Conservation of Forest and Wildlife: National Park and Biosphere Reserves

 

We know that forests and trees are essential for our survival which makes it more crucial for us to focus on the Conservation of forest and wildlife.

 

Forests and trees are required:-
� To maintain the balance of gases in the atmosphere.
� To reduce the pollution level on earth by reducing the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
� To maintain the temperature.
� To maintain the nutrients, content, and texture and improve the fertility of the soil.
� To maintain the level of groundwater.

 

Conservation of forest and wildlife: We should do all the efforts to conserve forests and wildlife
� The government lays down rules, methods, and policies to protect and conserve them.
� To protect our flora and fauna and their habitats, protected areas have been embarked like-

 

1. Sanctuaries
2. National parks
3. Biosphere reserves

 

Sanctuaries are the areas where animals are protected from any danger to them and their habitat. National parks are the areas reserved for wildlife where they can freely use their habitats and natural resources. Biosphere reserves are large areas of protected land for the conservation of forest and wildlife.

 

Plant and animal resources and the traditional life of the tribes living in these areas are protected. Plantation, cultivation, grazing, cutting of trees, hunting, and poaching are strictly prohibited in these areas.

 

National Park

 

Smaller animals are much more in danger of extinction as compared to bigger animals. We kill snakes, frogs, lizards, bats, and owls ruthlessly without even realizing their importance in the ecosystem. In fact, by killing them we are harming ourselves.

 

We are disturbing the eco system by destroying forests and wildlife. Animals whose number has reduced to such a level that they might face extinction in future are known as Endangered animals.

 

Therefore, to protect our flora and fauna and their habitats, protected areas like national parks have been embarked.

 

National Parks are the areas reserved for wild life where they can freely use the habitats and natural resources.

 

These are large and diverse enough to protect whole set of eco systems.

 

Some Indian National parks and Projects are.

 

Name	State
Anshi National Park	Karnataka
Balphakram National Park	Meghalaya
Bandhavgarh National Park	Madhya Pradesh
Corbett National Park	Uttarakhand
Desert National Park	Rajasthan
Eravikulam National Park	Kerala
Gangotri National Park	Uttarakhand
Gir National Park	Gujarat
Indravati National Park	Chhattisgarh
Kalesar National Park	Haryana
Kaziranga National Park	Assam
Khangchendzonga National Park	Sikkim
Manas National Park	Assam
Mollem National Park	Goa
Mudumalai National Park	Tamil Nadu
Nandankanan National Park	Orissa

 

Biosphere Reserve

 

The biosphere is that part of the earth, on which living organisms exist or which supports life. It is a combination of Lithosphere, Hydrosphere, and Atmosphere. To protect our biological diversity (flora and fauna), it is essential to protect our biosphere. So biosphere reserve is embarked.

 

Biosphere reserves are the large areas of protected land for the conservation of wildlife, plant and animal resources, and the traditional life of the tribal people living in these areas. Therefore Biosphere Reserves are used for the conservation of biodiversity. In biosphere reserves, one can easily appreciate the green wealth of the forests, tall trees, and animals.

 

Biosphere Reserves situated in India are:-

 

Name	State
Rann of Kuchch/ gyan bharati Reserve	Gujarat
Gulf of Mannar	Tamil Nadu
Sunderbans	West Bengal
Nanda Devi	Uttarakhand
Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve	Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Karnataka
Dehong Deband	Arunachal Pradesh
Pachmarhi Biosphere Reserve	Madhya Pradesh
Simlipal	Orissa
Achanakamar - Amarkantak	Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh
Manas	Assam
Kanchanjunga	Sikkim
Agasthyamalai Biosphere Reserve	Kerala
Great Nicobar Biosphere Reserve	Andaman and Nicobar Islands
Nokrek	Meghalaya
Dibru-Saikhowa	Assam

List of Biosphere Reserves

 

Wild Life Sanctuary

 

To protect our flora and fauna and their habitats, protected areas have been embarked by the govt. One of such protected area is wild life sanctuary. Wild life Sanctuary is an area where animals are protected from any disturbances to them and their habitat. It provides protection and suitable living conditions to wild animals. Here hunting and poaching is prohibited.

 

Our wildlife sanctuaries are unique landscapes, broad level forests, mountain forests and bush lands in deltas of big rivers.

 

They help us to conserve threatened wild animals. Some of the threatened animals are:-
Blackbuck, white-eyed buck, elephant, golden cat, pink-headed duck, python, rhinoceros, etc.
There are more than 551 wildlife sanctuaries in India.

 

State	Wildlife Sanctuaries
Andhra Pradesh	Srisailam Sanctuary
Gujarat	Sasangir Wildlife Sanctuary
Haryana	Sultanpur Bird Sanctuary
Kerala	Idukki Wildlife Sanctuary, Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary
Karnataka	B R Hills Wildlife Sanctuary, Dandeli Wildlife Sanctuary
Madhya Pradesh	Karera Wildlife Sanctuary
Maharashtra	Sanjay Gandhi Wildlife Sanctuary
Orissa	Chilka Lake Bird Sanctuary
Rajasthan	Sambhar Wildlife Sanctuary
Tamilnadu	Mudumalai Sanctuary
Uttar Pradesh	Hastinapur Sanctuary, Kishanpur Sanctuary, National Chambal Sanctuary
Uttarakhand	Assan Barrage Bird Sanctuary
West Bengal	Satkosia Basipalli Sanctuary

List of some wildlife sanctuaries

 

Though the wildlife sanctuaries are protected areas sometimes their protected forests are not safe because people living in the neighborhood encroach upon them and destroy them.