Natural Vegetation Short and Long Important Question Class 11 Geography Chapter-5 Book-India Physical Environment

 

1. What are tropical evergreen forests and where are they found in India?

Answer:

These forests are areas where annual rainfall is more than 200 cm and temperature is more than 22°C.

• Location: Western Ghats, Northeast India, and the Andaman-Nicobar Islands.

• Main trees: Rosewood, Mahogany, Anise, Ebony.

2. In which regions are tropical semi-evergreen forests found?

Answer:

These are a mixture of evergreen and deciduous forests and are found in areas with little rainfall (100-200 cm).

• Location: Western Ghats, Northeast India, and Andaman-Nicobar Islands.

• Main trees: Cider, Holak, Kail.

3. What types of tropical deciduous forests are there?

Answer:

These are divided into two parts on the basis of rainfall:

Moist deciduous forests (100-200 cm rainfall)

• Location: Eastern India, Western Ghats, foothills of the Himalayas.

• Main trees: Teak, Sal, Sheesham, Mahua, Sandalwood.

Dry deciduous forests (70-100 cm rainfall)

• Location: Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar.

• Main trees: Tendu, Palash, Cassia fistula, Wood apple, Khair.

4. In which regions are tropical thorn forests found?

Answer:

These forests are found in dry areas with less than 50 cm of rainfall.

• Location: Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh.

• Main trees: Acacia, Khejari, Khair, Plum, Date Palm, Neem.

5. What are the main types of mountain forests?

Answer:

Northern montane forests (Himalayan region)

• 1,000-2,000 meters: oak, chestnut.

• 2,225-3,048 m: Bluepine, spruce.

• 3,000-4,000 m: Alpine forests (fir, pine, rhododendron).

Southern montane forests (Western Ghats, Nilgiris)

• Special trees: Cinchona, Magnolia, Laurel.

• The temperate forests found in the Nilgiri Hills are called Sholas.

6. What are wetlands and swamp forests?

Answer:

These are the wetland areas of India, which include Chilika Lake (Odisha), Keuladeo National Park (Rajasthan), etc.

main types:

• Coastal Lagoon (Chilka Lake)

• Gangetic-Brahmaputra Plain

• Himalayan Lakes and Rivers

7. What are mangrove forests and where are they found in India?

Answer:

These forests are found along the banks of salt water and tidal rivers.

Location: Sundarbans (West Bengal), Andaman-Nicobar, Godavari and Krishna delta.

8. What were the main objectives of India's forest policy (1952 and 1988)?

Answer:

• Increasing forest cover to 33% of the country's area.

• Maintaining environmental balance.

• Sustainable use of natural resources.

• Conservation of wildlife and biodiversity.

• Reducing human pressure on forests.

9. What measures have been taken under forest conservation?

Answer:

• Control of deforestation.

• Promoting social forestry and tree planting.

• Awareness campaigns and involvement of local communities.

10. What is social forestry and what are its types?

Answer:

Social forestry means planting trees on barren land and forest conservation. There are three types of it:

• Urban forestry: Developing green belts and parks in cities.

Rural Forestry:

• Agroforestry: Planting trees on farms.

• Community forestry: Tree plantation on public lands in villages.

11. What is farm forestry?

Answer:

• In this, farmers plant useful trees in their fields.

• The forest department provides free plants to the farmers.

12. Why is biodiversity under threat in India?

Answer:

• Deforestation and encroachment.

• Hunting and illegal trade.

• Climate change and pollution.

• Expansion of agriculture and settlements.

13. What steps has the Indian Government taken for the conservation of wildlife?

Answer:

• The Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 was enacted.

• National parks and sanctuaries were established.

• Ecotourism was promoted.

14. What are the major wildlife conservation programmes of India?

Answer:

• Project Tiger (1973): To increase the number of tigers.

• Project Elephant (1992): For conservation of elephants.

• Crocodile Breeding Project: To increase the number of crocodiles.

15. What is the status of protected areas in India?

Answer:

• There are 103 national parks and 563 wildlife sanctuaries.

• 18 Biosphere Reserves have been created, out of which 12 have been recognised by UNESCO.

16. What are Biosphere Reserves?

Answer:

These are areas where the natural ecosystem is preserved.

Major Biosphere Reserves of India:

• Sunderbans (West Bengal)

• Nanda Devi (Uttarakhand)

• Nilgiris (Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala)