Forest Resources Importance of Forest Resources Associated Problems of Forests Deforestation Causes of Deforestation Effects of Deforestation Timber Extraction Effects of Timber Extraction Mining Effects of Mining References

1. Topic:- Forest Resources
Subject Name :- Hazards & Safety Management
Subject Code:- MQA201T
Department of Pharmaceutical Quality Assurance
Smt. B. N. B. Swaminarayan Pharmacy College, Salvav–vapi
Presented by:-
Machhi Dhruvi A.
2nd sem M.Pharm.

2. CONTENTS
 Forest Resources
 Importance of Forest Resources
 Associated Problems of Forests
 Deforestation
 Causes of Deforestation
 Effects of Deforestation
 Timber Extraction
 Effects of Timber Extraction
 Mining
 Effects of Mining
 References
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4. Forest Resources
 A region having high concentration of trees is called as forest.
 A varied range of resources are provided by forests to the mankind & therefore, it
holds a predominant position in their lives.
 Forests help in controlling climatic conditions, aid in storing carbon dioxide, lessen
the chances of natural calamities like floods.
 Approximately 90% of the world biodiversity is due to forests.
 A forest can also be termed as a biotic community mostly comprising of trees, woody
vegetation, shrubs, & generally with a closed canopy i.e. over-hanging covering.
 Forests cover around one third of the earth's total land area.
 They offer vital environmental services to human beings & indeed an abundant
source of biodiversity. Hence, it can be concluded that forests are certainly the most
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5. Importance of Forest Resources
The importance of forest resources can be explained as under:
1. Ecological Balance:
Forests & wildlife are essential to maintain ecological balance of
an area.
2. Renewable Natural Resources:
Forests are an important renewable natural resources.
3. Eco-system:
Trees dominate forest ecosystem; their species content varieties in
different parts of the world.
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6. 4. Economic Development:
Forest contributes to the economic development of the country
because they provide goods & services to the people & industry.
5. Safeguard against Pollution:
Forest check air pollution and soil erosion. Thus, they exercise
safety and against pollution.
6. Soil Conservation:
Forest save the hill-slopes from landslides.
7. Wind Erosion:
In deserts, trees reduce wind erosion by checking wind velocity.
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7. 8. Attract Rainfall:
By causing condensation of water vapor in clouds, forests attract
rains.
9. Minor forest products:
 Some examples of minor forest products are canes, gums,
resins, dyes, flocks, medicines, tannins, lac, fibres, katha etc.
 For tribal people it provide food like tuber, roots, leaves, fruits,
meat from birds & other animals etc.
10. Fodder for Cattle:
Forest provide fodder to cattle.
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8. Associated Problems of Forests
The main problems associated with forests resources are:
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Deforestation
Timber extraction
Mining

9. Deforestation
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10. Deforestation
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• Deforestation is the removal of the forest area or trees so that the resultant
land can be put to commercial use.
• For ex.
 forest land is converted to farms.
 factories are constructed for urban purposes.
• Deforestation means to cut trees or clear forests regions on a large scale
which often degrades the land quality.
• The global coverage of forests is however 30% but many forest areas are
still converted into barren lands by cutting vast forests.
• If the current rate of deforestation is continued, then rainforests will
completely obliterate.

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• A variety of reasons exist for deforestation, but the most basic one is to
provide families with resources for daily use.
• For ex. In many parts of the world, wood is still used for energy purpose.
• Another major cause of Deforestation is agriculture. Forests are cleared by
the farmers so as to gain more land for planting crops, vegetation & for
grazing their cattle & other livestock.
• Farmers also resort to the practice of “slash & burn” agriculture in which
they burn down a part of the forest & use the land for growing crops &
other purposes.

