Forest and Wildlife Resources Class 10: Notes and Answers

What Forest and Wildlife Resources is about

Weightage: Geography carries 20 of the 80 theory marks; this chapter shares them with Resources and Development, Water Resources, Agriculture, Minerals and Energy Resources, Manufacturing Industries and Lifelines of National Economy.Source: CBSE Social Science syllabus 2026-27, Geography

In real board papers: asked in 19 of the 21 board papers we hold (2023 to 2026), on average 2 marks per paper. See the questions

Key concepts

Biodiversity and the web of life

NCERT section Flora and Fauna in India

Biodiversity means the huge variety of life around us, from bacteria and lichens to banyan trees, elephants and blue whales. These living things are different in form and function, but they are tied together through many links of dependence.

Humans are only one part of this web, not its owner. We depend on it to survive. Plants, animals and micro-organisms keep renewing the air around us, our drinking water and the soil in which our food grows.

Forests have a special place in this web because they are primary producers. Plants make food, and every other living being depends on that food directly or indirectly. So if forests shrink, the whole chain above them weakens.

India is one of the richest countries in the world in biological diversity. Yet these plants and animals are so much a part of daily life that we take them for granted, and they are now under great stress, mainly because people are insensitive to the environment. This is why the rest of the chapter is about conservation.

Worked example

[Board, 2 marks] What is meant by biodiversity? Why are forests described as the primary producers in the ecological system?

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

1. Biodiversity: the wide variety of living forms, wild and cultivated, different in form and function but linked through many interdependencies (1 mark)
2. Forests are primary producers because plants produce food on which all other living beings depend, so they form the base of the ecological system (1 mark)

Answer: Biodiversity is the rich variety of living beings, wild and cultivated, which differ in form and function but are closely linked by interdependence. Forests are primary producers because their plants make the food on which all other living beings depend.

Why we must conserve forests and wildlife

NCERT section Conservation of Forest and Wildlife in India

Wildlife populations and forests have declined rapidly, so conservation has become essential. But the board wants you to explain why, not just say it is good.

First, conservation protects ecological diversity and our life support systems: water, air and soil. Without healthy forests and wildlife, these three systems decline, and human life depends on all of them.

Second, it protects genetic diversity in plants and animals. A wide gene pool allows better growth of species and better breeding. Agriculture shows this clearly: farmers still depend on traditional crop varieties. Fisheries show it too, because they rely on maintaining aquatic biodiversity.

So conservation is not only about saving a beautiful animal. It protects the base of farming, fishing, clean water, clean air and fertile soil. This links to sustainable development: using resources today without destroying the ability of future generations to use them. When you answer a 'why conserve' question, give the life support point, the genetic diversity point and an example from agriculture or fisheries.

Worked example

[Advanced, 2 marks] 'Conservation of forests and wildlife is as important for a farmer and a fisherman as for a wildlife lover.' Justify this statement.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

1. Farmer: conservation keeps genetic diversity alive for better growth and breeding, and farming still depends on traditional crop varieties; it also protects the soil, water and air that crops need (1 mark)
2. Fisherman: fisheries depend heavily on maintaining aquatic biodiversity, so loss of wildlife hurts the catch and the livelihood (1 mark)

Answer: A farmer needs conservation because it keeps genetic diversity, and traditional crop varieties, alive for better growth and breeding, and protects soil, water and air. A fisherman needs it because fisheries rely on aquatic biodiversity. So conservation protects livelihoods, not only wildlife.

How grazing, wood cutting and development affect forests

NCERT section Conservation of Forest and Wildlife in India

The syllabus asks you to analyse how grazing, wood cutting and developmental works can help development and also cause degradation. The NCERT text gives the clues; the reasoning is yours to build.

Forests support development. They give wood, fodder and land, and many people earn their living from them. The problem begins when use becomes uncontrolled and faster than the forest can recover.

Wood cutting gives timber and fuel, which help economic activity. But when too many trees are cut, the forest thins, wildlife loses shelter and the life support systems of soil, water and air weaken.

