FOREST SOCIETY AND COLONIALISM

Transcription

1 BAL BHARATI PUBLIC SCHOOL PITAMPURA,DELHI Class-IX ( ) TERM II (NOTES) ANNUALS FOREST SOCIETY AND COLONIALISM Ques. 1 What are the uses of forests? Ans. Forests are very useful to us in many ways: Forests help in maintaining quality of air. They absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen. Forests prevent soil erosion, droughts and floods. They maintain the fertility of the soil. They provide us with paper; wood for desks, tables and other furniture; dies, spices, gum, honey, coffee, oil, medicinal herbs rubber, timber. They provide bamboo wood for fuel, grass,charcoal, packaging, fruits, flowers. They provide shelter and habitat for animals. They maintain biodiversity through food webs. Quest. 2 Whey did the British need to clear the forests?

2 Ans. 2 The British needed to clear the forests because of the following reasons: They needed food grains to feed the growing European population. So,they cut forests and encouraged production of commercial crops jute, sugar, wheat, cotton. They needed area to cultivate raw materials- cotton for industrial production. They thought that forests were unproductive, just wilderness which had to be brought under cultivation to yield agricultural products. By the early 19 th century, oak forests in England were disappearing creating a problem for timber supply used for the English ships of the Royal Navy. For this Indian forests were felled and the timber was exported. The Railways also spread from 1950s creating a new demand for wood to be used as fuel and timber to lay railways line and sleepers essential to hold the tracks together. Forests were also cleared to make way for tea, coffee and rubber plantations to meet Europe s growing need for these

3 commodities. The colonial government gave vast forest areas to European planters at cheap rates to clear forest and plant tea or coffee. Ques. 3 What is Scientific Forestry? Ans 3 In Scientific Forestry, natural forests having lots of different types of trees were cut down. Instead, one type of tree was planted in straight rows plantations. Forest officials surveyed the forests, estimated the area under different types of trees and made working plans for forest management. They planned how much area to cut every year. The cut area was then to be replanted so that it was ready to be cut again in some years.\ Ques. 4 What is a plantation? Ans. 4 A plantation was a large area where one type of tree was planted in straight rows for commercial purpose. For this large areas of natural forests were cleared. The colonial government gave vast areas to Europeans planters to grow, tea, coffee and rubber plantation to meet Europe s growing needs for these commodities.

4 Ques. 5 What is deforestation? Ans. 5 Deforestation is the disappearance of forests due tocutting down of trees on an extensive scale. It is not a recent problem. The process began many centuries ago; but under colonial rule it become more systematic and extensive. Quest. 6 Who was Dietrich Brandis? What did he do for saving the forest? Ans. 6. Dietrich Brandis was a german expert called by the British for advice. The British were worried that local people are destroying forests. Dietrich Brandis was made the First Inspector General of Forests in India. Brandis realized that a proper system had to be introduced to manage forests and people had to be trained in the science of conservation. This system would need legal sanctions Rules about the use of forest resources had to be framed. Felling of trees and grazing had to be restricted to preserve forests for timber production.

5 Anybody cutting trees without following the system had to be punished. Brandis set up the Indian Forest Service in 1864 and helped formulate the Indian Forest Act of The Imperial Forest Research Institute was set up at Dehradun in 1906 where Scientific forestery was taught. The Forest At was ammended twice in 1878 and The 1878 Act divided forests into reserved, protected and village forests. Ques. 7 Ans. 7 Mention the main features of Indian Forest Act. The Indian Forest Act was formulated by Dietrich Brands in It encouraged scientific forestry A system of cutting trees controlled by the forest department in which old trees are cut and new ones planted. The act was ammended twice, once in 1878 and then in The 1878 Act divided forests into three categories reserved, protected and village forests.

6 Reserved forests were the best forests from where villages could not takes anything, even for their own use. In protected forests some villagers could enter as the rules were not so strict there. The village forests were for the villagers use from where they could take wood for house building or fuels. But actually these forests were of no use, they just had thorns and scrubs. Quest. 8 Between 1880 and 1920; forest cover in the Indian subcontinent declined by 9.7 million hectares, from million hectors to 98.9 million hectares. Discuss the role of the following factors in this decline. Ans. 9 Railways:- From the 1960s, the railway network expanded rapidly in India. Wood was need as fuel and timber to lay railways line sleepers. For this larger and larger number of trees were felled. As early as the 1850s, in the Madras presidency alone, trees were being cut annually. Ship building:- By the early 19 th century oak forests in England were disappearing. But a regular supply of strong and durable timber for

7 English ships was needed. By the 1820 s search parties were sent to explore the forest resources of India. Within a decade, trees were being felled on a massive scale and vast quantities of timber were being exported from India. Agricultural expansion The British encouraged the production of commercial crops like jute, sugar, wheat and cotton. The demand for these crops increased in 19 th century Europe to feed the growing population and for industrial production. So forests were cleared and agriculture expanded. Commercial farming:- In expanded scientific forestry, the different forests were cleared and one type of trees were planted in single rows for commercial purposes and profits. Tea/Coffee plantations:- Large areas of natural forests were also cleared to make way for tea, coffee plantation to meet Europe s growing need of these commodities. The colonial government gave vast forest areas to planters who cleared forests indiscrimiminately. Adivasis and other peasant users:- The adivasis and the other local people used the forest resources for all their everyday

8 practices cutting wood for building their houses, grazing their cattle, collecting fruits and roots, collecting fuel wood as a fuel resource. Ques. 9 According to the British how did Indian farmers and traders destroy the forests? Ans. 9 According to the British the Indian formers who practiced shifting cultivation destroyed the forests. They felt that the land which was used for cultivation and burnt every few years could not grow trees for timber. They felt that this burning of trees is destroying the forests. They blamed that the Indian traders who are using the forests for different resources are destroying them. The British prohibited the customary hunting practices of tribal people, saying it was destroying the resources. The villagers cut wood and collected timber for their houses, grazed their cattle, hunted, collected fuel wood as a fuel. All this was considered by the British as destroying forests. Ques. 10 Ans. 10 List the reasons that have led to deforestation? Reasons that have led to deforestation.

