Natural Vegetation And Wildlife Class 9 Notes

“Natural Vegetation and Wildlife” is an essential chapter in Class 9 Geography that explores the different types of vegetation found across India and the diverse wildlife that inhabits these regions. This chapter explains the factors affecting vegetation, such as climate, soil, and human activities, and categorizes vegetation into tropical evergreen, deciduous, thorn, and montane forests.

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Natural Vegetation and Wildlife Class 9 Notes

What is Natural vegetation?

Natural vegetation refers to a plant community which has grown naturally without human aid and has been left undisturbed by humans for a long time. This is termed as virgin vegetation. Thus, cultivated crops and fruits and orchards form part of vegetation but not natural vegetation.

The term ‘flora’ is used to denote plants of a particular region or period. Similarly, the species of animals are referred to as fauna.

Type of vegetation

The following major types of vegetation may be identified in our country.

Tropical Evergreen Forests
Tropical Deciduous Forests
Tropical Thorn Forests and Scrubs
Montane Forests
Mangrove Forests

Tropical Evergreen Forests

These forest areas have heavy rainfall in the Western Ghats and the island groups of Lakshadweep, Andaman and Nicobar, and the upper parts of Assam and the Tamil Nadu coast. In these areas there is more than 200 cm of rainfall with a short dry season. The trees reach great heights, up to 60 metres or even above.

Tropical Deciduous Forests

These are the most common forests in India, and these forests are called monsoon forests. In this area rainfall is between 200 cm and 70 cm. In tropical deciduous forests there are two types. Moist deciduous forest, rainfall between 200 and 100 cm. This forest is found in Northeastern states, the foothills of the Himalayas, Jharkhand, West Odisha, and Chhattisgarh. The main trees in this area are bamboo, sal, shisham, sandalwood, khair, kusum, etc. Dry deciduous forest, rainfall between 100 and 70 cm. This forest is found in the Peninsular Plateau, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. The most common trees found in this area are teak, sal, peepal and neem, and many areas are used for farming and grazing.

The Thorn Forests and Scrubs

In regions with less than 70 cm of rainfall, the natural vegetation consists of thorny trees and bushes. The location of this north-western India, like Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, etc. The plants found in this area are thorny trees and bushes like acacia, palm, euphorbia, and cactus. The features of this plant are long roots, thick stems to store water, and small and thick leaves to reduce water loss. The common animals found were rats, mice, rabbits, foxes, wolves, tigers, lions, etc.

Montane Forests

When we go higher up a mountain, then the temperature becomes colder; due to this, different types of plants grow at different heights like layers. Vegetation found at 1000 to 2000 metres includes oak, chestnut and evergreen broadleaf trees. Vegetation found at 1500 to 3000 metres includes pine, deodar, silver fir, spruce, cedar, etc. Vegetation found above 3600 metres includes silver fir, juniper, pine, and birch. In this area trees become shorter near the snow line. Common animals found in this area are the Kashmir stag, wild sheep, jackrabbit, spotted deer, bear, red panda, etc.

Mangrove Forests

The mangrove tidal forests are found in the areas of coasts influenced by tides. Mud and silt get accumulated on such coasts. Dense mangroves are the common varieties with roots of the plants submerged under water. The deltas of the Ganga, the Mahanadi, the Krishna, the Godavari and the Kaveri are covered by such vegetation.

Biodiversity and Ecosystem

In India there are 90000 animal species, 2000 bird species (13% of the world total), and 2546 fish species (12% of the world total). 5 – 8% of the world’s amphibians, reptiles, and mammals. This forest provides crops, medicinal plants, milch animals, meat, eggs, and fish.

Threats to Nature

1300 plant species endangered, 20 extinct. The animal species is also endangered due to hunting, pollution, and cutting forests for farming and housing.

Conservation Efforts

18 biosphere reserves, for example, Sundarbans, Nanda Devi, Nilgiri, Simlipal, Panna, etc. The botanical gardens have been supported by the government since 1992. There are a lot of projects started by the government of India, like Project Tiger, Project Rhino, and Project Great Indian Bustard. There are some protected areas: 106 national parks, 573 wildlife sanctuaries, and zoological gardens.

Every species plays an important role in the ecosystem. We have a duty to protect nature for our own survival. We have to stop destroying the environment immediately.

Social Science Class 9 Notes

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