Geography · Chapter 05

🌿 Natural Vegetation & Wildlife

Forest types, biodiversity, national parks, and conservation.

🌿 India's Rich Biodiversity

India is one of the world's 17 megadiverse countries — home to 7–8% of all recorded species despite having only 2.4% of the world's land area. This is due to India's varied climate, topography, and geological history.

Types of natural vegetation (based on rainfall & temperature):

1. Tropical Evergreen Forests — rainfall >200cm, temp >22°C. Always green. Western Ghats, NE India, Andaman. Dense, multi-layered. Ebony, rosewood, mahogany.
2. Tropical Deciduous Forests (Monsoon forests) — 75–200cm rainfall. Trees shed leaves in dry season. India's most widespread forest. Teak, sal, sandalwood, neem.
3. Tropical Thorn Forests — <75cm rainfall. Arid/semi-arid regions (Rajasthan, MP, UP). Thorny shrubs, acacias, cacti. Khair, babool.
4. Mountain Vegetation — changes with altitude. Himalayan foothills → temperate forests (oak, chestnut) → coniferous (pine, fir, spruce) → Alpine (grasslands, mosses) → Snow.
5. Mangrove Forests — tidal coastal areas. Sundarbans (WB), Bhitarkanika (Odisha), Pichavaram (TN). Support rich coastal biodiversity.

🐅 India's iconic wildlife — endangered species

• Bengal Tiger — national animal. Project Tiger launched 1973. ~3,682 tigers (2022 census) — 70% of world's wild tigers!
• Indian Elephant — national heritage animal. Southern and NE India. Project Elephant 1992.
• One-horned Rhinoceros — Kaziranga (Assam). ~2,600 left. UNESCO World Heritage Site.
• Snow Leopard — High Himalayas. Endangered. ~400–700 in India.
• Asiatic Lion — only in Gir National Park (Gujarat). ~674 left (2020).
• Olive Ridley Sea Turtle — mass nesting at Gahirmatha Beach (Odisha).

Alluvial soil in Indo-Gangetic plains — most fertile
Alluvial soil in Indo-Gangetic plains — most fertileWikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0
Sundarbans mangrove forest — world's largest delta
Sundarbans mangrove forest — world's largest deltaWikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0
🌳 Key national parks & wildlife sanctuaries

• Jim Corbett (Uttarakhand) — oldest national park in India (1936). Tiger reserve.
• Kaziranga (Assam) — one-horned rhinoceros, UNESCO site, Project Tiger site
• Gir (Gujarat) — only wild Asiatic lion habitat
• Sundarbans (WB) — Bengal tiger, mangrove ecosystem, UNESCO site
• Periyar (Kerala) — elephant & tiger, biosphere reserve
• Ranthambore (Rajasthan) — tiger, popular tourism destination
• Keoladeo Ghana (Rajasthan) — migratory birds, UNESCO site

🎬

Forest Types by Rainfall

Animation
FOREST TYPES — CLICK EACH TO EXPLORE 200+ 150 100 75 <75 RAINFALL (cm) 🌲🌲🌲 Tropical Evergreen Western Ghats, NE India, Andaman · Always green · Ebony, Mahogany >200 cm 🍂🌳🍂 Tropical Deciduous (Monsoon) Most widespread · Teak, Sal, Sandalwood, Neem · Shed leaves in dry season 75–200 cm 🌵🌿🌵 Tropical Thorn Forests Rajasthan, Gujarat, MP · Acacias, Babool, Khair · Adapted to drought <75 cm 🏔️🌲❄️ Mountain / Alpine Forests Himalayas · Oak → Pine → Fir → Alpine grassland → Snow altitude-based CLICK A FOREST TYPE India has 5 major vegetation types — determined by rainfall, temperature, and altitude.

Rainfall is the primary factor — more rain = denser, taller, evergreen forests.

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