9 British greatly encouraged production of commercial crops sugar, wheat, cotton for industrial production and food. For this deforestation was done. They thought forests to be unproductive so they fell trees massively. For timber used for ships and railways large sections of forests were destroyed. For tea, coffee plantations. In scientific forestry forests were cut and one type of trees were planted in straight rows. Excessive trade in forest resources depleted them. Railways needed space to run for which again forests were cut. Villagers took wood, fuel wood and cut timber for their daily purpose. Quest. 11. Why are forests affected by wars?\ Ans. 11. To win a war, each country wants its Navy to be the strongest (especially the European). Ships are built on a large scale which requires a lot of timber which is strong and durable.

10 So, forest trees are cut indiscriminately. Also scientific forestry is practiced which again destroys forests. The countries losing the war who have to retreat back destroy all their resources preventing them from getting into enemy s hands (as in the case of java), the Japanese burnt huge piles of giant teak logs and the forest resources were all wasted. Ques. 12 Ans. 12 What is commercial Forestry? Commercial forestry is the use of forest products for commercial purposes. Ques. 13 Ans. 13 What are forests? Forests are natural ecosystems having trees of different species and vegetation of different kinds and providing habitat to different species of animals. Quest. 14 What are the similarities between colonial management of the forests in Bastar and in Java? Ans. 14 Like the British in India, the Dutch in Java also wanted timber to build ships and for railways. Large number of trees were cut and timber was exported from both the countries.

11 Forest laws were passed restricting villagers access to forests. New villagers could enter only a few parts of the forests. Later when the colonial powers realized that they would need labour to cut trees and transport them, some villagers were allowed to stay in the reserved forests for free labour for helping the forest department in cutting and transporting trees. Quest. 15 Discuss how the changes in forest management in the colonial period affected the following groups of people. Shifting Cultivators: After the government decided to ban shifting cultivation, many communities were forcibly displaced from their homes in forests. Some had to change occupations while some resisted through large and small rebellions. Nomadic and pastoralist communities - The British restricted grazing and hunting by local people. In the process, many pastoralist and nomadic communities like Korava, Karacha and yerukala of the Madras presidency lost their livelihoods. They were forced to work instead in factories, mines and plantations under government supervision.

12 Firms trading in timber / forest product With the coming of the British,however,trade was completely regulated by the government. The British government gave many large European trading firms the sole right to trade in forest products of particular areas. Now they had huge profits. Plantation owners: The colonial government took over forests, gave vast areas to European planters at cheap rates. The owners now had greater profits because of vast areas of lands. They exploited the Indian workers greatly who worked with very low wages and very bad work conditions. Kings / British officials engaged in Shikar- While the forest laws deprived people of their customary rights to hunt, hunting of big game became a sport. The scale of hunting increased rapidly. The Maharja of Sarguja alone shot 1, 157 tigers and 2000 leopards up to A British administrator- George Yule, killed 400 tigers. Forest Society and Colonialism Ques. 1 Write a short note on Bastar and the rebellion that took place.

13 Ans. Bastar is located in the southern most part of Chhattisgarh and borders Andhra Pradesh, Orissa and Maharashra. A number of different communities live there such as Marias and Muria Gonds, Dhurwas, Bhatras and Halbas. Problems faced by the people: When the colonial government proposed to reserve 2/3 of its forests, stop shifting cultivation, hunting and collection of forest produce, the people were very worried. People were displaced without any notice or compensation. For long, villagers had been suffering from increased land rents and frequent demand for free labour. Then came the terrible famines in and again in Revolt by the people: These issues were widely discussed to start revolting against the colonial government. Gunda Dhur, from the village Nethaner emerged as an important leader.

14 Bazaars were looted, the houses of officials and traders, schools and police stations were burnt and robbed. To all this, the British sent troops to suppress the rebellion. The adivasi leaders tried to negotiate, out the British surrounded their camps and fired. Result: In a major victory for the rebels, work on reservation was temporarily suspended, and the area to be reserved was reduced to roughly half of that planned before Ques. 2 Write a short note on Forest Transformations in Java. Ans. In the 19 th century, when it became important to control territory and not just people, the colonial government of Java i.e. the Dutch enacted forest laws restricting villagers access to villagers. Problems faced by the people: Now wood could only be cut for specified purposes and only from specific forests under close supervision.

15 Villagers were punished for grazing called in young stands, transporting wood in travelling on forest roads with horse carts or cattle. Revolt: Around 1890, Surantiko Samin of Randublatung village, a teak forest village, began questioning state ownership of forest. He argued that the state hadn t created wind, water, earth, and wood. It could not own it. Soon a widespread movement developmed. Samin s sons inlaw helped it organize. By 1907, 3000 families were following his ideas. They protested by lying down on their land when the dutch came to survey it, while the others refused to pay taxes or fines or perform labour.

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