WILDLIFE IN INDIA
Like its flora, India is also rich in its fauna. It has approximately 90,000 animal species. The country has about 2,000 species of birds. They constitute 13% of the world’s total. There are 2,546 species of fish, which account for nearly 12% of the world’s stock. It also shares between 5 and 8 percent of the world’s amphibians, reptiles and mammals.
The elephants are the most majestic animals among the mammals. They are found in the hot wet forests of Assam, Karnataka and Kerala. One-horned rhinoceroses are the other animals, which live in swampy and marshy lands of Assam and West Bengal. Arid areas of the Rann of Kachchh and the Thar Desert are the habitat for wild ass and camels respectively. Indian bison, nilgai (blue bull), chousingha (four-horned antelope), gazel and different species of deer are some other animals found in India. It also has several species of monkeys.
Figure 5.8: Wildlife Reserves
India is the only country in the world that has both tigers and lions. The natural habitat of the Indian lion is the Gir forest in Gujarat. Tigers are found in the forests of Madhya Pradesh, the Sundarbans of West Bengal and the Himalayan region. Leopards, too, are members of the cat family. They are important among animals of prey.
The Himalayas harbour a hardy range of animals, which survive in extreme cold. Ladakh’s freezing high altitudes are home to yak, the shaggy horned wild ox weighing around one tonne, the Tibetan antelope, the bharal (blue sheep), wild sheep, and the kiang (Tibetan wild ass). Furthermore, the ibex, bear, snow leopard, and rare red panda are found in certain pockets.
In the rivers, lakes, and coastal areas, turtles, crocodiles and gharials are found. The latter is the only representative of a variety of crocodiles, found in the world today.
Birdlife in India is colourful. Peacocks, pheasants, ducks, parakeets, cranes and pigeons are some of the birds inhabiting the forests and wetlands of the country.
We have selected our crops from a bio-diverse environment, i.e., from the reserve of edible plants. We also experimented and selected many medicinal plants. The animals were selected from large stock provided by nature as milch animals. They also provided us draught power, transportation, meat and eggs. The fish provide nutritive food. Many insects help in the pollination of crops and fruit trees and exerting biological control on such insects is harmful. Every species has a role to play in the ecosystem. Hence, conservation is essential. As has been mentioned earlier due to the excessive exploitation of plant and animal resources by human beings, the ecosystem has been disturbed. About 1,300 plant species are endangered and 20 species are extinct. Quite a few animal species are also endangered and some have become extinct.
The main causes for this major threat to nature are hunting by greedy hunters for commercial purposes. Pollution due to chemical and industrial waste, acid deposits, the introduction of alien species and reckless cutting of the forests to bring land under cultivation and habitation, are also responsible for the imbalance.
More to know
* Wildlife Protection Act was implemented in 1972 in India.
* The Gir Forest is the last remaining habitat of the Asiatic lion
Source: This topic is taken from NCERT TEXTBOOK
STEPS TO PROTECT THE FLORA AND FAUNA
To protect the flora and fauna of the country, the government has taken many steps.
i. Eighteen biosphere reserves have been set up in the country to protect flora and fauna. Ten out of these, the Sundarbans Nanda Devi, the Gulf of Mannar, the Nilgiri, Nokrek, Great Nicobar, Manas, Simlipal, Pachmarhi and Achanakmar-Amarkantak have been included in the world network of biosphere reserves.
ii. Financial and technical assistance is provided to many botanical gardens by the government since 1992.
* Kachchh
* Cold Desert
* Seshachalam
* Panna
iii. Project Tiger, Project Rhino, Project Great Indian Bustard and many other eco-developmental projects have been introduced.
iv. 103 National Parks, 535 Wildlife Sanctuaries and Zoological gardens are set up to take care of natural heritage.
All of us must realise the importance of the natural ecosystem for our own survival. It is possible if indiscriminate destruction of the natural environment is put to an immediate end.
Migratory Birds
Some of the wetlands of India are popular with migratory birds. During winter, birds, such as Siberian Crane, come in large numbers. One such place favourable with birds is the Rann of Kachchh. At a place where the desert merges with the sea, flamingo with their brilliant pink plumage come in thousands to build nest mounds from the salty mud and raise their young ones. It is one among many extraordinary sights in the country. Is it not a rich natural heritage of ours?
Eighteen Bio-reserves
* Sundarbans * Simlipal
* Gulf of Mannar * Dihang-Dibang
* Nilgiri * Dibru Saikhowa
* Nanda Devi * Agasthyamalai
* Nokrek * Kangchendzonga
* Great Nicobar * Pachmarhi
* Manas * Achanakmar-Amarkantak
Activity:
1. Find out from the above newspaper cuttings, the main concern highlighted in the given news items.
2. Collect more information about various endangered species from newspapers and magazines.
3. Find out various steps taken by the Indian government to protect them.
4. Describe how you can contribute to the protection of endangered animals and birds
Source: This topic is taken from NCERT TEXTBOOK