Extent of Forest in India: According to the latest report of Indian State of Forest Report (ISFR) 2019, the total forest cover of the country is 7,12,249 sq km which is 21.67% of the geographical area of the country.

Forest Policy of India envisages that at least 33 per cent of the total area in the country should be under forests. The proportion of forest area to the total area varies from more than 90 per cent in Andaman and Nicobar islands to less than 10 per cent in Haryana. Other States/UTs with over 50 per cent of their reporting area under forests include Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Jammu & Kashmir, Tripura and Himachal Pradesh.

World Forest Day is celebrated on March 21.

During the sixth five year plan, Government introduced the scheme of "social forestry" with the intention to increase area under forests.

The term natural vegetation usually excludes planted to cultivated vegetation. The natural vegetation of India can be divided into following types, 1. Evergreen Forests 2. Deciduous Forests 3. Dry Forests 4. Hill Forests 5. Tidal Forests

1. Evergreen Forests: Found in areas receiving over 200 cm rainfall, they cover the Western Ghats and hilly areas in northeastern India, mainly in the sub-Himalayan belt. Trees typical of these forests are hard woods such as teak, rosewood, ebony and ironwood. Bamboo is also commonly found. The trees in these forests are very tall and they support a lot of epiphytes.

2. Deciduous Forests: Found in areas receiving a rainfall of 150 to 200 cm, deciduous forests cover the larger parts of the peninsular region. Trees like teak, Sal, Sandalwood and rosewood grow well. Due to seasonality of precipitation, the trees here shed their leaves in dry season. These forests are very important from a commercial point of view. They are a source of good quality timber.

3. Dry Forests: Found in areas receiving a rainfall of 75 to 100 cm. Areas under this type of vegetation are the semi-desert region of Rajasthan and the southern parts of Punjab and Haryana. Thorny trees and bushes are dominant forms of vegetation in these areas.

4. Hill Forests: Hill Forests are also called Montane Forests. These forests cover higher reaches of hills in southern India and the Himalayas. Since altitude is an important control of climate, the character of vegetation in upland areas changes with elevation. The foothills zone of the Siwaliks is covered by tropical moist deciduous forests of Sal and Bamboo etc. Between 1000 and 2000 metres above the sea level are found the wet hill forests of oak and chestnut and some pine forests. This zone is followed by the zone of coniferous forests between 1600 and 3300 metres. The dominant trees in coniferous forests are pine, deodar, silver fir and spruce. Above the coniferous forests extend the alpine forests of silver fir, birch etc., above an altitude of 3600 metres. They are followed by the alpine grasslands and scrub. Thus the zonation of vegetation in the mountainous regions is vertical and all types of vegetation from tropical to tundra type are found in these regions.

5. Tidal Forests: The estuaries of large rivers like the Ganga and Mahanadi support the littoral type of vegetation (Littoral refers to the shallow water zone of the sea, mainly the continental shelf). Most trees in these forests are those that can grow in marshy conditions. Sundri tree is an example of trees growing in such environments. These forests are also known as Mangrove Forests. Apart from West Bengal and Orissa, mangrove forests are also found in Achra Ratnagiri (Maharashtra), Coondapur (Karnataka), Pichavaram (Tamil Nadu) and Vembanad (Kerala).

Important Forest products and their chief producers:

Product                                   State

Teak                                            Madhya Pradesh

Shisham                                    Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh

Sandalwood                            Karnataka

Sal                                                Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand

Bamboo                                     Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Orissa

Gums                                           Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Orissa

Resin                                            Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand

Katha (a tanning material)  Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, UP, Bihar

Lac (sealing wax)                     Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, UP, Bihar

Important Forest Research Institutes:

Institute                                                          Location

Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education => Dehradun (It is the apex body engaged in forestry research.)

Forest Research Institute                           Dehradun

Arid Forest Research Institute                  Jodhpur

Rainforest Research Institute                   Jorhat (Assam)

Tropical Forest Research Institute          Jabalpur (MP)

Himalayan Forest Research Institute      Shimla (HP)

Institute of Forest Genetics and Tree Breeding    Coimbatore (Tamil Nadu)

Indian Institute of Forest Management   Bhopal (MP)

The Indian Plywood Industries Research and Training Institute => Bangalore

Institute of Forestry Research and Human Resource Development => Chhindwara (MP)

WILDLIFE

Wildlife: With a great variety in physiography, climate and habitat, India has a wide range of animals and birds in different parts. It is estimated that nearly 80 per cent of all wildlife species in the world find representation in India.

Among mammal species in India, the Elephant is the largest and Rhinoceros is the second largest.

Peacock is the national bird of the country; Tiger is the national animal of India; Gangetic Dolphin is the national aquatic animal of India.

Some of the species and their locations in India:

Species                 Location

Elephants              Assam, West Bengal, Uttarakhand, Central India, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu

Rhinoceros            Assam (Manas, Kaziranga Sanctuary), West Bengal (Jaldapara Sanctuary)

Wild Buffalo          Assam, Chhattisgarh

Bison                       Central India

Tigers                       Foothills of Himalayan region, parts of West Bengal and MP

Lions                        Gujarat (Gir Forest)

Wild Sheep, Goats  Himalayan region, specially in Jammu and Kashmir

Yak                              Himalayan region

Breeding area of the famous Ridley's Turtles  =>  Coast of Orissa

Breeding area of the Hawksbill Turtles => Coast of Tamil Nadu

Monal (Bird) => Himachal Pradesh

Wildlife Conservation: The wildlife in India is under a great deal of pressure today. The population of many species of mammals, birds and reptiles is decreasing. Hunting was one of the chief reasons for the decreasing animal population. Also, the decreasing area under forests is another important factor for the decreasing animal population in India.

A major consequence of the loss of wildlife is the loss of bio-diversity. This will result in adverse ecological conditions. Hence, there is a strong need for conservation of wildlife.

The Government of India constituted the Indian Board for Wildlife in 1952, with the objectives of advising the government on means of conservation and protection of wildlife, creation of national parks, sanctuaries etc.

The Wildlife (protection) Act, 1972 is the comprehensive law aiming at conservation of wildlife in the country.

The first National Wildlife Action Plan (NWAP) was formulated in 1983.

Presently, there are 104 National Parks in India. India had only 5 National Parks till 1970.

Madhya Pradesh has the largest number of National Parks in India, it has 10 national parks.

The first National Park in India was established in 1936 under the name Hailey National Park. It was renamed as Jim Corbett National Park in 1955 and it is located in Kumaon, Nainital district of Uttarakhand.

A specific project called "Project Tiger" was initiated in 1973 to protect tiger from extinction. A total of 41 tiger reserves have been set up in different states under this project.

Nagarjunsagar-Srisailam Tiger reserve established in 1982-83 is the largest.

"Project Elephant" was started in 1992.

Some of the important National Parks in India:

Name and District/s              Important Species

Campbell Bay (Nicobar)  =>        Marine organisms

Mahatma Gandhi Marine (Andaman) => Live corals and marine organisms

Rani Jhansi Marine (Andaman) => Marine organisms

Saddle Peak (Andaman)  => Wild Boar, Water Monitor, Birds

Kasu Brahmananda Reddy (Hyderabad) => Wild cat, peacocks, pangolin, porcupines

Mahavir Harina Vanasthali (Hyderabad) => Deer, Blackbuck

Mrugvani (Hyderabad) => Hare, wild cat, rat, spotted deer, birds

Sri Venkateshwara (Chittoor, Cuddapah) => Tiger, black buck, jackal, giant squirrel

Namdapha (Changlang, Arunachal Pradesh) => Clouded leopard, leopard, tiger, hoolock gibbon, capped langur

Kaziranga (Assam) => One horned rhino. Tiger, leopard, gaur, swamp deer

Manas (Assam) => Tiger, elephant, Assam roofed turtle, golden langur, pygmy hog

Valmiki (Pashchim Champaran, Bihar) => Tiger, wild dog, civet

Vikramshila Gangetic Dolphin Sanctuary (Bihar) => Gangetic Dolphin, Gharial, Turtles

Indravati (Dantewada, Chhattisgarh) => Gaur, Swamp deer

Guru Ghasi Das (Chhattisgarh) => Deer, Gaur

Gir (Junagarh, Gujarat) => Asiatic lion, Indian leopard, jungle cat, chinkara, wild boar

Kalesar (Yamuna Nagar, Haryana) => Birds

Sultanpur (Gurgaon, Haryana) => Swamp deer, blue bull, birds

Pin Valley (Himachal Pradesh) => Snow leopard, mountain goat, bear, blue sheep

City Forest [Salim Ali] (Srinagar, J&K) => Himalayan brown bear, himalayan snow cock, birds

Betla (Palamau, Jharkhand) => Tiger, elephant, gaur, cheetah, sloth bear

Anshi (Uttara Kannada, Karnataka) => Bonnet macaque, deer, Indian bison, pangolin

