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the ecological balance of nature and maintains 5. Prevent Deserts Conditions : If there are
the food chain. It provides useful substances and no trees and grasses on land, there will only
wild animal products like ivory, leather, honey, be dust and sand. There will be widespread
tusk, etc. Besides being a country’s cultural asset of soil erosion. In the absence of vegetation,
it also provides aesthetic value to man. We the rocks of the earth will be laid bare
largely depend on wildlife for every elementary creating desert conditions all over. Forests
requirement in our life, e.g., the clothes we wear and wild animals make our surroundings
and the medicines we consume. clean and beautiful. There are hundreds of
Let’s read about importance of forests and wildlife. other uses. They are an integral part of life
1. Climate : Forests are chiefly responsible for on the earth. Human beings cannot remain
the present climate. The trees are very same if one part of the life on the earth is
important for balance of gases in air. They destroyed.
use up the excess carbon dioxide in air. The CONSERVATION
carbon dioxide is released by burning of
Wildlife conservation encompasses all human
fossil fuels like coal, petrol and wood. It is
activities and efforts directed to preserve wild
also given out by human beings and ani-
animal from extinction it involves both protection
mals.
and scientific management of wild species.
2. Forests Products : Forests provide hun- Wildlife and nature have largely been associated
dreds of useful products to man. Examples with humans for numerous emotional and social
are wood for fuel, timber for making furni- reasons. Wildlife plays an essential role in the
ture, building of houses, bridges and for ecological and biological processes that are yet
support to railway tracks. Many products again significant to life. The normal functioning
like medicines, resins, gums, lack, cellulose, of the biosphere depends on endless interaction
pulp for making paper, jutes and other among animals, plants and microorganisms.
grasses come from forests. Wildlife has occupied a special place of venera-
3. Gene Pool : Plants and animals in forests tion and preservation in various cultures of the
act as greatest gene pool or bank of life world.
forms on the earth. Gene is material units
from which all living things are derived. For VAN MAHOTSAVA
This popular festival of planting trees is cele-
example, apes are tough to be ancestors of
brated all over India. Many school children also
man. Most of our cereals like wheat and rice
take part in it. Under this programme, saplings
have come from wild grasses in forests. This
are planted often in vacant lands and forest areas
gene pool is considered very important for
or on the road sides and parks.
survival of present lifeforms on the earth.
4. Water : Forests aid water cycle in making
water of oceans available on land.
1. Do we take care the planted saplings after-
Vegetation also helps this water to go
wards?
underground. It also checks water run off on
2. Have you ever participated in van mahotshava or
the surface. In the absence of trees there will
any other such plantation drive?
be muddy water in rivers as happens during
3. Why should we plant trees?
floods. It won’t be fit for drinking.
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