Life on Earth

Chapter at a glance

This Geography chapter shows how landforms, climate and water shape life on Earth through biomes, how humans and other life forms are interconnected, and how forest communities, traditional practices and laws help conserve biodiversity.

What is a biome?

Biomes are shaped by temperature, precipitation, the dominant plant species and the growth forms of vegetation. They are either terrestrial (land) or aquatic (water).

Adaptation example: the Nubra Valley (Ladakh) camel has denser fur than the Rajasthan camel because of the cold desert climate.

Biome pyramid

Shows the relationship between organisms by energy, number or biomass. Producers (plants, algae) at the base → herbivores (primary consumers) → carnivores (secondary) → top predators (tertiary). Moving up, the number of organisms, biomass and available energy all decrease, because energy is lost as heat at every trophic level.

Interconnectedness and biodiversity

Biomes support living beings, and living beings change biomes: animals pollinate and disperse seeds, humans change land for farms and cities, and microorganisms recycle nutrients.

Geographical aspects of conservation

• Biodiversity hotspots: the Himalaya, Western Ghats, North-East India, Andaman & Nicobar Islands (e.g. Nilgiri tahr, Himalayan snowcock).
• Ecosystem-based conservation: strategies to suit the setting, such as mangrove protection on coasts and afforestation in mountains.
• Protected areas: national parks, wildlife sanctuaries, biosphere reserves, World Heritage Sites.
• Barriers and corridors: rivers, mountains and valleys affect animal movement and gene flow; planners create wildlife corridors (and forest bridges to avoid roadkill).
• Human–environment interaction: terrace farming in hills, agroforestry in plains.

Forests and people

Ecotourism

Responsible travel to natural areas with minimal impact, respect for local communities and learning about ecosystems. The Swadesh Darshan 2.0 scheme (Ministry of Tourism) promotes sustainable destinations.

Livelihoods from forests

• Food, fuel, fodder, medicine, timber, bamboo; non-timber forest products (NTFPs) such as honey, tendu leaves, mahua flowers, sal seeds, lac, gums and resins.
• Communities like the Gonds and Bhils honour forest deities before collecting resources, a sustainable cultural practice.
• Sacred groves: over 1,00,000 in India, called Devrai, Devarakadu, Kavu, Sarna. Small but rich biodiversity hotspots, often protecting water sources.
• Women collect and process NTFPs, carry traditional knowledge, and led protection movements: the Bishnoi movement (Rajasthan, led by Amrita Devi) inspired the Chipko movement (Uttarakhand), where women hugged trees.

Geographical Indication (GI) tags

A GI tag is an intellectual property right identifying a product as coming from a specific place whose geography gives it its quality or reputation. Forest-linked examples: Ramban Sulai honey (J&K), Tezpur litchi (Assam), Channapatna toys (Karnataka, made from Wrightia tinctoria, “Aale mara”), Erode turmeric (Tamil Nadu), Nilgiri tea, Tripura Queen pineapple, Khasi mandarin (Meghalaya).

Challenges faced by forest dwellers

• Poor access to healthcare, education and clean water; women’s health suffers from fuelwood smoke (the PM Ujjwala Yojana provides LPG).
• Restrictions, deforestation and commercial exploitation limit access to forest produce: a conflict between conservation laws and survival needs.
• Disasters: floods, landslides and forest fires. About 36% of India’s forest cover is fire-prone and about 4% extremely prone (Forest Survey of India).
• Human–wildlife conflict: elephants, monkeys and wild boars damage crops.
• Discrimination, low prices for produce, and low awareness of rights and schemes.

Government efforts

• Forest Rights Act, 2006 (Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers Act): recognises rights over forest land and resources, minor forest produce, and small cultivated patches.
• Joint Forest Management (JFM): communities protect forests and share the produce.
• PESA (Panchayats Extension to Scheduled Areas), DAJGUA (Dharti Aaba Janjatiya Gram Utkarsh Abhiyan), PM JANMAN, plus scholarships, healthcare and skills schemes.

Ecological commons

Shared natural resources (forests, rivers, lakes, grazing lands, air, biodiversity) used collectively by a community and often managed by traditional rules. They are shrinking because of population growth, industry and privatisation.

• Bihar fisheries: large landowners once controlled water bodies and marginalised fishing communities. The Bihar Fish Jalkar Management Act, 2006 promotes community-led, commons-based management, and fish production has grown steadily.
• Traditional water tanks: the Chandella and Bundela kings built about 8,000 tanks in Bundelkhand (800–1200 CE); keres in Karnataka, eris in Tamil Nadu, chevuru in Andhra Pradesh and Odisha, ahar-pynes in Bihar, and the Gond kings’ katas (three-sided reservoirs). India has over 15 lakh functional tanks today.

Questions to practise

1. Why does India have such diverse biomes? Link your answer to its geography.
2. Why are forests called the “lungs of the Earth”?
3. How do forest dwellers help protect and conserve forests? Give two movements as examples.
4. What is a GI tag? How does it link geography, culture and the rural economy?
5. Explain the Mendha Lekha model of community forest management.
6. What is a forest fire? Suggest a plan for prevention and mitigation.
7. Map work: mark the biodiversity hotspots, Thenmala and Mendha Lekha on a map of India.

Key takeaways

• Biomes are large areas with characteristic plants and animals, classified by temperature, precipitation, flora and fauna.
• Humans adapt to biomes and change them; traditional cultures developed conservation practices, now supported by laws.
• Forest livelihoods range from gathering to ecotourism; growing pressure brings human–wildlife conflict and resource depletion.