Grazing feeds livestock, so it supports rural families. Uncontrolled grazing, however, puts pressure on forest land and slows its recovery.

Developmental works such as mining also harm forests. In Sariska Tiger Reserve, villagers had to fight against mining to protect their habitat.

The Project Tiger section adds more threats: poaching for trade, shrinking habitat, depletion of prey species and a growing human population. Behind all of these lies insensitivity to the environment. The key idea for the board: the same activity can help development when it is controlled, and cause degradation when it is not.

Worked example

[Advanced, 2 marks] Wood cutting and grazing can help development and can also cause degradation of forests. Explain this statement.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

1. Help development: wood cutting provides timber and fuel, and grazing feeds livestock, both supporting livelihoods and economic activity (1 mark)
2. Cause degradation: when uncontrolled, they remove trees and pressure forest land faster than it can recover, shrinking wildlife habitats; so they must be regulated (1 mark)

Answer: Wood cutting gives timber and fuel, and grazing feeds livestock, so both support livelihoods and development. When uncontrolled, they remove trees and pressure forest land faster than it recovers, shrinking wildlife habitats, so they must be regulated.

The Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972 and government measures

NCERT section Conservation of Forest and Wildlife in India

In the 1960s and 1970s, conservationists demanded a national programme to protect wildlife. The result was the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, implemented in 1972. It had provisions for protecting habitats, and an all-India list of protected species was published.

The Act aimed to save the remaining populations of endangered species in three ways: banning hunting, giving legal protection to their habitats and restricting trade in wildlife.

After this, the central and many state governments set up national parks and wildlife sanctuaries. The central government also started projects for gravely threatened animals. These included the tiger, the Asiatic lion, the one-horned rhinoceros, the hangul (Kashmir stag), and three kinds of crocodile: the gharial, the freshwater crocodile and the saltwater crocodile. More recently, the Indian elephant, black buck (chinkara), great Indian bustard (godawan) and snow leopard received full or partial legal protection against hunting and trade.

Conservation then widened from a few animals to biodiversity as a whole. Under notifications of the Wildlife Act in 1980 and 1986, several hundred butterflies, moths, beetles and one dragonfly were added to the protected list. In 1991, plants were added for the first time, starting with six species.

Worked example

[Board, 1 mark] Arrange these conservation steps in the correct order of time:
I. Plants added to the list of protected species for the first time
II. Project Tiger launched
III. Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act implemented
IV. Butterflies, moths and beetles added under notifications of the Wildlife Act
(a) III, II, IV, I
(b) II, III, I, IV
(c) III, IV, II, I
(d) II, III, IV, I

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

1. Wildlife (Protection) Act: 1972; Project Tiger: 1973; insects added: 1980 and 1986; plants added: 1991, so the order is III, II, IV, I (1 mark)

Answer: (a) III, II, IV, I

Project Tiger and tiger reserves

NCERT section Project Tiger

The tiger is a key species in the web of animal life. In 1973, authorities realised that tiger numbers had crashed: an estimated 55,000 around 1900 had shrunk to only 1,827.

The threats were many: poaching for trade, shrinking habitat, depletion of prey species and a growing human population. Trade in tiger skins and the use of tiger bones in traditional medicines, especially in Asian countries, pushed the tiger to the edge of extinction. India and Nepal together hold about two-thirds of the world's surviving tigers, so these two countries became prime targets for poachers.

Project Tiger, launched in 1973, became one of the world's well-publicised wildlife campaigns. Its idea was bigger than one animal. Saving the tiger also meant protecting large natural habitats (biotypes), because a tiger needs a big, healthy forest with enough prey. Protect the top animal and you protect everything below it.

Learn the reserves with their states: Corbett National Park (Uttarakhand), Sunderbans National Park (West Bengal), Bandhavgarh National Park (Madhya Pradesh), Sariska Wildlife Sanctuary (Rajasthan), Manas Tiger Reserve (Assam) and Periyar Tiger Reserve (Kerala).

