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Notes Chapter No. 4

Bdhe

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23 views

Notes Chapter No. 4

Bdhe

Uploaded by

umairnazir122536
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Notes Prepared by SHAHID Sir

CHAPTER 4TH

Forest Society and Colonialism


Q. No. 1 Discuss how the changes in forest management in the
colonial period affected the following people:

(a) Shifting Cultivators.

Ans:- Shifting cultivators were badly affected due to the forest


management in colonial period. Their practice of shifting
cultivators was banned, because colonial government regarded
this practice as harmful for the forests and also made the process
of revenue collection difficult. As a result many communities were
forcibly displaced from their homes in the forests. Some changed
their occupation, while some resisted through large and small
rebellions.

(b) Nomadic and pastoralist communities.

Ans:- The nomads and pastoralists became the worst sufferers of


forest management. Under the forest acts their access to the forests
was limited. They could not freely graze their herds in the forests
and their everyday practices like cutting wood for their houses,

Class 9th History (Forest Society and Colonialism) Page No. 1


Notes Prepared by SHAHID Sir
collecting fruits and roots, hunting and fishing etc. became illegal.
People were now forced to restore to stealing, but when they were
caught, they were at mercy of forest guard, who took bribes from
them. These communities lost their sources of livelihood. Besides
some were forcibly displaced from their homes and whenever they
revolted against this they were ruthlessly crushed.

( c ) Firms trading in timber/forest produce.

Ans:- The European trading firms were benefited by the forest


management, because the colonial government gave them sole
right to trade in the forest products of particular area. It was due to
this monopoly that these firms earned huge profits.

(d) Plantation owners.

Ans:- The plantation owners were also benefitted by forest


management. The colonial government gave vast area of forest
land to them on cheap rates. These areas were enclosed, cleared of
forests and planted with tea and coffee. Besides the forest dwellers
lost their source of income, as a result cheap labour, who were
ready to work as indentured labourers, became easily available to
these plantation owners.

(e) Kings/British officials engaged in Shikar (Hunting).


Class 9th History (Forest Society and Colonialism) Page No. 2
Notes Prepared by SHAHID Sir
Ans:- Under the new forests law’s the hunting of small animals was
prohibited but the killing of big and dangerous animals like tiger,
lion etc. became a sport. Both Indian kings and British officials
enjoyed this and killed large number of such animals.

Q. No. 2:- What are the similarities between colonial


management of the forest in the Bastar and in Java?

Ans:- The similarities between colonial management of the forests


in Bastar and Java are as;

1. New forest laws were implemented for forest management at


both the places.
2. The use of forests for hunting, grazing cattle, collecting
woods etc. by forest dwellers was restricted.
3. Major portion of forests were kept reversed for fulfilling the
needs of government.
4. At both places the forest peoples were forced to work for the
government in the forests.

Q. No. 3:- Between 1880 and 1920, forest cover in Indian


subcontinent declined by 9.7 million hectares, from 108.6 million
hectares. Discuss the role of the following factors in this decline:

(a) Railways.
Class 9th History (Forest Society and Colonialism) Page No. 3
Notes Prepared by SHAHID Sir
Ans:- Railways played an important role in decreasing the
percentage of area under the forest cover in India. The railway
tracks required large number of wooden sleepers to hold them
together tightly. For constructing one mile of railway track near
about 1760-2000 sleepers are required and an average sized tree
yields 3 to 5 sleepers. As railways were constructed from 1850’s in
Indian and in 1946 there were about 765000 km of railways, due to
which large number of trees were cut down.

(b) Shipbuilding.

Ans:- As Britain was having supremacy over navy, with which it


was super-power during pre-world war period, besides this sea
was also the main route of trade and commerce. But by the early
19th century British faced short of timber for making ships. So in
1820’s search parties were sent to explore forest resources in India.
Within a decade trees were being felled on a massive scale and vast
quantity timber was exported from India for making ships due to
which the percentage of area under forest cover decreased.

(c ) Agriculture Expansion.

Class 9th History (Forest Society and Colonialism) Page No. 4


Notes Prepared by SHAHID Sir
Ans:- Due to the expansion of the agriculture many forests were
cleared and brought under cultivation, which also decreased the
percentage of land under forest cover.

(d) Commercial farming.

Ans:- The Britishers commercialized the agriculture as they needed


food grains to feed the growing urban population of England and
raw materials for industries. So the land which was earlier on
under forest was brought under cultivation, as British considered
these forests as unproductive and wilderness. As a result
cultivated area rose by 6.6 million hectares from 1880-1920, but the
area under the forests declined.

(e) Tea/Coffee Plantations.

Ans:- The tea and coffee plant owners also cleared many forest and
planted tea and coffee plants, this practice also brought down the
percentage of area under forest cover.

(f) Advivasis and other peasant users.

Ans:- The advivasis used to cut down trees for domestic needs,
besides this peasants also cleared forest for cultivation purpose, as
a result the area under forest cover decreased.

Class 9th History (Forest Society and Colonialism) Page No. 5


Notes Prepared by SHAHID Sir
Q. No. 4:- Why are the forests affected by wars?

Ans:- Forests are affected by wars, because of the following


reasons;

1. The wars increased the demand for wood which led to large
scale deforestation.
2. Some times when a country is close to defeat, she herself
destroyed her forest resources, so that they may not fell in the
hand of enemy. This policy is known as “Scorched Earth”.
3. During the wars large area of forests come under fire due to
firing or bombing which also led to cleaning of forests.

(Additional Question)

Q. No. 5:- How did Industrialization affect the forests?

Ans:- The affects of the Industrialization on forests are as under;

1. Industrialization led to deforestation, because many trees


were cut-down to make wood available for industrial
projects. In addition to this many industries were dependent
on forest to a great extent for their production.

Class 9th History (Forest Society and Colonialism) Page No. 6


Notes Prepared by SHAHID Sir
2. Industrialization causes air pollution. The air evaporates into
the clouds which then come down sometimes as acidic rain
and thereby leads to destruction of forests.
3. Many forests had been cleared for constructing roads to
connect different industrial towns.

Class 9th History (Forest Society and Colonialism) Page No. 7

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