Forest and Wildlife Resources

Some examples of how communities have protected forests and wildlife in India are:

1. In Sariska Tiger reserve, Rajasthan, villagers have fought against mining by citing the Wildlife Protection act.
2. The inhabitants of five villages in the Alwar district of Rajasthan have declared 1200 hectares of forest as Bhairodev Dakav 'Sonchuri', declaring their own set of rules and regulations which do not allow hunting and encroachment.
3. Chipko movement in Himalayas was a community effort to resist deforestation which was very successful.
4. Beej Bachao Andolan in Tehri and Navdanya was an effort of farmers and citizens to conserve the biodiversity in crops. They have shown that adequate levels of diversified crop production without the use of synthetic chemicals are possible and economically viable.
5. In Joint Forest Management(JFM), the government works with the help of local communities for management and restoration of degraded forests.

Conserving forest and wildlife requires collective efforts of Government as well as communities, organisations and individuals. There are few good practices that can help in conserving forest and wildlife:

1. Avoid destruction of habitats by clearing forest area for agricultural and industrial use.
2. Prevent hunting and poaching of animals.
3. Reforestation to replace loss of trees and to restore the balance of ecosystem.
4. Minimizing environmental pollution will prevent the loss of many flora and fauna that die due to poisoning and biomagnification.
5. Prevent forest fires.
6. Involvement of local communities in conservation efforts.
7. Major projects should be planned responsibly in such a manner that the biodiversity is least affected. Rehabilitation and re-plantation should be done.

Biodiversity or Biological Diversity is immensely rich in wildlife and cultivated species, diverse in form and function but closely integrated in a system through multiple network of interdependencies.

Biodiversity is important for human lives as we along with all living organisms form an integral part of a complex ecological system, relying on it for our existence.

Human reliance on nature for resources like wood, medicine, and food, coupled with activities like deforestation for agriculture, mining, and large-scale projects, has led to the depletion of flora and fauna and habitat loss.

Demarcation of Wildlife sanctuaries