Worked example

[HOTS, 2 marks] In 1973, India's tiger population was found to be 1,827, against an estimated 55,000 at the turn of the century. (i) Roughly what share of the earlier population survived? (ii) Why did India and Nepal become prime targets for poaching?

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

1. (i) 55,000 ÷ 1,827 ≈ 30, so only about one-thirtieth, roughly 3 per cent, of the earlier population survived (1 mark)
2. (ii) India and Nepal together provide habitat to about two-thirds of the world's surviving tigers, so poachers and illegal traders targeted them (1 mark)

Answer: (i) Only about one-thirtieth, roughly 3 per cent, survived. (ii) India and Nepal hold about two-thirds of the world's surviving tigers, so poachers targeted them.

Reserved, protected and unclassed forests

NCERT section Types and Distribution of Forest and Wildlife Resources

Forests are hard to manage, control and regulate. In India, most forests are owned or managed by the government through the Forest Department, and they are grouped into three categories.

Reserved forests cover more than half of the total forest land. They are considered the most valuable for conserving forests and wildlife.

Protected forests make up almost one-third of the forest area. The Forest Department protects them from any further depletion.

Unclassed forests are other forests and wastelands owned by the government, private individuals and communities.

Reserved and protected forests together are called permanent forest estates. They are kept to supply timber and other forest products, and also to protect the land. Madhya Pradesh has the largest area under permanent forests, 75 per cent of its forest area.

Distribution: states where reserved forests form a large share include Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Uttarakhand, West Bengal and Jammu and Kashmir. Rajasthan, Odisha, Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Bihar have most of theirs under protected forests. All north-eastern states and parts of Gujarat have a very high share of unclassed forests managed by local communities.

Worked example

[HOTS, 2 marks] State X has most of its forest area declared by the Forest Department as forest that must be guarded from further depletion. State Y, in the north-east, has most of its forest managed by local communities. Identify the category of forest in each state and name one state from the NCERT text that fits pattern X.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

1. State X: protected forests; State Y: unclassed forests (1 mark)
2. Pattern X: any one of Bihar, Haryana, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Odisha or Rajasthan (1 mark)

Answer: X has mainly protected forests and Y has mainly unclassed forests. Odisha or Rajasthan (also Bihar, Haryana, Punjab or Himachal Pradesh) fits pattern X.

Community movements: Sariska, Sonchuri, Chipko and Beej Bachao Andolan

NCERT section Community and Conservation

Conservation is not new in India. Many forests are home to traditional communities, and some of them protect habitats because they know their own long-term livelihood depends on it.

Communities work in different ways. Some resist outside threats: in Sariska Tiger Reserve, Rajasthan, villagers fought mining by citing the Wildlife Protection Act. Some make their own rules: five villages of Alwar district, Rajasthan, declared 1,200 hectares of forest as the Bhairodev Dakav 'Sonchuri', banning hunting and guarding wildlife from outside encroachment, while rejecting government involvement.

The Chipko movement in the Himalayas resisted deforestation in several areas and also showed that community afforestation with indigenous species can be very successful. Notice the two achievements: stopping cutting, and planting local species.

Others develop new methods: farmers' and citizens' groups such as the Beej Bachao Andolan in Tehri and Navdanya showed that diversified crop production without synthetic chemicals is possible and economically viable. This links back to genetic diversity: saving varied seeds keeps traditional crop varieties alive. In five-mark answers, use examples from each type.

Worked example

[Advanced, 5 marks] 'Local communities in India have protected forests and wildlife both by resisting outside threats and by developing new methods.' Support this statement with suitable examples.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

1. Sariska Tiger Reserve, Rajasthan: villagers fought against mining by citing the Wildlife Protection Act (1 mark)
2. Alwar district: five villages declared 1,200 hectares as Bhairodev Dakav 'Sonchuri' with their own rules banning hunting and stopping encroachment (1 mark)
3. Chipko movement in the Himalayas resisted deforestation in several areas (1 mark)
4. Chipko also showed community afforestation with indigenous species can be very successful (1 mark)
5. Beej Bachao Andolan (Tehri) and Navdanya showed diversified crop production without synthetic chemicals is possible and economically viable (1 mark)

Answer: Resisting threats: In Sariska Tiger Reserve, Rajasthan, villagers fought mining by citing the Wildlife Protection Act. Five villages of Alwar district declared 1,200 hectares as the Bhairodev Dakav 'Sonchuri', framing rules that ban hunting and block outside encroachment. The Chipko movement in the Himalayas resisted deforestation in several areas.

