Cheatsheet

Forest & Wildlife Resources · Geography Ch.2 · Quick Reference

India's Biodiversity — Key Stats

47,000+ plant species (15,000 flowering — 6th in world)
89,000+ animal species
1,200+ bird species, 2,500+ fish species
50,000+ insect species (many undiscovered)
India = one of 12 mega-biodiversity countries
Has 8% of world's species on 2.4% of land area
Hotspots: Western Ghats, Eastern Himalayas, NE India, Andamans

IUCN Categories of Species

Category	Meaning	Examples
Normal	Safe population level	Cattle, sal, rodents
Endangered	Danger of extinction	Black buck, Indian rhino, sangai
Vulnerable	May become endangered	Blue sheep, Gangetic dolphin
Rare	Small population	Himalayan brown bear, desert fox
Endemic	Found only in one area	Andaman teal, Nicobar pigeon
Extinct	No longer exists	Asiatic cheetah (1952), pink-headed duck

Forest Cover in India

Total forest cover: ~21.67% of geographical area
Target: 33% plains, 67% hills (National Forest Policy 1988)
Very Dense: 3.02% | Mod Dense: 9.33% | Open: 9.26%
Top states: MP, Arunachal, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Maharashtra
NE states have highest % of area under forests
Mangrove forests: Sundarbans (largest in world)

Legal Classification of Forests

Type	Share	Features
Reserved	~54%	Most restricted. No public activity. MP, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh
Protected	~29%	Some rights for locals (grazing, minor produce). Bihar, AP
Unclassed	~17%	Community/private owned. Least protection. NE states, Gujarat

Reserved forests are most valuable for conservation. Unclassed forests are most vulnerable to encroachment.

Causes of Depletion

Agricultural expansion — largest cause (26,200 sq km cleared 1951-80)
Colonial exploitation — railways, ships, cover fell 40% → 19%
Mining — Doon Valley, Sariska examples
Large dams — 5,000+ sq km submerged (1951-80)
Shifting cultivation (Jhum) — cycle shortened, no regeneration
Overgrazing — 500 million livestock; fuelwood over-extraction
Forest fires, habitat fragmentation, pollution

Protected Areas Network

Type	Number	Key Feature
National Parks	104	Strictest — no human activity
Wildlife Sanctuaries	566	Limited human activity allowed
Biosphere Reserves	18	Conservation + sustainable use + research
Tiger Reserves	53	Project Tiger (1973). Pop: 3,167 (2022)

Total protected area = ~5% of India's land. Famous: Jim Corbett, Kaziranga, Ranthambore, Sundarbans, Periyar.

Key Legislation — Timeline

1972 — Wildlife (Protection) Act: banned hunting, created sanctuaries/parks
1973 — Project Tiger launched (9 reserves → 53 now)
1980 — Forest Conservation Act: restricted diversion of forest land
1986 — Environment Protection Act: umbrella law, EIA mandatory
1988 — National Forest Policy: 33% target, JFM introduced
1992 — Project Elephant: protect elephant corridors
2002 — Biological Diversity Act
2006 — Forest Rights Act: tribal rights recognised

Community Conservation

Movement / Community	Location	Key Contribution
Chipko Movement	Uttarakhand (1970s)	15-year ban on Himalayan felling
Bishnoi Community	Rajasthan (since 1730)	Protect blackbuck, khejri trees
JFM	27 states (since 1988)	84,000+ committees, community protection
Sacred Groves	Meghalaya, Rajasthan, etc.	Forest patches protected for religious reasons
Bhairodev Dakav	Alwar, Rajasthan	5 villages, 1,200 ha community sanctuary

Important Exam Points — Quick Recall

Asiatic cheetah — last Indian big cat to go extinct (1952)
Amrita Devi — Bishnoi woman who died protecting khejri trees (1731)
Sunderlal Bahuguna — Chipko leader, "Ecology is permanent economy"
Jim Corbett — India's first National Park (1936, Uttarakhand)
33% — target forest cover for plains (National Forest Policy 1988)
21.67% — current forest cover of India
12 — number of mega-biodiversity countries (India is one)
Forest Rights Act 2006 — recognised tribal rights over forests
IUCN Red Data Book — international list of threatened species
In-situ vs Ex-situ — in natural habitat vs zoos/gene banks