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Glossary
Natural vegetation
A plant community that has
grown naturally without human aid
is called natural vegetation.
Virgin vegetation
Natural vegetation that has been
left undisturbed by humans for a long time
is called virgin vegetation.
Biodiversity
It is typically referred to as
its flora and fauna.
Flora
Flora refers to the
plants of a particular region or period.
Fauna
Fauna is the collective term for the
species of animals in a particular region or period.
Biosphere Reserves
It is a forest area where all types of
flora and fauna are preserved in their natural environment,
e.g., Nanda Devi.
National Parks
They are
relatively large areas where one or several ecosystems exist
and where plants and animal species, geomorphological sites, and habitats are of special educative and recreative interests, e.g., Jim Corbett Park.
Wildlife Sanctuary
It is similar to a national park but is
dedicated to protecting wildlife and conserving species,
e.g., Gir Lion
Mangroove forests
The mangrove tidal forests are found in the
areas of coasts influenced by tides. Mud and silt get accumulated
on such coasts.
Tropical Evergreen Forest
Tropical Evergreen forests are
restricted to heavy rainfall areas
of the Western Ghats and the island groups of Lakshadweep, Andaman and Nicobar, upper parts of Assam and Tamil Nadu coast. They do best where there is a
short dry season and more than 200 cm of rainfall each year.
Tropical Deciduos Forest
They are also
called monsoon forests
and spread over the region receiving rainfall between 200 cm and 70 cm.Trees of this forest type
shed their leaves for about six to eight weeks in dry summer.
These forests are further
divided into moist and dry deciduous.
Montane Forest
In mountainous areas, the decrease in temperature with increasing altitud e leads to the corresponding change in natural vegetation. The wet temperate type of forests is found between a height of 1000 and 2000 meters.
