Question

Mention three ways in which natural forests were affected as man learnt the art of agriculture.

Accepted Answer

As man learnt the art of agriculture, natural forests came to be impacted in different ways. Some of these are as follows:

Loss of natural forests - The art of agriculture led to steady shrinkage in the area under natural forests. As the population increased, forest lands were cleared for agriculture. In colonial India, forests were considered to be wild and unproductive and hence, they were rapidly cleared and transformed into cultivated farms.

Loss of endemic species - Endemic species are native to a particular geographical area. The rapid expansion of agriculture in colonial India led to the rampant clearing of the forests. Consequently, many endemic species of trees found in these natural forests were lost forever. The emergence of plantation agriculture in the nineteenth century led to further loss of the endemic species.

Loss of forest diversity - The colonial British government in order to manage the forest resources of India sought the help of the German expert Dietrich Brandis. Consequently, 'scientific forestry' came to be practised in India in which natural forests with diverse species of trees were cleared and replaced with one type of tree planted in straight rows. This practice led to the loss of species diversity found naturally in forests.

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