12. Causes of Deforestation
 Main causes responsible for deforestation are as under:
1. Felling of trees:
 Trees are felling down to meet the ever increasing demand of the cities.
2. Grazing by the local cattle, goats, sheep etc.
 They not only destroy the vegetation but also pull out the roots of plants.
 After denudation of our Himalayas, the process of deforestation started in the
Shivalik region. Shivalik sal forests were over-exploited for industry use, i.e.
railway sleepers etc. Consequently, the foothills of the Shivaliks are in semi
desert conditions.
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13. 3. Meeting out the growing hunger for land:
 It has hit the ecology of the country badly very, soon India is likely to have
more of wasteland than productive land.
Large scale deforestation has badly affected the weather facing almost each
year more of bleak than the normal weather.
4. The increase in jhum cultivation:
Also called as Slash & Burn Cultivation.
Jhum Cultivation in North east & Orissa has also laid large in forest tracts
bare.
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14. As the jhum cycle is shortened to six years only (in some districts, even 2-3
years only), too short period does not provide enough time for natural repair
of damaged ecosystem.
5. Construction of hill roads:
 A major cause of deforestation has been the construction of hill roads.
About a decade back, they were about 30,000 km long. Most of these roads
are in state & most fragile belt of Himalayas.
 Road construction damaged the protective vegetation cover, both above &
below roads.
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15. Effects of Deforestation
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Deforestation can cause for following:
1. Loss of Species:
• The forests of the world are home to 70% of the species. Due to
deforestation, many species are losing their habitat. The loss of the natural
surroundings of the species leads to their gradual extinction from the Earth.
• This also has majorly influenced the field of medical research & also the
livelihood of the local population which have a high dependence on plants
& animals for medicines & hunting.

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2. Increase in Carbon Emission:
• The forests are the major source of absorbing harmful greenhouse
emissions.
• These greenhouse gases have a huge role in depleting the ozone layer of
the earth.
• In the absence of the forests, there will be increase in carbon emissions &
greenhouse gases.

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3. Water Cycle:
• The forests are also helpful in maintaining the ground water supply by
grounding rainwater in their roots & discharging it into environment.
• For ex. the Amazon forests hold more than half of the water in their roots.
This helps in maintaining water cycle. In the absence of forests, the Earth’s
climate will become dryer.
4. Soil erosion :
• Through their roots, trees firmly hold their soil & prevent soil erosion.
• In the absence of forest, soil will receive increase exposure of heat & will
eventually dry out.

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5. Life Quality:
• The loss of soil due to deforestation also leads to seeping of soil into other
life forms like lakes, rivers, stream etc.
• This reduces the quality of the water in these sources & impacts their
usefulness to the human populations.
6. Disrupted Livelihoods:
• The forests are a major source of livelihood for many local population who
are engaged in activities like hunting, honey gathering, medicine, rubber
collecting, etc. from these forests.
• Deforestation has the impact of derailing the livelihood of such people &
their way of life.

19. 2. Timber Extraction
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20. Timber Extraction
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• It is the business of felling, trimming & transporting timber.
• The mining for timber causes extensive deforestation and also the
destruction of the forests.
• It causes immense damage to the biodiversity & many indigenous species
are at risk of becoming extinct.
• However the growing needs or developing economies makes it necessary at
times to cut trees.
• This cutting of trees is done in a systematic & planned manner so that the
bulk of the forests are not impacted.

21. Effects Of Timber Extraction
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Timber extraction has the following effects:
1. Loss of Cultural Diversity:
• Forests are home for most indigenous of tribes of the world estimated to be
close to 10 million.
• These people have lived in the forests for an eternity & now their entire
world is at the risk of being taken by Governments & business for obtaining
the natural resources that the forests have.

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2. Loss of Biodiversity:
• Biodiversity refers to the range & variability seen in the living species. This
biodiversity is necessary for the survival of the Earth.
• Most ecosystems tend to exist in a state of dynamic equilibrium. It is
unwise to assume that the human race is independent of this diversity & the
fate of our human existence is not impacted by events which impact
biodiversity.
• Deforestation & timber extraction results in loss of biodiversity which
directly & indirectly risk lives of every living organism.

