(A) Reserved Forests:
Reserved forests are regarded as the most valuable resources. More than half of the total forest land has been declared as reserved forests. Jammu and Kashmir, Andhra Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, and Maharashtra have large percentages of reserved of its total forest area.
(B) Protected Forests:
Almost one-third of the total forest area is protected forest. These forest land are protected from any further depletion. Bihar, Haryana, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Odisha and Rajasthan have a bulk of it under protected forests.
(C) Unclassed Forests:
These are other forests and wastelands belonging to both government and private individuals and communities. All Northeastern states and parts of Gujarat have a very high percentage of their forests as unclassed forests managed by local communities.
(D) Permanent Forests:
Reserved and protected forests are also referred to as permanent forest estates maintained for the purpose of producing timber and other forest produce, and for protective reasons. Madhya Pradesh constitutes 75% of its total forest area under permanent forests.

(a) It is necessary to increase the area of forest in India for the following reasons:
(b) Forest absorbs carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and maintains ecological balance.
(c) They help to raise the level of precipitation by attracting moisture from the atmosphere.
(d) They help in the percolation of rainwater into the earth.
(e) They also regulate the speed of water during floods and minimize the effects of floods.
(f) They provide natural habitat to wildlife and help in their conservation and preservation.

(a) An Indian Wildlife Act was passed in 1972 for conservation of biodiversity of India.
(b) It contains a list of protected species in the country.
(c) It imposed ban on hunting.
(d) It established national parks and wildlife sanctuaries throughout the country.
(e) It restricted trade on wildlife.
(f) Legal protection was provided to the habitats of endangered species including the tiger, the one-horned rhinoceros, the Kashmir stag or hangul, three types of crocodiles - fresh water crocodile, saltwater crocodile and the Gharial, the Asiatic lion,
(g) The Indian elephant, black buck, the great Indian bustard and the snow leopard, etc. have been given legal protection against hunting and trade through India.
(h) Projects such as Project Tiger, Project Elephant etc. that were specific to a particular species were formulated.

(a) An Indian Wildlife Act was passed in 1972 for conservation of biodiversity of India.
(b) It contains a list of protected species in the country.
(c) It imposed ban on hunting.
(d) It established national parks and wildlife sanctuaries throughout the country.
(e) It restricted trade on wildlife.
(f) Legal protection was provided to the habitats of endangered species including the tiger, the one-horned rhinoceros, the Kashmir stag or hangul, three types of crocodiles - fresh water crocodile, saltwater crocodile and the Gharial, the Asiatic lion,
(g) The Indian elephant, black buck, the great Indian bustard and the snow leopard, etc. have been given legal protection against hunting and trade through India.
(h) Projects such as Project Tiger, Project Elephant etc. that were specific to a particular species were formulated.

(a) The biological loss is strongly correlated with the loss of cultural diversity.
(b) These losses have increasingly marginalized and impoverished many indigenous and other forest-dependent communities, who directly depend on various components of the forest and wildlife for food, drink, medicine, culture, spirituality, etc.
(c) As these resources are depleted, the drudgery of women increases.
(d) This causes serious health problems for women and negligence of home and children because of the increased hours of work.
(e) The indirect impact of degradation such as severe drought or deforestation-induced floods, etc. also hits the poor the hardest.

(i) Many local communities have recognized the significance of conservation for their long term survival. Local communities are contributing significantly in conservation at many places. For example - the Bishnois of Rajasthan protects black buck, Chinkara, and Peacocks quite zealously. Nature worship is an age old tradition of many tribes. By doing so, they help in conservation of forest. Chipko movement is another example of a community initiative in conservation. Joint Forest Management has been practiced in Orissa since 1988 and has borne fruits for conservation.
(ii) All the good practices towards conservation of forest and wildlife should include an active participation from all the stakeholders. Government agencies, local inhabitants, industrialists and wildlife enthusiasts are the important stakeholders in forest management. The government should formulate rules and regulations and provide system and machinery to implement conservation programmes . The local inhabitants should always be included in the conservation programme, because their survival depends on it. Industrialists and wildlife enthusiasts should also be taken under the fold of conservation programmes . A coordinated effort by all the stakeholders will give better results.

(i) Many local communities have recognized the significance of conservation for their long term survival. Local communities are contributing significantly in conservation at many places. For example - the Bishnois of Rajasthan protects black buck, Chinkara, and Peacocks quite zealously. Nature worship is an age old tradition of many tribes. By doing so, they help in conservation of forest. Chipko movement is another example of a community initiative in conservation. Joint Forest Management has been practiced in Orissa since 1988 and has borne fruits for conservation.
(ii) All the good practices towards conservation of forest and wildlife should include an active participation from all the stakeholders. Government agencies, local inhabitants, industrialists and wildlife enthusiasts are the important stakeholders in forest management. The government should formulate rules and regulations and provide system and machinery to implement conservation programmes . The local inhabitants should always be included in the conservation programme, because their survival depends on it. Industrialists and wildlife enthusiasts should also be taken under the fold of conservation programmes . A coordinated effort by all the stakeholders will give better results.

(I) Communities have conserved and protected forests and wildlife in India. This can be seen through the following points
(i) The Chipko Movement which was conducted in the Himalayas, has successfully resisted deforestation in several areas. It showed community afforestation with indigenous species to be successful.
(ii) The Beej Bachao Andolan in Tehri district of Utarakhand conserved local seed diversity and forests, while defending small farmers and promoting traditional agriculture and knowledge systems.
(iii) In the Sariska wildlife sanctuary in Rajasthan, villagers have fought against mining activities taking place nearby by citing the Wildlife Protection Act.
(II) Conservation of forest and wildlife was prevalent as nature worship is common among tribal communities and in villages e.g. tulsi plants and banana leaves. Such cultural beliefs helped preserve the plant and animal species. Large-scale people's movement like che Chipko Movement in Uttarakhand and the Narmada Bachao Andolan in Madhya Pradesh indicate involvement of local communities in conserving forests and wildlife.
Thus, all conservation practices and programmes should be eco-friendly, people friendly and economically acceptable.
Developmental projects undertaken by the government should not be at the cost of destruction of forests and loss of people's livelihoods

(a) Over-exploitation of natural resources for meeting human needs - Himalayan Yew, a medicinal plant found in various parts of Himachal Pradesh and Arunachal Pradesh. A chemical compound called 'taxol' is extracted from the bark, needles, twigs and roots of this tree and has been used to treat some cancers. The species is under great threat due to over-exploitation.
(b) Large scale hunting of animals for their skin and other products such as antlers and fur.
(c) Deforestation - Substantial parts of the tribal belts, especially in the northeastern and central India, have been deforested or degraded by shifting cultivation (jhum), a type of 'slash and burn' agriculture.