Natural Vegetation & Wildlife in India
- Types of forest
- Rainforest, deiduous forest, mountain forest, mangrove and thorny forest
- Wildlife in India
Plants which grow on their own without human intervention are called natural vegetation. Natural vegetation depends on various climatic conditions and especially on rainfall.
Types of Forest
There are five types of natural vegetation in India, and they are Tropical evergreen forest, Tropical deciduous forest, Thorny bushes, Mountain vegetation and Mangrove forests
Tropical Rain Forest
Tropical rainforest is found in those areas which receive heavy rainfall. The tropical rainforest is so dense that sunlight does not reach the ground. The trees of the tropical rainforest shed their leaves at different times of the year. Due to this, the forest always appears green. Hence, such a forest is called evergreen forest.
Important Trees: Mahogany, ebony and rosewood.
Tropical Rainforest in India: Andaman and Nicobar Islands, parts of North-Eastern states and a narrow strip of the western slope of the Western Ghats.
Tropical Deciduous Forest
These are also called monsoon forests. The trees of deciduous forest shed their leaves at a particular time of the year. Hence, such a forest is called deciduous forest.
Important Trees: Sal, teak, peepal, neem and shisham.
Tropical Deciduous Forest in India: Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Orissa and parts of Maharashtra.
Thorny Bushes
This type of vegetation is found in dry areas. The leaves are in the form of spines. This helps the plant to reduce loss of water.
Important Trees: Cactus, khair, babool and keekar
Thorny Bushes in India: Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, Eastern slopes of Western Ghats and Gujarat
Mountain Vegetation
Different types of species are found in the mountains at different altitudes. At the height between 1500 meter and 2500 meter, most of the trees are conical in shape. Due to this, they are called coniferous trees.
Important Trees: Chir, pine and deodar.
Mangrove Forest
Mangrove plants can survive in saline water. They are mainly found in the Sunderbans in West Bengal and in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Sundari is a well known tree in the mangrove forest of Sunderban.
Importance of Forest
- Plants absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen. Oxygen is utilized by us for breathing.
- Roots of plants bind the soil. Thus, plants prevent soil erosion.
- Forests provide us timber for furniture and firewood. They also provide fodder, medicinal plants and herbs. We also get lac, honey and gum from forests.
- Forests are the natural habitat of wildlife.
Loss of Natural Vegetation: Humans have destroyed a large tract of forest. We are recklessly cutting trees for various purposes. Forests are cleared for making way for agriculture and for making townships and factories. This is creating environmental problems for us. Van Mahotsav is being organized to educate people about the importance of forests.
Wildlife
- Animals which live in natural vegetation are called wild animals. Thousands of animal species live in forests.
- Tiger is the national animal of India. It is found in various parts of our country.
- The Asiatic lions live in the Gir forest in Gujarat.
- Elephants are found in Kerala, Karnataka and Assam. Assam is also the home for one-horned rhino.
- Wild goats, snow leopards, bears, etc. are found in the Himalayan region.
- Peacock is out national bird.
- Parrots, pigeons, mynah, geese, bulbul and ducks are the other common birds.
Due to large scale cutting of forests, natural habitat of many wild animals has become less. Many animals are in danger of becoming extinct. Many animals have already become extinct.
Extinct Species: A species which no longer exists is called and extinct species.
Endangered Species: A species which is in danger of becoming extinct is called endangered species.