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3. Loss of Carbon Storage Capacity:
• Gases like Carbon dioxide are present in the atmosphere & are deeply
associated with the various biological process occurring on earth.
• Forests maintain an ecological balance of oxygen & carbon dioxide in the
environment as they have the capacity to absorb carbon dioxide. In the
absence of forests, there will be an increase in the amount of carbon
dioxide.
• The present world is witnessing large increase in carbon dioxide because of
the rapid increase in consumption of fossil fuels. As a result, there is now a
great increase in carbon content on earth which is leading to global
warming.

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4. Effect on Tribal People:
• The food resources of forests often considered as a buffer because they help
the communities to get over period of scarcity during scarcities.
• The forests are also the source of medicinal resources. There are thousands
of plants which are now part of our medical literature & act as major source
of medicines to fight deadly diseases.
• Even when the forests are replaced by large plantations, there is a certain
loss of well-being for the people. This is because the people have to
relocate themselves to new locations due to which they suffer from scarcity
of food, water, fuel, fodder. etc,
• The large-scale deforestation of forests thus has a severe impact on the
tribal cultures & people.

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3. Mining

26. Mining
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• Mining is the process of excavating the Earth's crust in search of valuable
minerals & materials.
• It also encompasses removal of soil.
• Any object or material that cannot grown through agriculture or created in
artificial conditions in a laboratory is mined.
• It generally refers to extensive extraction of any non-renewable resource
like coal petroleum & even mineral water.
• Also, various materials like metals, rock-salt, potash, diamond, limestone,
uranium, iron, etc. are also extracted.

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The effects of mining on forest resources are as follows:
1. Effect on Land:
• This has the following implications:
i. Deforestation:
• Mining requires large areas of forest to be cleared so that the land can
mined. This deforestation has far reaching effects on communities and the
environment.
Effects Of Mining

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ii. Loss of Biodiversity:
• Clearing of the forests also endangers the existence of many species of
plants and animals. This severely impacts biodiversity.
iii. Pollution:
• Even though attempts are made to release chemicals & toxins into rivers, a
large portion still seeps into the land. This pollutes the land & changes its
chemical properties. The chemical content makes the soil poisonous & all
produce grown on such land can have damaging impact on human life.

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2. Effect on Water:
• Mining has the following impact on the water:
i. Pollution:
• The harmful chemical waste from mining like mercury, arsenic, sulphuric
acid, etc. are mostly disposed in the water like rivers & streams.
• The disposing of chemicals act as a major source of water pollution.
ii. Loss of Aquatic Life:
• The toxic chemicals that are released in the water damage the aquatic life
of flora & fauna.
• The excessive level of water also impacts the dissolved oxygen levels in
water due to which the existence of aquatic life is at risk.

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iii. Spread of diseases:
• When water gets polluted from chemicals disposed from mining process, it
also impacts the lives of the communities who use water for their day-to-
day purposes.
• This exposes them to various diseases.

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3. Effects on Tribal people:
• Large-scale mining also impacts the livelihoods of local communities.
• There is large-scale displacement of established communities as the forest
land is reclaimed for mining or other developmental work.
• Entire communities may have to give up traditions & forced to start
livelihood in alien surroundings. The communities end-up losing their lands
also the source of their livelihoods.

32. REFERENCES
1. Dr. Y. K. Singh, in "Environmental Science" ; New age international
publishers, New Delhi, 2006, pp: 10-
2. Erach Bharucha in "Textbook of environmental studies for
undergraduate courses"; University Grant Commission, New Delhi, 2004,
pp: 20-
3. Ankur Choudhary, “Natural Resources & Associated Problems”
https://www.pharmaguideline.com/2022/01/natural-resources-&-
associated-problems.html
4. Dr. M. S. Kumar, Dr. Virendra Kumar, in Environmental Science,
Thakur Publication, Lucknow, pp: 67-68
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THANK YOU