Question

Answer the following questions in about 120 words.
Describe how communities have conserved and protected forests and wildlife in India.

Answer 1

 Indian forests are home to different communities. These communities have a complex relationship with their environment. The Mundas and the Santhal of Chhota Nagpur region worship Mahua and Kadamba trees; the tribals of Orissa and Bihar worship the tamarind and mango trees. Similarly, the Bishnois of Rajasthan holds the antelopes in high reverence. For these communities, particular flora and fauna are integral to their identity, so they take several steps to protect them. Villagers around the Sariska Reserve have opposed mining activities in the region as these activities endanger wildlife. Villagers in the Alwar district of Rajasthan have banned hunting and lumbering activities in a 1200-hectare area marked as Bhairodev Dakav ‘Sonchuri’. Such actions have helped preserve patches of virgin forest land.