New methods: Chipko also proved that community afforestation with indigenous species can succeed greatly. The Beej Bachao Andolan in Tehri and Navdanya showed that diversified crop production without synthetic chemicals is possible and economically viable.

Thus communities both defend and rebuild their environment.

Sacred groves and nature worship

NCERT section Community and Conservation

Many tribal communities hold an old belief called nature worship: every creation of nature must be protected. This belief has saved several virgin forests in their original state. These are called sacred groves, the forests of gods and goddesses. Local people leave these patches untouched and ban any interference with them.

Why does this work? A rule backed by faith is followed by the whole community without any guard or fine. So sacred groves keep rare and diverse species safe.

Some communities revere particular trees. The Mundas and the Santhal of the Chota Nagpur region worship mahua and kadamba trees. Tribals of Odisha and Bihar worship tamarind and mango trees during weddings. Many people consider peepal and banyan sacred.

Animals are protected the same way. Troops of macaques and langurs live around many temples, where they are fed daily and treated as part of the devotees. Around Bishnoi villages in Rajasthan, herds of blackbuck (chinkara), nilgai and peacocks live as part of the community, and nobody harms them. This shows that India's many cultures each have traditional ways of conserving nature.

Worked example

[HOTS, 2 marks] A student writes: 'Sacred groves survive because the Forest Department has declared them reserved forests and punishes anyone who enters.' Identify the error and correct it.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

1. Error: sacred groves are not protected by Forest Department declarations (1 mark)
2. Correction: they are protected by the local community's belief in nature worship; people leave them untouched and ban interference (1 mark)

Answer: The error is crediting the Forest Department. Sacred groves survive because of nature worship, the tribal belief that all creations of nature must be protected. Local people themselves leave these forests untouched and ban any interference.

Joint Forest Management and people-centric development

NCERT section Community and Conservation

Joint Forest Management (JFM) is a good example of involving local communities in managing and restoring degraded forests. It has formally existed since 1988, when Odisha passed the first resolution for it.

How it works: JFM depends on local village institutions. These institutions carry out protection work, mostly on degraded forest land managed by the Forest Department. In return, community members get intermediary benefits such as non-timber forest produce and a share in the timber harvested after successful protection.

Why it works: people protect a forest more willingly when they gain from it. The benefit gives them a reason to guard the land, and the forest recovers.

The bigger lesson of the chapter is that local communities everywhere must be involved in managing natural resources. However, there is still a long way to go before they are at the centre of decision-making. The chapter's test for any economic or development activity has three parts: it should put people first, be friendly to the environment and pay its way economically. This is sustainable development in practice.

Worked example

[Advanced, 2 marks] Explain how the Joint Forest Management programme works, and why sharing benefits with villagers helps restore degraded forests.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

1. JFM (formal since 1988, when Odisha passed the first resolution) relies on village institutions that protect mostly degraded forest land managed by the Forest Department (1 mark)
2. In return members get non-timber forest produce and a share of timber from successful protection, which gives them a reason to guard the forest, so it recovers (1 mark)

Answer: Under JFM, begun formally in 1988 with Odisha's resolution, village institutions protect degraded forest land managed by the Forest Department. In return they get non-timber forest produce and a share of the timber from successful protection, so they have a reason to guard the forest and it recovers.

Forest and Wildlife Resources in real life

Each concept, met in an everyday situation. Read the situation, answer the question in your own words, then compare with the model answer. The one-line hook is what to remember.

