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APSC CCE Prelim 2020 General Studies (GS) Paper 1 – Geography, Ecology & Environment section question Analysis

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APSC CCE Prelim 2020 General Studies (GS) Paper 1 Questions Analysis

Questions from Geography, Ecology & Environment sections

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APSC prelims questions

Q1. Which water resource project provides and extends benefits to Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan?

  1. Hirakud Dam Project
  2. Sardar Sarovar Dam Project
  3. Bhakra-Nangal Dam Project
  4. Tehri Dam Project

Correct Option: (B) Sardar Sarovar Dam Project

The Sardar Sarovar Dam is a concrete gravity dam built on the Narmada river in Navagam near Kevadiya, Narmada District , Gujarat in India. Four Indian states, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Rajasthan, receive water and electricity supply from the dam.

Topic to focus: Important Dams in India

 

Q2. Which pair of extremely located Indian cities is connected by the East-West corridor?

  1. SIlchar Porbandar
  2. Mumbai Shillong
  3. Nagpur Siliguri
  4. Mumbai Kolkata

Correct Option: (A) Silchar – Porbandar

East-West Corridor is a 3,300 kilometres (2,100 mi) corridor via NH 27 (Porbandar–Rajkot-Samakhiali–Radhanpur–Kota–Jhansi–Kanpur-Lucknow–Ayodhya-Gorakhpur-Muzaffarpur–Darbhanga-Supaul-Purnia– Dalkhola-Kishanganj, Islampur–Sonapur- Ghoshpukur-Jalpaiguri Alipurduar- Bongaigaon – Nalbari Bijni–Guwahati–Nagaon–Dabaka–Silchar).

Topic to focus: Important Road, Rail  & Infrastructure projects in India

Q33. The maximum number of individuals that can be supported by a given environment is called

  1. Carrying capacity
  2. Population size
  3. Biotic potential
  4. Environment Resistance

Correct Option: (A) Carrying capacity

The carrying capacity of an environment is the maximum population size of a biological species that can be sustained by that specific environment, given the food, habitat, water, and other resources available. The carrying capacity is defined as the environment’s maximal load, which in population ecology corresponds to the population equilibrium, when the number of deaths in a population equals the number of births (as well as immigration and emigration).

Topic to focus: Important Terminology in Ecology/Geography

 

Q34. Plants growing under direct sunlight are known as heliophytes. What do we call plants growing under shades?

  1. Psammophytes
  2. Sciophytes
  3. Monocots
  4. Dicots

Correct Option: (B) Sciophytes

Sciophytes are plants that last or thrive best at low light intensity. These plants have larger photosynthetic units than solar plants or heliophytes.

Sciophytes are shade-loving trees and plants. These plants have larger photosynthetic units than solar plants or heliophytes. Sciophytes are also known as photophobic plants and reach their saturation level in only 20% sunlight.

Shade-plants essentially follow strategies for the optimum use of available energy and energy conservation.

Topic to focus: Biodiversity – Plants/Animal types

 

Q35. Which among the following protocols/conventions is dedicated for protecting biodiversity from potential risks caused by Living Modified Organisms?

  1. Cartagena Protocol
  2. Nagoya Protocol
  3. Bonn Convention
  4. Vienna Convention

Correct Option: (A) Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety.

The Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety is a legally binding global protocol that seeks to contribute to ensuring the safe transfer, handling and use of living modified organisms (LMOs) created through modern biotechnology.

Topic to focus: Important Conventions/Conference related to Environment issues

 

Q36. Which among the following types is a non-material pollution?

  1. Air pollution
  2. Water pollution
  3. Thermal pollution
  4. Soil pollution

Correct Option: (C) Thermal Pollution.

The Non-material Pollutions are of following types:

(i) Radiation Pollution.

(ii) Noise Pollution.

(iii) Thermal Pollution.

Topic to focus: Pollution types

 

Q38. Match the following persons and their activities in the field of environmental conservation and development:

List 1:                           List 2

  1. Medha Patkar         1. Centre for Science and Environment
  2. M.S Swaminathan  2. Narmada Bachao Andolan
  3. Anil Agarwal            3. Ornithology and Conservation
  4. Salim Ali                  4. Rice Research and Biodiversity conservation.
  1. a:2, b:4, c:1, d:3
  2. a:2, b:1, c:3, d:4
  3. a:2, b:4, c:3, d:1
  4. a:3, b:1, c:4, d:2

Correct Option: (A) a 2, b 4, c 1, d 3

  • Medha Patkar, (born December 1, 1954, Bombay [now Mumbai], Maharashtra state, India), Indian social activist known chiefly for her work with people displaced by the Narmada Valley Development Project (NVDP), a large-scale plan to dam the Narmada River and its tributaries in the Indian states of Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, and Maharashtra.