Bandipur (Mysore, Karnataka) => Tiger, leopard, elephant, gaur

Kudremukh (Karnataka) => Wild dog, bear, deer

Rajiv Gandhi [Nagarhole] (Mysore, Karnataka) => Tiger, elephant, gaur, panther

Anamudi (Idukki, Kerala) => Elephants, jungle cat, wild dog

Periyar (Idukki) => Tiger, elephant, gaur, sambar

Silent Valley (Palakkad, Keral) => Elephant, gaur, monkey, langur, sambar, birds

Bandhavgarh (Madhya Pradesh) => Tiger, leopard, chital, sambar, barking deer

Fossil (Mandla, Madhya Pradesh) => Plant fossils

Kanha (Madhya Pradesh) => Tiger, chital, boar, leopard, sambar, deer

Madhav (Madhya Pradesh) => Deer, chital, chinkara, bear, birds

Panna (Madhya Pradesh) => Tiger, chital, chinkara, bear

Pench [Priyadarshini] (Madhya Pradesh) => Tiger, gaur, sambar, blue bull, leopard

Sanjay Gandhi (Maharashtra) => Tiger, leopard, spotted deer

Keibul-Lamjao (Bishnupur, Manipur) => Brow antler deer, python, aquatic birds

Balphakram (South Garo Hills, Meghalaya) => Barking deer, golden cat

Nokrek Ridge (Meghalaya) => Tiger, deer, fishing cat

Phawngpui Blue Mountain (Mizoram) => Tiger, clouded leopard, ghorul, deer

Bhitarkanika (Orissa) => Saltwater crocodiles, lizards and snakes

Simlipal (Mayurbhanj, Orissa) => Tiger, elephant, leopard, hill maynah

Keoladeo Ghana (Bharatpur, Rajasthan) => Aquatic birds, Siberian crane

Ranthambore (Rajasathan) => Tiger, leopard, deer, langur

Sariska (Alwar, Rajasthan) => Tiger, leopard, sambar, chital

Khangchendzonga (Sikkim) => Snow leopard, musk deer, Tiberam ass, bear

Guindy (Chennai) => spotted deer, chinkara, jungle cat

Indira Gandhi [Annamalai] (Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu) – Also called Topslip => Tiger, leopard, elephant, langur

Dudhwa (Uttar Pradesh) => Tiger, swamp deer, sambar, rhino

Corbett (Nainital, Uttarakhand) => Tiger, jungle cat, fishing cat, barking deer, sambar

Nanda Devi (Chamoli, Uttarakhand) => Bharal, brown bear, mountain goat, musk deer, snow leopard

Rajaji (Dehradun, Uttarakhand) => Tiger, elephant, leopard, deer, brown bear

Valley of Flowers (Chamoli, Uttarakhand) => Snow leopard, musk deer, bharal, langur

Buxa (West Bengal) => Tiger, civet, red jungle fowl, giant squirrel

Neora valley (Darjeeling, West Bengal) => clouded leopard, red panda, civer, musk deer

Singalila (Darjeeling, West Bengal) => Red panda, leopard, barking deer

Sunderban (North & South 24-Paraganas, West Bengal) => Royal Bengal Tiger, fishing cat, wild boar

Wildlife sanctuaries are species specific, i.e. they are created to protect certain selected species in their natural habitat. National Parks are habitat specific or habitat oriented.

Biosphere Reserves are the protected areas that are maintained in their natural state. Biosphere Reserves are created through enactment of statutes by the Parliament. Government of India has so far notified 17 biosphere reserves in the country.

Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve established in 2000 was the first biosphere reserve.

Nilgiri (Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Karnataka), Gulf of Mannar (Tamil Nadu), Sunderbans (West Bengal), Nanda Devi (Uttarakhand), Nokrek (Meghalaya), Pachmarhi (Madhya Pradesh) and Simlipal Biosphere Reserve (Orissa) are part of the World Network of Biosphere Reserves recognized by UNESCO. Besides these, Great Rann of Kutch (Gujarat), Dehong-Deband (Arunachal Pradesh), Achanakamar-Amarkantak (Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh), Manas (Assam), Kanchenjunga (Sikkim), Agasthyamalai (Kerala, Tamil Nadu), Dibru-Saikhowa (Assam), Cold Desert (Himachal Pradesh) and Seshachalam Hills (Chittoor, Cuddapah, Andhra Pradesh).

Tamil Nadu has the maximum number of Biosphere reserves of 3.

Important Wildlife Institutes:

Institute                                                                                         Location

Animal Welfare Board of India                                                 Chennai, Tamil Nadu

National Institute of Animal Welfare                                     Ballabhgarh, Faridabad, Haryana

Wildlife Institute of India                                                            Dehradun, Uttarakhand

Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History    Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu