Question

In north eastern states, the jhum cultivation is a major threat to biodiversity - substantiate the statement.

Answer 1

In shifting cultivation, plots of natural tree vegetation are burnt away and the cleared patches 1 are farmed for 2 - 3 seasons, after which their fertility reduces to a point where crop production is no longer profitable.

The farmer then abandons this patch and cuts down a new patch of forest trees elsewhere for crop production. This system is practiced in the north-eastern regions of India. When vast areas are cleared and burnt, it results in loss of forest cover pollution and discharge of CO₂, which in turn attributes to a loss of habitat and climate change which has an impact on the faunal diversity of that region.