  • Founder Anil Agarwal – Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) is a not-for-profit public interest research and advocacy organisation based in New Delhi, India. Established in 1980, CSE works as a think tank on environment-development issues in India, poor planning, climate shifts devastating India’s Sundarbans and advocates for policy changes and better implementation of the already existing policies.

  • Mankombu Sambasivan Swaminathan (born 7 August 1925) is an Indian geneticist and administrator, known for his role in India’s Green Revolution. Swaminathan has been called the Father of Green Revolution in India for his role in introducing and further developing high-yielding varieties of wheat in India. He is the founder of the MS Swaminathan Research Foundation.

  • Sálim Moizuddin Abdul Ali was an Indian ornithologist and naturalist. Sometimes referred to as the “Birdman of India”.

Topic to focus: Important Personalities related to Environment protection/conservation

 

Q39. All species of Lemur are endemic to

  1. New Caledonia
  2. Seychelles Islands
  3. Galapagos Islands
  4. Madagascar

Correct Option: (D) Madagascar

Lemurs are mammals of the order Primates, divided into 8 families and consisting of 15 genera and around 100 existing species. They are native only to the island of Madagascar.

Topic to focus: Species specific to regions

Q41. Among the marine ecosystems, the most species rich ecosystem is

  1. Mangrove
  2. Coral Reefs
  3. Open Water
  4. None of the Above

Correct Option: (B) Coral reefs

Topic to focus: Ecosytems

 

Q42. Biodiversity hotspots are among the richest and the most important ecosystems in the world. How many such hotspots are present in the world?

  1. 25
  2. 34
  3. 36
  4. 42

Correct Option: (C) 36

  • A biodiversity hotspot is a biogeographic region with significant levels of biodiversity that is threatened by human habitation.

  • To qualify as a biodiversity hotspot on Myers 2000 edition of the hotspot-map, a region must meet two strict criteria: it must contain at least 0.5% or 1,500 species of vascular plants as endemics, and it has to have lost at least 75% of its primary vegetation.[6] Around the world, 36 areas qualify under this definition.

Topic to focus: Biodiversity Hotspots & biodiversity conservation measures

 

Q57. The much-discussed Line of Actual Control is a disputed borderline between

  1. India and China
  2. China and Pakistan
  3. India and Pakistan
  4. China and Nepal

Correct Option: (A) India and China

Topic to focus: Important boundaries – Political Geography

 

Q58. The Paris Agreement of the UNFCCC is to limit the global warming well below

  1. 1 degree celsius
  2. 2 degree celsius
  3. 2.5 degree celsius
  4. 3 degree celsius

Correct Option: (B) 2 oC degree

The Paris Agreement is a legally binding international treaty on climate change. It was adopted by 196 Parties at COP 21 in Paris, on 12 December 2015 and entered into force on 4 November 2016. Its goal is to limit global warming to well below 2, preferably to 1.5 degrees Celsius, compared to pre-industrial levels.

Topic to focus: Important Conventions/Conference related to Environment issues

 

Q61. Sittwe Port in Myanmar which is being financed by India, is a part of which project

  1. Kaladan Multi-modal Transit Transport Project
  2. Sagarmala Project
  3. Prayagraj-Haldia Inland waterway project
  4. Talcher-Dhamra Inland Waterway Project

Correct Option: (A) Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project

The Kaladan Road Project is a US$484 million project connecting the eastern Indian seaport of Kolkata with Sittwe seaport in Rakhine State, Myanmar by sea. In Myanmar, it will then link Sittwe seaport to Paletwa in Chin State via the Kaladan river boat route, and then from Paletwa by road to Mizoram state in Northeast India.

Assam Current Affairs – October 22-28, 2018 – AssamExam

Topic to focus: Current Affairs Topics w.r.t. Geography

 

Q93. The largest landlocked country in the world is

  1. Republic of Congo
  2. Mongolia
  3. Bolivia
  4. Kazakhstan

Correct Option: (D) Kazakhstan

Kazakhstan is the world’s largest landlocked country. A landlocked country is a country that has no direct access to the ocean.

Topic to focus: Countries/States facts

Q94. Find out which of the following pairs is/are correct:

  1. Khamti: Arunachal Pradesh
  2. Ao: Nagaland
  3. Melacheri: Lakshadweep
  1. Only 1
  2. Only 2
  3. 1 and 2
  4. All are correct

Correct Option: (D) All of the above

Topic to focus: States and native Tribes

 

 Q95. Which country is the largest archipelago country in the world?

  1. Philippines
  2. Indonesia
  3. Maldives
  4. Malaysia

Correct Option: (B) Indonesia

Indonesia is made up of 17,508 islands of which about 6,000 islands inhabited by people. As the largest archipelago in the world, its territory covers an area of 1,919,440 square kilometers (735 355 square miles) and has one of the widest among the 16 countries in the world and is also the fourth most populous country with about 230 million inhabitants. The country has over 150 active volcanoes, including Krakatoa and Tambora.

Topic to focus: Countries/States facts 

 

Q96. Which of the following rivers has the largest river basin in the Indian subcontinent?

  1. The Brahmaputra
  2. The Indus
  3. The Ganga
  4. The Krishna

Correct Option: (C) Ganga

Source of Answer

The Indus basin extends over China (Tibet), India, Afghanistan and Pakistan draining an area of 11,65,500 Sq.km.

Most of the Indus Basin lies in India and Pakistan, and only about 13 percent of its total catchment is in Tibet and Afghanistan.

So, Indus basin within Indian subcontinent = 10,13,985 Sq.km.

  • https://ncert.nic.in/ncerts/l/kegy103.pdf

The Indus System is one of the largest river basins of the world, covering an area of 11,65,000 sq. km (in India it is 321, 289 sq. km and a total length of 2,880

km (in India 1,114 km).

The Ganga basin extends over an area of 10,86,000km2.

The drainage area lying in India is 862,769 km2. 140,000 km2 (54,000 sq mi) in Nepal (13%), 46,000 km2 (18,000 sq mi) in Bangladesh (4%), and 33,000 km2 (13,000 sq mi) in China (3%)

Source: International Watercourses Law for the 21st Century: The Case of the River Ganges Basin Front Cover Sūryaprasāda Suvedī, Surya P. Subedi

So, Even if we deduct Basin area in China, 10,86,000-13000=10,73,000km2 in Indian subcontinent.

Topic to focus: Important Rivers

 

Q97. The boundary demarcation between India and Pakistan came into force on 17th August 1947. Which line divides the two countries?

  1. Durand Line
  2. Radcliffe Line
  3. McMohan Line
  4. Gilbert Line

Correct Option: (B) Radcliffe Line

The boundary demarcation line between India and Pakistan known as the Radcliffe Line came into force on 17 August 1947. The Radcliffe line is spread through the Rann of Kutch in Gujarat to the international border in Jammu in Jammu & Kashmir, dividing India and Pakistan into two different countries.

Topic to focus: Important boundaries – Political Geography

 

Q98. The islands of Seychelles are located in the

  1. Arctic Ocean
  2. Atlantic Ocean
  3. Indian Ocean
  4. Pacific Ocean

Correct Option: (C) Indian Ocean

Seychelles is located in the Somali Sea segment of the Indian Ocean, northeast of Madagascar.

Topic to focus: Countries/States facts 

 

Q100. According to the most authentic geographical studies, when did life begin on earth?

  1. 4.2 million years ago
  2. 4.6 billion years ago
  3. 3.8 million years ago
  4. 3.8 billion years ago

Correct Option: (D) 3.8 billion

Earth formed around 4.54 billion years ago. The earth’s oceans were formed within 500 million years from the formation of the earth. Sometime around 3,800 million years ago, life began to evolve.

Topic to focus: Earth’s physical geography

GEOGRAPHY Assam

Q4. Which among the following cities is known as the Tea City of India?

  1. Darjeeling
  2. Dibrugarh
  3. Siliguri
  4. Nainital

Correct Option: (B) Dibrugarh

Dibrugarh is the largest tea exporting town in India. Nestled on the banks of the river Brahmaputra, Dibrugarh is the entry point to the districts of Tinsukia, Dibrugarh and Jorhat which produce tea in abundance. Around 50% of the total tea produced in Assam come from these three districts. Dibrugarh is aptly called the ‘Tea City of India’. The town and its nearby places are a home to Oil and Timber industries. The aroma of the tea gardens and the mesmerizing views of the Himalayas make the town a must-see destination. Take a stroll in the tea gardens and sip one of the finest tea in the world. Take some packets of the tea back home. Every time you have this tea you will relive your memories of Dibrugarh. The town got its name from Dibarumukh. ‘Dibaru’ is the name of a river and ‘mukh’ means mouth.

Topic to focus: Economic Centers of Assam

 

Q22. The four districts under the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) are

  1. Kokrajhar, Barpeta, Chirang and Baksa
  2. Kokrajhar, Baksa, Chirang and Udalguri
  3. Kokrajhar, Baksa, Sonitpur and Udalguri
  4. Baksa, Chirang, Udalguri and Nalbari

Correct Option: (B) Kokrajhar, Baksa, Chirang and Udalguri

The BTC consists of four contiguous districts — Kokrajhar, Baksa, Udalguri and Chirang — carved out of seven existing districts — Kokrajhar, Bongaigaon, Barpeta, Nalbari, Kamrup, Darrang and Sonitpur — an area of 8970 km2 comprising various protected tribal belts and blocks in Assam. Its establishment was under theass Amended Sixth Schedule of the Constitution of India.

Topic to focus: Political Geography of Assam

 

Q37. The two UNESCO World Heritage sites in Assam are

  1. Nameri National Park and Dibru-Saikhowa National Park
  2. Kaziranga National Park and Manas National Park
  3. Rajiv Gandhi Orang National Park and Hollongabar Gibbon WLS
  4. Deepor Beel WLS and Dibru-Saikhowa National park

Correct Option: (B) Kaziranga NP and Manas NP

UNESCO World Heritage Sites in India

  • India now has 35 sites, including 27 cultural properties, seven natural sites and one mixed site, notified as World Heritage Sites.

UNESCO World Heritage Natural Sites in India

28.

Kaziranga National Park (1985)

Assam

29

Manas Wild Life Sanctuary (1985)

Assam

30.

Keoladeo National Park (1985)

Rajasthan

31.

Sunderban National Park (1987)

West Bengal

32.

Nanda Devi  and Valley of Flowers National Parks (1988, 2005)

Uttarakhand

33.

Western Ghats (2012)

Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra,Tamil Nadu

34.

Great Himalayan National Park (2014)

Himachal Pradesh

35.

Khangchendzonga National Park (KNP) (2016)* [Mixed site]

Sikkim

UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites in India – AssamExam

Topic to focus: Biodiversity conservation in Assam – National Parks, Wildlife Sanctuaries etc.

 

Q40. Which among the following tree is the state tree of Assam?

  1. Titachapa
  2. Nahor
  3. Hollong
  4. Segun

Correct Option: (C) Hollong (Dipterocarpus macrocarpus)

State Symbols of Assam (Assam Art & Culture APSC Notes) – AssamExam

Topic to focus: State symbols of Assam

 

Q99. Which of the following wildlife sanctuaries/National Parks is located in the Assam-Arunachal Pradesh borders?

  1. Sonai Rupai Wildlife Sanctuary
  2. Bornadi Wildlife Sanctuary
  3. Dibru-Saikhowa NP
  4. Namdapha NP

Correct Option: (A) Sonai Rupai Wildlife Sanctuary.

Sonai Rupai Wildlife Sanctuary is a protected area located in the state of Assam in India. This wildlife sanctuary covers 175 km2. It is located along the foothills of the Great Himalayan Range. The area was declared as a sanctuary in 1998.

Topic to focus: Biodiversity conservation in Assam – National Parks, Wildlife Sanctuaries etc.

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Assam Geography/Environment MCQ Questions Set 4

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Assam Geography/Environment MCQ Questions Set 4 – National Parks & Wildlife Conservation in Assam

for APSC / Assam exam Geography Preparation

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Assam History - Assam Exam

Q1. Which of the following protected site was declared a World Heritage Site in December 1985 by UNESCO and it was removed from the List of World Heritage in Danger in 2011?

  1. Kaziranga National Park
  2. Orang National Park
  3. Raimona National Park
  4. Manas National Park

Manas National Park

Q2. In which year Kaziranga National Park was given official status of National Park by the central government?

  1. 1951
  2. 1974
  3. 1999
  4. 2006

1974

In 1954, the government of Assam passed the Assam (Rhinoceros) Bill, which imposed heavy penalties for rhinoceros poaching. Fourteen years later, in 1968, the state government passed the Assam National Park Act of 1968, declaring Kaziranga a designated national park. The 430 km2 park was given official status by the central government on 11 February 1974. In 1985, Kaziranga was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO for its unique natural environment. Kaziranga National Park was declared a Tiger Reserve in 2006.

Q3. Kaziranga National Park hosts around ______ of the world’s one-horned rhinoceroses?

  1. Half
  2. 90 per cent
  3. Two-thirds
  4. 100 per cent

Two-thirds

Kaziranga National Park is a national park in the Golaghat and Nagaon districts of the state of Assam, India. The park, which hosts two-thirds of the world’s great one-horned rhinoceroses, is a World Heritage Site.

Q4. Which of the following statements is NOT correct about Kaziranga National Park?

  1. It is a declared UNESCO World Heritage Site
  2. It is a declared Tiger Reserve.
  3. It is recognized as an Important Bird Area by BirdLife International for conservation of avifaunal species.
  4. It is declared as an Eco-Sensitive Zones (ESZs) by the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC), Govt of India

It is declared as an Eco-Sensitive Zones (ESZs) by the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC), Govt of India

Q5. Assam has what per cent of it’s total geographical area under the Seven national parks in the state?

  1. 1.88%
  2. 2.51%
  3. 21.68%
  4. 23.45%

2.51%

Assam protected areas includes Seven national parks (2.51% of Assam‘s area), 16 wildlife sanctuaries (1.88% of Assam’s area), and two proposed wildlife sanctuaries.

Q6. Which state has the maximum no. of National Parks?

  1. Madhya Pradesh
  2. Assam
  3. Kerala
  4. Uttarakhand

Madhya Pradesh

Q7. Which National Park forms the core area of Chirang Ripu Elephant Reserve?

  1. Kaziranga National Park
  2. Manas National Park
  3. Nameri National Park
  4. Dibru-Saikhowa National Park

Manas National Park

Q8. Which of the two National Parks are declared as National Parks in 2021?

  1. Dehing Patkai National Park and Orang National Park
  2. Dibru-Saikhowa National Park and Dehing Patkai National Park
  3. Raimona National Park and Dehing Patkai National Park
  4. Dehing Patkai National Park and Orang National Park

Raimona National Park and Dehing Patkai National Park

Q9. Which state has the largest population of wild water buffalo in the world?

  1. Bihar
  2. West Bengal
  3. Andhra Pradesh
  4. Assam

Assam

Q10. Which of the following protected areas in Assam is known for Bengal florican?

  1. Manas National Park
  2. Royal Manas National Park
  3. Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary
  4. Garampani Wildlife Sanctuary

Manas National Park

 

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Five Elephant Reserves in Assam | Environment of Assam Notes

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Five Elephant Reserves in Assam - Assam Geography/Environment Notes

Assam Geography - Assamexam

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Five Elephant Reserves in Assam

Elephant is the largest terrestrial mammal of India .Elephant being wide ranging animal requires large areas. The requirement of food and water for elephants are very high and therefore their population can be supported only by forests that are under optimal conditions.

Indian elephants are mainly found in the central and southern Western Ghats, North-east India, eastern India and northern India and in some parts of southern peninsular India. It is included in Schedule I of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 and in Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Flora and Fauna (CITES). It occurs in 16 states in the country and is showing an increasing trend across its distributional range.

 

Asian elephants are confined to Indian Subcontinent, South East Asia and some Asian Islands – Sri Lanka, Indonesia and Malaysia. About 60% of the Asian elephant population is in India.

Elephant Reserves in Assam
  Elephant Reserves Location Area Dt of incorporation
1. Chirang-Ripu ER Kokrajhar, Chirang, Baksa, Udalguri 2600.00 06-03-03
2. Sonitpur ER Sonitpur 1420.00 07-03-03
3. Dining Patkai ER Dibrugarh & Tinsukia 937.00 07-04-03
4. Kaziranga-Karbi Anglong ER Sonitpur, Nagoan, Golaghat, & Karbi Anglong 3270.00 17-04-03
5. Dhansiri-Lungding ER Karbi Anglong, Nagoan & N.C.Hills 2740.00 19-0

Environment & Ecology e-Book PDF | Geography of Assam e-Book PDF

 

Major Environmental Movements in India – APSC Geography Exam Note

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Major Environmental Movements in India

Geography /Environment Notes APSC, UPSC and State Exam Notes

Assam Geography Assamexam

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Environmental movement is a type of social movement for the conservation of the environment or for the improvement of the state policy especially inclined towards the environment.Many environmental movements have emerged in India. These movements have grown out of a series of independent responses to local issues in different places at different times.

 

Major Environmental Movements in India 

Bishnoi Movement: This movement was started by sage Sombaji around 1700 AD against deforestation. After that Amrita Devi forwarded the movement. Around 363 people sacrificed their lives for the protection of their forests. When the king of this region came to know the protest and killing, he rushed to the village and apologized, and declared the region as a protected area. This movement was the first of its kind to have developed the strategy of hugging or embracing the trees for their protection spontaneously.

Narmada Bachao Andolan: This movement is against the Narmada River Valley Project. It has drawn upon a multiplicity of discourses for protests such as: displacement risks and resettlement provisions; environmental impact and sustainability issues; financial implications of the project; forceful evictions and violations of civil liberties; issues pertaining to river valley planning and management etc.

Chipko Movement:  It is one of the world-known environmental movements in India.This movement initiated by Shri Sunderlal Bahaguna to guard the trees on the Himalayan slopes. Sunderlal Bahaguna not only successfully resisted deforestation in several areas but also showed that community afforestation with indigenous species can be enormously successful. He enlightened the villagers by conveying the importance of trees in the environment which checks the erosion of soil, causes rains and provides pure air. The women of Advani village of Tehri-Garhwal tied the sacred thread around trunks of trees and they hugged the trees, hence it was called the ‘Chipko Movement’ or ‘hug the tree movement’.

Jungle Bachao Andolan: The tribal community of Singhbhum district of Jharkhand agitated against the forest policy of the Government in 1982. The Government wanted to replace the natural soil, forests with the high-priced teak. This movement was called by many environmentalists as “Greed Game Political Populism”. Later this movement spread to Jharkhand and Orissa.

Appiko Movement: It is one of the forest-based environmental movements in India. The movement took place in Uttara Kannada district of Karnataka in the Western Ghats. Its main objectives were afforestation as well as development, conservation and proper utilization of forests in the best manner. The movement created awareness among the villagers throughout the Western Ghats about the ecological danger posed by the commercial and industrial interests to their forest which was the main source of sustenance.

Silent Valley Movement: Silent Valley Movement in Kerala was against the construction of a hydroelectric dam on the river Kunthipuzha under the Kudremukh project.

Tehri Dam Conflict: In recent years, it is one of the most publicized environmental movements in recent years. The major issues of the movement include- seismic sensitivity of the region, submergence of forest areas along with Tehri town etc.

These environmental movements were mainly against the ecological concerns such as greater exploitation of the already depleted natural resources, construction of big dams etc. However, along with these ecological concerns, there were also economic and identity issues associated with these environmental movements.

 

Some of the economic issues associated with environmental movements

  • The economy of subsistence was pitted against the economy of profit. Along with this issue of social inequality (villagers versus a government that represented commercial, capitalist interests), the Chipko Movement also raised the issue of ecological sustainability.
  • Villagers relied on the forest to get firewood, fodder and other daily necessities. The livelihood needs of poor villagers were put at stake against the government’s desire to generate revenues from selling timber. The need for infrastructural development attracted many foreign logging companies, who were eyeing the vast forest resources. This led to denying of villager’s control over these natural resources on which they relied for both food and fuel.
  • Widespread flooding of the villages and forest areas, which was attributed to the mismanagement due to commercial logging and construction of big dams, led to displacement of villagers thereby losing their means of livelihood.

 

Some of the identity issues associated with environmental movements

  • Environmental movement is a type of “social movement that involves an array of persons, groups and coalitions that observe a common interest in environmental protection and act to bring about changes in environmental policies and practices
  • The villagers valued the forest for their own sake and were of the view that their existence and identity is closely linked to the forest. They were able to perceive the link between their victimization and the denuding of mountain slopes by commercial interests.
  • Women, being solely in charge of cultivation, livestock and children, suffered the most due to floods and landslides.
  • Women were given no share in the decision-making process, public power and political activities like men. These movements provided them with the opportunity to raise their concerns and fight for their rights.

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