Topics in this chapter

• Flora and Fauna in India and BiodiversityComing soon
• Types and Distribution of Forest Resources
• Causes of Depletion of Forests and WildlifeComing soon
• Conservation of Forest and Wildlife in India
• Community and Conservation

Forest and Wildlife Resources: key facts

Biodiversity

Rich variety of wild and cultivated life, diverse in form and function, linked by interdependence.

Use for any 'define biodiversity' or 'why is it important' question.

Forests as primary producers

Forests produce the food on which all other living beings depend.

Use to explain the key role of forests in the ecological system.

Reasons to conserve

Protects life support systems (water, air, soil) and genetic diversity; farming and fisheries depend on it.

The core of 'why do we need to conserve' answers.

1972: Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act

Banned hunting, gave legal protection to habitats, restricted wildlife trade; all-India list of protected species.

Use for 'steps taken by the government' and date MCQs.

1973: Project Tiger

Tigers fell to 1,827 from an estimated 55,000; campaign launched to save tigers and their large habitats.

Use for tiger-number data questions and dating.

Threats to tigers

Poaching for trade, shrinking habitat, depletion of prey, growing human population.

Also use as causes of wildlife depletion in general.

Tiger reserves and states

Corbett–Uttarakhand; Sunderbans–West Bengal; Bandhavgarh–Madhya Pradesh; Sariska–Rajasthan; Manas–Assam; Periyar–Kerala.

Match-the-column and correct-pair MCQs.

1980 and 1986; 1991

Insects and one dragonfly added to protected list; 1991 first plants added (six species).

Shows the shift from a few animals to whole biodiversity.

Reserved forests

More than half of forest land; most valuable for conservation.

Match-the-following and definition questions.

Protected forests

Almost one-third of forest area; protected from further depletion.

Do not mix up with reserved forests.

Unclassed forests

Other forests and wastelands of government, private individuals and communities; high in north-east and parts of Gujarat.

Use when a question mentions community-managed forests.

Permanent forest estates

Reserved plus protected forests; Madhya Pradesh has the largest area (75 per cent of its forest area).

State-wise distribution MCQs.

Bhairodev Dakav 'Sonchuri'

1,200 hectares declared by five villages of Alwar district, Rajasthan, with own rules banning hunting.

Example of community self-rule in conservation.

Chipko movement

Himalayas; resisted deforestation and showed community afforestation with indigenous species succeeds.

Case-based and assertion-reason questions.

Beej Bachao Andolan and Navdanya

Tehri; showed diversified crops without synthetic chemicals are possible and economically viable.

Example of new ecological farming methods.

1988: Joint Forest Management

Odisha passed the first resolution; villagers protect degraded land for non-timber produce and a timber share.

Case-based questions on community and government working together.

How the board asks Forest and Wildlife Resources

The question patterns to expect, and the method that works for each.

Tricks to remember Forest and Wildlife Resources

Short memory aids. Say each one aloud once, then use it on a question the same day.

• Act then Tiger

  72 then 73: the Wildlife Act came first (1972), and the tiger followed one year later (1973). Then 80-86 insects, 91 plants, 88 JFM in Odisha.

  Use it when: Sequencing MCQs and date questions.

• Tiger reserves: 'Corbett Uttar, Sunder West, Bandh MP, Sari Raj, Manas Assam, Periyar Kerala'

  Say it as a chant: Corbett in the hills of Uttarakhand, Sunderbans by the sea in West Bengal, Bandhavgarh in the middle (MP), Sariska in the desert (Rajasthan), Manas in the north-east (Assam), Periyar in the south (Kerala).

  Use it when: Match-the-column and correct-pair questions.

• R-P-U by size

  Reserved is more than Half, Protected is about a Third, Unclassed is the rest. R is the Royal one: most valuable.

  Use it when: Match-the-following on forest types.

• Three bans of the 1972 Act: H-H-T

  Hunting banned, Habitats protected, Trade restricted.

  Use it when: Two-mark 'steps taken by the government' answers.

• Community examples: S-S-C-B

  Sariska (fought mining), Sonchuri (own rules), Chipko (stopped cutting, planted local species), Beej Bachao (seeds without chemicals).

