UPSC Notes

Forest conservation is the process of protecting, sustaining, and managing forests. It involves the upkeep of natural resources within a forest that is beneficial for both humans and the ecosystem. This process often involves tending to not just the plants but also the animals within the forest for future generations. A forest policy in 1952,

For the assessment of the forest cover of the country, only that area that is vegetated with predominantly native species of trees can be treated as forests. Such species are, however, slightly different in the tropical and wet-dry regions of India. The forest area is the area notified and recorded as the forest land irrespective

India has a rich variety of wetland habitats. There are coastal lagoons and tidal marshes, mangroves and swamp forests, and several smaller depressions which support fresh water and half-fresh water habitats. These diverse systems support a wealth of animals and plants, many of which cannot be seen anywhere else in the country. Two sites —

Forests are found around the world and around every corner of the earth. Forests play an important role in sustaining various species and deliver various benefits to both plants and animals. Forests come in various types and sizes based on the climate and topography of those areas. Various types of forests fulfill diverse functions such as

Natural vegetation is a biological term that refers to a plant community that has grown naturally without any human aid and has been left undisturbed by humans for a long. Thus, cultivated crops and fruits, orchards form part of vegetation but not natural vegetation. Himalayan heights are marked with temperate vegetation; the Western Ghats and

Koeppen’s scheme is based on the monthly values of temperature and precipitation. Koeppen identified five major climatic types—tropical climates, dry climates, warm climates, snow climates and ice- climates. He used letter symbols A, B, C, D and E to denote these climatic types. Tropical climates: Where mean monthly temperature throughout the year is over 18°C.

The annual rainfall of India varies across regions. The height of the Western Ghats and the Eastern Himalayas prevent the moisture-rich winds from entering into the mainland interior and central India. This results in a dry climate in these regions. The average annual rainfall in India is about 125 cm, but it has great spatial

Retreating monsoon season commences with the beginning of the withdrawal of the south-west monsoon and lasts till early January. It is a 3-month long process where it starts from the peninsula in October and from the extreme south-eastern tip by December. The retreating southwest monsoon season is marked by clear skies and rise in temperature.

Monsoon is the general term for the seasonal reversing wind accompanied with the predominantly rainfall during the summer months. Monsoonal rain is mainly precipitated over west coast, Bay of Bengal and adjoining areas. This type of rainfall is heavily governed by topographic interference. The regions of maximum precipitation vary with seasonal progress of the monsoon

The Bay of Bengal branch is the most active one in the monsoon season. This branch strikes the coast of Myanmar and part of Bangladesh. The Arakan Hills, however, deflect a big portion of this branch towards India. The monsoon, therefore, enters West Bengal and Bangladesh from south and southeast instead of from the south-westerly