic plants.
* Biodiversity in a region typically refers its flora as well as fauna.
* Flora refers to the plants of a particular region or period.
* Fauna is the collective term for the species of animals in a particular region or period.
Biodiversity is caused by:
* Relief
* Climate
* Ecosystem
* Relief includes the land and the soil type of a region.
* Climate refers to the temperature, photo-period and precipitation.
Forests and Ecosystem
* Forests impact our environment in a variety of ways.
They control:
* Climate
* Soil erosion
* Pollution
* Forests also support a variety of industries and offer scenic beauty.
* There are very few areas left in India where the vegetation can be called natural in the true sense of the word.
* In June 2001, the actual forest cover in India was only 20.55 per cent.
* Together, the flora and the physical environment of an area form an ecosystem.
* Human beings can have a huge impact on an ecosystem.
* A very large ecosystem on land having distinct types of vegetation and animal life is called a biome.
Types of Vegetation
* The major types of vegetation in India are tropical evergreen forests, tropical deciduous forests, tropical thorn and scrubs forests, montane forests and mangrove forests.
* Tropical evergreen forests are characterized by heavy rainfall and a warm climate.
* Tropical deciduous forests make up most of the forest area in India, and are also known as monsoon forests. Rainfall in these areas is in the range of 70 to 200 cm.
* Areas that receive between 70 and 100 cm rainfall are classified as dry deciduous forests.
* Thorn forests and scrubs need very little rainfall.
* Montane forests are very different in their make0-up from other types of forests as the temperature and soils conditions are different on different altitudes.
* Mangrove forests are usually found in coastal areas.
Wildlife and Conservation of Flora and Fauna
* India is home to around 1.6 million or nearly 8% of the total species of the flora and fauna found in the world.
* India is also home to over 86,000 species of fauna. These include birds, insects, and land and water animals.
* India is one of the few countries that have a habitat to support large land animals like the elephant.
* The Himalayas also harbor some large land animals like the Yak.
* The wildlife in the Indian rivers, lakes and coastal areas is equally rich with various species of reptiles like the crocodile and the gharial, the water snake and the turtle.
* There are over 940 different species of fish in India.
* As per IUCN specifications, the species of flora and fauna can be classified as normal, extinct, endangered, vulnerable, rare or endemic.