  Use it when: Five-mark community conservation answers.

• The three-word test for development

  People-centric, environment-friendly, economically rewarding: P-E-E. If an activity fails any one, the chapter says reject it.

  Use it when: Concluding line of long answers and HOTS decisions.

Forest and Wildlife Resources: board-level solved questions

Ordered from board level to HOTS. Cover the solution, write your own, then compare step by step.

Case-study practice (Section E style)

Read the situation, then answer every part. In the board paper this is a 4-mark question split into 1 + 1 + 2 marks.

Where the marks are

How a typical answer is split into step marks. Show every step: a right final answer alone rarely earns full marks.

Where students lose marks in Forest and Wildlife Resources

The slips examiners see most often, and what to write instead.

• ✗Mistake: Swapping reserved and protected forests

  Both sound like 'guarded' forests, so students mix the definitions.

  Wrong working

  Protected forests are the most valuable for conservation and cover more than half the forest land.

  Right working

  Reserved forests are the most valuable and cover more than half the forest land; protected forests are almost one-third and are guarded from further depletion.

  ✓Do this: Use R-P-U by size: Reserved half, Protected third, Unclassed the rest.

  Usually costs: 1 mark in MCQs or match-the-following.

• ✗Mistake: Matching tiger reserves with the wrong state

  Students guess from the name or confuse similar-sounding places.

  Wrong working

  Bandhavgarh is in Rajasthan and Periyar is in Madhya Pradesh.

  Right working

  Bandhavgarh is in Madhya Pradesh, Periyar is in Kerala, Sariska is in Rajasthan.

  ✓Do this: Learn the six pairs as a chant and test yourself both ways, reserve to state and state to reserve.

  Usually costs: 1 mark per MCQ.

• ✗Mistake: Giving only one achievement of Chipko

  Students remember tree-hugging but forget the afforestation point.

  Wrong working

  Chipko was a movement in which people hugged trees.

  Right working

  Chipko in the Himalayas resisted deforestation in several areas and showed that community afforestation with indigenous species can be very successful.

  ✓Do this: Always write both: it stopped cutting and it proved local-species planting works.

  Usually costs: 1 mark in a 2-mark answer; can affect an assertion-reason choice.

• ✗Mistake: Writing vague 'save trees' points in a 'why conserve' answer

  Students write general slogans instead of the chapter's reasons.

  Wrong working

  We should conserve forests because trees are good and animals are beautiful.

  Right working

  Conservation preserves life support systems (water, air, soil) and genetic diversity for better growth and breeding; agriculture depends on traditional crop varieties and fisheries on aquatic biodiversity.

  ✓Do this: Use the three anchors: life support, genetic diversity, agriculture or fisheries example.

  Usually costs: 2 to 3 marks in a 5-mark answer.

• ✗Mistake: Choosing (a) in assertion-reason when R is true but unrelated

  Students see two true statements and assume R explains A.

  Wrong working

  A: Madhya Pradesh has the largest area under permanent forests. R: Reserved and protected forests form permanent forest estates. Answer: (a).

  Right working

  Both are true, but R only defines permanent forests; it does not explain why Madhya Pradesh has the most. Answer: (b).

  ✓Do this: Ask 'Does R answer why A happens?' before choosing (a).

  Usually costs: 1 mark.

• ✗Mistake: Describing JFM without the benefit-sharing part

  Students describe protection but forget what villagers get in return.

  Wrong working

  In JFM, villagers protect forests along with the Forest Department.

  Right working

  In JFM (since 1988, Odisha first), village institutions protect degraded forest land managed by the Forest Department and get non-timber forest produce and a share of timber from successful protection.

  ✓Do this: Remember the deal: guard the forest, share the harvest.

  Usually costs: 1 to 2 marks in a case-based or 2-mark answer.

NCERT exercise guide: Forest and Wildlife Resources

What each exercise in the NCERT chapter tests, how to approach it, and a question of the same kind solved step by step. Questions here are written in our own words.

