CBSE Class 10 Answered

Stakeholders in forests and their role:

• People who live in and around the forest
  • They get fruits and nuts for food, firewood for fuel, herbs for medicines,  bamboo to make huts and baskets and fodder for their cattle.
  • They make sure that they use the forests in a sustainable manner and cannot be held responsible for any damage to the trees or to the environment.
• The Forest Department of the Government
  • Sale of timber is a good source of revenue for them. They clear huge tracts of natural vegetation in the forests to grow trees like teak and pine for timber in monocultures. This destroys the biodiversity and harms the environment.
  • A large number of tourists visit the forest areas to observe wildlife. A variety of arrangements that have been made for their convenience are responsible for damaging the environment.
• Industrialists
  • Various industries like timber, paper, lac and the sports equipment industry all depend on forest resources  for the supply of raw materials.
  • Since the industrialists are responsible for most of the deforestation, efforts should be made by them to plant saplings in places where trees have been cut down.
• Forest and wildlife activists
  • The main interest of the activists is to prevent damage and destruction to the environment.
  • Their initial work started with the conservation of  animals like lions, tigers and elephants.
  • They have now realized the importance of conservation of forests which are the habitat of these wild animals.