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Forest and Wildlife Resources – Class 10 Social Science notes, important questions and MCQs

NCERT Class 10 Social Science, chapter 7. Notes, key terms, important questions with answers and MCQs.

Chapter overview

India is one of the world's richest countries in biodiversity, but many species are under threat because of habitat loss, hunting, pollution and large projects. The government, communities and people's movements are working together to conserve forests and wildlife.

Biodiversity and its loss

IUCN classes species as normal, endangered, vulnerable, rare, endemic and extinct.
Causes of loss include expansion of agriculture, mining, large dams, shifting cultivation, grazing, fuelwood collection and poaching.
The Himalayan yew is an example of a medicinal plant under threat; the cheetah is extinct in India's wild.

Conservation by the government

The Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act (1972) protected habitats and banned hunting of protected species.
Project Tiger (1973) is one of the best-known wildlife campaigns; tiger reserves include Corbett, Sundarbans, Bandhavgarh, Sariska, Manas and Periyar.
Forests are classified as reserved forests (more than half of total forest land), protected forests (about one-third) and unclassed forests.

Community conservation

Villagers of Sariska (Rajasthan) fought against mining; in Alwar, five villages declared the Bhairodev Dakav 'Sonchuri'.
The Chipko movement in the Himalayas resisted deforestation; Beej Bachao Andolan in Tehri and Navdanya promote traditional crops without chemicals.
Joint Forest Management, started in Odisha in 1988, involves local communities in managing and restoring degraded forests.

Key terms

Biodiversity: the variety of plant and animal life in a region
Endemic species: species found only in a particular area
Reserved forests: the most valuable forests for conserving forest and wildlife resources
Joint Forest Management: a programme in which village communities and the forest department manage forests together

Important questions with answers

What is Joint Forest Management?2 marks

Joint Forest Management is a programme in which local village communities and the forest department work together to manage and restore degraded forests. Communities protect the forest and in return get benefits such as non-timber forest produce and a share in timber.

Give three reasons for the depletion of forests in India.3 marks

Large areas of forest were cleared for agriculture and for railways, mining and industries during the colonial period and after. Large development projects such as big dams submerged vast forest areas. Grazing, fuelwood collection and shifting cultivation also destroyed forest cover in many regions.

Explain how communities have helped in conserving forests and wildlife in India.5 marks

In Sariska Tiger Reserve in Rajasthan, villagers fought against mining by citing the Wildlife Protection Act. Five villages in the Alwar district declared 1,200 hectares of forest as the Bhairodev Dakav 'Sonchuri' with their own rules, banning hunting and protecting wildlife. The Chipko movement in the Himalayas successfully resisted deforestation and promoted community afforestation. Farmers and citizens' groups such as Beej Bachao Andolan in Tehri and Navdanya show that diverse crops can be grown without synthetic chemicals. Under Joint Forest Management, which began in Odisha in 1988, villages protect degraded forests and share in forest produce. Many tribal communities also protect sacred groves as part of their beliefs.

Quick revision

Wildlife Protection Act 1972; Project Tiger 1973.
Reserved > protected > unclassed forests.
JFM began in Odisha in 1988.
Chipko, Beej Bachao Andolan and Navdanya are people's movements.

Exam tips

Learn each IUCN category with one example from the book.
In community-conservation answers, name the place and the movement together.

Practice MCQs

Project Tiger was launched in
1. 1952
2. 1972
3. 1973
4. 1988
Show answer
Answer: (c) 1973. It started in 1973 to save the tiger.
The Chipko movement was against
1. mining
2. deforestation
3. big dams
4. pollution
Show answer
Answer: (b) deforestation. People hugged trees to stop felling.
Species found only in a particular area are called
1. endemic
2. rare
3. extinct
4. vulnerable
Show answer
Answer: (a) endemic. Example: the Andaman teal.
The first state to pass a resolution on Joint Forest Management was
1. Kerala
2. Assam
3. Rajasthan
4. Odisha
Show answer
Answer: (d) Odisha. Odisha passed it in 1988.
The Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act was passed in
1. 1947
2. 1972
3. 1980
4. 1992
Show answer
Answer: (b) 1972. It came into force in 1972.
Which of these forests are considered the most valuable for conservation
1. unclassed forests
2. protected forests
3. reserved forests
4. private forests
Show answer
Answer: (c) reserved forests. More than half of India's forest land is reserved.
Beej Bachao Andolan is associated with
1. Gir
2. Sariska
3. Bastar
4. Tehri
Show answer
Answer: (d) Tehri. It shows that diversified crops can be grown without chemicals.
Species whose numbers are low and may move into the endangered category if negative factors continue are
1. vulnerable
2. normal
3. endemic
4. extinct
Show answer
Answer: (a) vulnerable. The blue sheep and Asiatic elephant are examples.

All chapters of Class 10 Social Science

Written by Kundali IQ from standard, well-established facts to help with revision. This is not an official NCERT publication; always read your textbook too.