Forest and Wildlife Resources: previous year questions

• Asked in 19 of the 21 board papers we hold (2023 to 2026), on average 2 marks per paper; 25 questions in all, counting OR alternatives. In 4 of 4 sample papers.

Counted from the real papers on our previous year papers page, not estimated. Average marks are over every board paper we hold, with an OR pair counted once. Chapter tags are ours.

Solved board questions from Forest and Wildlife Resources

Real questions from recent papers. Try each one first, then open our step-by-step solution with marks per step.

Every Forest and Wildlife Resources question, by year

Practice questions on Forest and Wildlife Resources

Write each answer on paper first. Open the hint only if you are stuck, and the answer only when you have finished.

1. Q1 · 1 mark · MCQBoard level

   In which year were plants added for the first time to India's list of protected species, and how many species were added at the start?
   (a) 1972, ten species
   (b) 1980, several hundred species
   (c) 1991, six species
   (d) 1986, one species

   Hint

   Insects came first under the 1980 and 1986 notifications; plants came later.

   Answer

   (c) 1991, six species. Butterflies, moths, beetles and one dragonfly were added under the 1980 and 1986 notifications.

2. Q2 · 2 marks · Very short answerBoard level

   Name two farmers' or citizens' groups that promote ecological farming, and state what they have shown. (2 marks)

   Hint

   One group is based in Tehri.

   Answer

   Beej Bachao Andolan in Tehri and Navdanya. (1)
   They showed that enough diversified crops can be grown without synthetic chemicals, and that this is economically viable. (1)

3. Q3 · 1 mark · Assertion-reasonBoard level

   Read the statements and choose the correct option.

   Assertion (A): Reserved forests are regarded as the most valuable for the conservation of forest and wildlife resources.

   Reason (R): Unclassed forests include forests and wastelands belonging to the government, private individuals and communities.

   (a) Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A.
   (b) Both A and R are true but R is not the correct explanation of A.
   (c) A is true but R is false.
   (d) A is false but R is true.

   Hint

   Check whether R talks about the same type of forest as A.

   Answer

   (b) Both A and R are true but R is not the correct explanation of A. R describes unclassed forests, so it cannot explain why reserved forests are the most valuable.

4. Q4 · 2 marks · Very short answerHarder board level

   Explain with two examples how villagers in Rajasthan have protected habitats, sometimes without government involvement. (2 marks)

   Hint

   Think of one tiger reserve and one district.

   Answer

   Sariska Tiger Reserve: villagers fought mining by citing the Wildlife Protection Act. (1)
   Alwar district: five villages declared 1,200 hectares as the Bhairodev Dakav 'Sonchuri', with their own rules that ban hunting and keep out encroachers. (1)

5. Q5 · 5 marks · Long answerHarder board level

   Discuss how developmental works, grazing and wood cutting have affected forests and wildlife in India. Suggest two ways to reduce the damage. (5 marks)

   Hint

   Three effects, two remedies. Use Sariska and the threats to tigers.

   Answer

   Developmental works such as mining shrink habitats; villagers at Sariska had to fight mining. (1)
   Shrinking habitat and a falling prey base, along with poaching, pushed tigers to the verge of extinction. (1)
   Uncontrolled grazing and wood cutting degrade forest land, reflecting insensitivity to the environment. (1)
   Remedy 1: involve communities, for example through JFM, so that they restore degraded forests in return for benefits. (1)
   Remedy 2: accept only people-centric, environment-friendly and economically rewarding development, backed by laws such as the Wildlife Protection Act. (1)

6. Q6 · 2 marks · Very short answerBoard level

   Why did the central government announce projects for specific animals? Name two animals covered by such projects. (2 marks)

   Hint

   The animals were 'gravely threatened'.

   Answer

   These animals were gravely threatened, and their remaining numbers had to be protected. (1)
   Any two: the tiger, the one-horned rhinoceros, the hangul (Kashmir stag), the Asiatic lion, or the three types of crocodiles. (1)

7. Q7 · 1 mark · MCQHarder board level

   Which one of the following pairs is correctly matched?
   (a) Beej Bachao Andolan – Alwar
   (b) First JFM resolution – Odisha
   (c) Bhairodev Dakav 'Sonchuri' – Tehri
   (d) Manas Tiger Reserve – West Bengal

   Hint

   Check the year 1988.

   Answer

   (b) First JFM resolution – Odisha, in 1988. Beej Bachao Andolan is in Tehri, the Sonchuri is in Alwar, and Manas is in Assam.

8. Q8 · 2 marks · Very short answerHarder board level

   Biodiversity is 'diverse in form and function but closely integrated'. Explain this with the example of the tiger. (2 marks)

   Hint

   Link the tiger, its prey and its habitat.

   Answer

   The tiger is a key species in the faunal web, and it depends on prey species and a large habitat. (1)
   When the prey base and habitat shrink, tigers decline; protecting the tiger in turn protects whole biotypes. So the parts of biodiversity depend on each other. (1)

9. Q9 · 4 marks · Case-basedHOTS / competency

   Imagine a hypothetical state where 20% of the forest area is reserved, 15% protected and 65% unclassed, with most forest managed by village councils.
   (i) Which category is the largest here? (1)
   (ii) Which part of India does this pattern most resemble? (1)
   (iii) Suggest two ways to conserve such forests. (2)

   Hint

   Who manages unclassed forests in the north-east?

   Answer

   (i) Unclassed forests.
   (ii) The north-eastern states (and parts of Gujarat), where unclassed forests are managed by local communities.
   (iii) Strengthen the community councils with their own rules against hunting and cutting, as in Alwar. Encourage community afforestation with indigenous species, as Chipko showed.

10. Q10 · 2 marks · Very short answerHOTS / competency

    Imagine someone argues that spending on Project Tiger is a waste, because it protects just one animal. Evaluate this view. (2 marks)

    Hint

    What else lives in a tiger reserve?

    Answer

    The view is wrong. The tiger is a key species in the faunal web, so its loss would disturb the whole web. (1)
    Tiger conservation also preserves large biotypes, so every species in a reserve is protected along with the tiger. (1)

Test your recall

Answer in your head or on paper first, then open the card. Pulling an answer out of memory makes it stick far better than re-reading.

1. 1.In which year was the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act implemented?Show answer

   1972.

2. 2.To what number had tigers fallen when Project Tiger began in 1973?Show answer

   1,827, from an estimated 55,000 at the turn of the century.

3. 3.Which category of forest is regarded as most valuable for conservation?Show answer

   Reserved forests.

4. 4.Which state has the largest area under permanent forests?Show answer

   Madhya Pradesh, with 75 per cent of its forest area.

5. 5.Which state passed the first resolution for Joint Forest Management, and when?Show answer

   Odisha, in 1988.

6. 6.Where is the Bhairodev Dakav 'Sonchuri'?Show answer

   In Alwar district, Rajasthan, declared by five villages over 1,200 hectares.

7. 7.In which year were plants first added to the list of protected species?Show answer

   1991, starting with six species.

8. 8.Which trees do the Mundas and Santhal of Chota Nagpur worship?Show answer

   Mahua and kadamba.

Quick revision checklist

The night before the exam: can you do each of these without looking?

• ☐Can you define biodiversity and explain why forests are primary producers?
• ☐Can you give three reasons to conserve forests and wildlife, with one farming and one fishing example?
• ☐Can you state the three things the 1972 Act did (hunting, habitats, trade)?
• ☐Can you recall the tiger numbers and four threats behind Project Tiger?
• ☐Can you match all six tiger reserves with their states without looking?
• ☐Can you write the share and meaning of reserved, protected and unclassed forests?
• ☐Can you name two states each with mostly reserved and mostly protected forests, and where unclassed forests dominate?
• ☐Can you give the two achievements of the Chipko movement?
• ☐Can you explain how JFM works and what villagers receive?
• ☐Can you write the three conditions for acceptable development: people-centric, environment-friendly, economically rewarding?

Forest and Wildlife Resources: frequently asked questions