India, Climate, vegetation and wild life

The four types of vegetation found in India are:

1. Tropical Rain Forest
2. Tropical Deciduous Forest
3. Thorny bushes
4. Mangrove Forest

The major seasons experienced in India are:

1. Cold Weather Season (Winter) December to February.
2. Hot Weather Season (Summer) March to May.
3. Southwest Monsoon Season (Rainy) June to September.
4. Season of Retreating Monsoon (Autumn) October and November.

The evergreen forests are found in Western Ghats, Western Coasts, North-eastern States and Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

The factors that affect the climate are- location, altitude, distance from the sea, mountains and relief

The dry thorn forests occur in very scanty rainfall regions i.e. less than 50 cms. These areas in India are the arid regions of Rajasthan, Gujarat, Punjab and Haryana.

Sunderbans are the tidal forests. These are found near the sea coast in the areas flooded by tides of the seas. The Sundari trees grow abundantly in this region. So these forests are called Sunderbans. Other trees are mahogany, rosewood and bamboos.

Biosphere reserve is created to conserve biological diversity and genetic integrity of plants, animals and microorganisms in their totality. Biosphere reserves are undisturbed natural areas for scientific study. Two biosphere reserves are ‘Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve’ and ‘Sunderbans Biosphere Reserve’.

India is land of contrasts. In our country, we have great variations in climatic conditions. For example,

1. Jaisalmer in Rajasthan is extremely hot, while Dras in Jammu & Kashmir is freezing cold.
2. Mumbai & Kolkata have moderate climate while Delhi & Amritsar have extreme climate.
3. Mawsynram in Meghalaya receives world’s highest rainfall while Jodhpur receives the lowest.
4. The temperature variation between season is very large in north while is south it is not much.

The characteristics of thorn forest are:

1. The leaves are in the form of spines.
2. Found in Rajasthan, Gujarat, Punjab, Haryana etc.
3. Main trees are: cactus, Keekar, Babool.
4. They are found in areas of low rainfall.

Forest is very useful for man. They perform various functions such as:

1. The roots of the plants bind the soil; hence, preventing soil erosion.
2. They are the natural habitat for the wild life.
3. They provide us timber for furniture.
4. Plants release oxygen that we breathe.

The government has taken many steps to preserve wildlife like:

1. Many national parks, wild sanctuaries, zoological gardens have been set up
2. Hunting of animals has been banned.
3. The government has started many projects, such as Project Tiger, Project elephant etc.
4. It is also observing wildlife week to create awareness among people.

The climate of India has broadly been described as monsoon type. Due to India’s location in the tropical region, most of the rain is brought by monsoon winds. Being an agrarian country by nature, the agriculture is dependent on rains. Good monsoon means adequate rain and a bountiful crop.

Some birds from western countries migrate to our country in winter season are known as migratory birds. They arrive in December and stay till March. Some of the migratory birds are Siberian crane, Flamingo, Pelican etc.

Monsoon forest of India is also called deciduous forest, which have same variety of species. All the trees have same time period for shedding their leaves. In a year during a particular time, the trees shed their leaves. So, the branches become bare and the forest looks barren.

When the winds blow from Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal towards the land, they carry moisture and strike the mountain barriers. Then rainfall occurs.

Forests are home to a variety of wild life. There are thousands of species of animals and a large variety of reptiles, amphibians, mammals, birds, insects and worms which dwell in the forest.

We can plant more trees, protect the existing ones and also make people aware of the importance of trees.
We can organize programmes like Van Mahotsav to involve more people in making our earth green.
We can refuse to buy things made from parts of the bodies of animals such as their bones, horns, fur, skins, and feathers.