Natural Vegetation of India – NDA Geography Notes

Introduction

The Natural Vegetation of India NDA chapter helps you understand how India’s forest types vary across regions based on rainfall, climate, and altitude. From dense evergreen forests in the Western Ghats to thorny bushes in Rajasthan, this chapter forms a key part of the NDA Geography syllabus. In this article, we’ll explore all vegetation zones in a simple and structured manner.

Forests of India – ISFR 2021

India’s Forest Cover

Forest Rich States

Mangroves of India

• Found in coastal saline areas

• Sundarbans – Largest Mangrove Forest in India & world

Forest Types of India

Forest Report Highlights

• Increase in forest cover: 0.22% (2021 over 2019)

• Mangrove cover increased

• 46% of forests are fire-prone

Constitutional Provisions for Forests

Important Organizations

Biodiversity of India

• Biodiversity = Variety of plant, animal, and microbial life

• India is one of the 17 mega-biodiversity countries

• 24.62% of India’s land is under forest & tree cover

Biodiversity Hotspots in India

Protected Areas in India

Difference: Wildlife Sanctuary, National Park, Biosphere Reserve

| Feature | Sanctuary | National Park | Biosphere Reserve |
|———-|———–|—————-|
| Focus | Animals | Ecosystem (Flora & Fauna) | Biodiversity + Tribes |
| Ownership | Govt/Private | Only Government | Only Government |
| Boundaries | Not fixed | Fixed | Fixed |
| Human Activity | Allowed (Limited) | Not allowed | Allowed in buffer zone |
| Size | Small | Small | Large |

Biosphere Reserves in India

UNESCO World Network Biosphere Reserves (WNBR)

National Parks in India (Important Ones)

Tiger Reserves of India

• Project Tiger launched in 1973

• Currently 53 Tiger Reserves (2024)

Largest Tiger Reserve (Core Area):

• Nagarjunsagar Srisailam Tiger Reserve – Andhra Pradesh

Smallest Tiger Reserve:

• Bor Tiger Reserve – Maharashtra

Important Tiger Reserves

States with Most Tigers (2023 Census Order)

1. Madhya Pradesh

2. Karnataka

3. Uttarakhand

4. Tamil Nadu

5. Maharashtra

6. Assam

7. Kerala

Important Wildlife Sanctuaries

Ramsar Sites in India (Wetlands of International Importance)

• Total Ramsar Sites (2024) – 75

• Largest: Sundarbans

• Smallest: Renuka Wetland (HP)

 

RAMASAR SITES IN INDIA

Ramsar Site:

A wetland is an area that is flooded by water, either permanently (for years or decades) or seasonally (for weeks or months). Categories of Wetlands

o    Coastal/Tidal Wetlands

o    Inland/Non-tidal Wetlands

Wetland is important due to their biological production, ability to filter and store water, mitigate flood damages, importance in providing habitat and food for waterfowl, as well as the many other species they host.

Conclusion:

Understanding the Natural Vegetation of India NDA is important for answering map-based and conceptual questions in the NDA exam. These notes help you revise forest types, their characteristics, and distribution easily. If you found it helpful, share these Natural Vegetation of India NDA notes with your friends and keep building your preparation strong!

 

PREVIOUS YEAR QUESTIONS

Which one of the following national parks is located near Chamoli? [NDA 2007 I]

(a) Dudhwa National Park

(b) Great Himalayan Park

(c) Jim Corbett National Park

(d) Nanda Devi National Park

 

The Nokrek biosphere reserve is located in:                          [NDA 2012 II]

(a) Arunachal Pradesh                       (b) Assam                              (c) Sikkim                              (d) Meghalaya

 

176 Which set of the following biosphere reserves in India is included in the world Network of Biosphere Reserves? [NDA 2017 II]

(a) Gulf of Mannar, Nokrek, Panchmarhi and Simlipal

(b) Gulf of Mannar, Kanchanjunga, Nokrek and Seshachalam

(c) Nilgiri, Nokrek, panchmarhi and Seshachalam

(d) Nilgiri, Nokrek, Panchmarhi and Seshachalam

 

Which one of the following is included in the world list of biosphere reserve by UNESCO? [CDS 2008 I]

(a) Kinnaur Region

(b) Spiti Valley

(c) Nallamalai Hills

(d) Sundarbans

 

Which one of the following is a global biodiversity hotspot in India? [CDS 2008 II]

(a) Western Ghats

(b) Western Himalayas

(c) Eastern Ghats

(d) Northern Himalayas

 

Consider the following regions of India: [CDS 2009 I]

1. Western Ghats
2. Aravalli Hills
3. Eastern Himalayas

Which of the above is/are biodiversity hot spot/ hot spots?

(a) Only 1

(b) 1 and 3

(c) 2 and 3

(d) All of the above

 

Consider the following statements: [CDS 2009 I]

National parks are a special category of protected areas of land and sea coasts where people are an integral part of the system.

Sanctuaries are concerned with conservation of particular species.

Biosphere reserves are connected with the habitat of a particular wild animal.

Which of the statement given above is are correct?

(a) 1, 2 and 3

(b) Only 2

(c) 1 and 2

(d) 1 and 3

 

Consider the following wildlife sanctuaries of India: [NDA 2018-II]

1. Shikari Devi
2. Bhadra
3. Simlipal
4. Pachmarhi

Which one of the following is the correct order of the above Wildlife Sanctuaries in terms of their location from south to north?

(a) 1-2-3-4

(b) 2-4-3-1

(c) 2-3-4-1

(d) 3-1-2-4

 

In India, in which one of the following areas are the tropical evergreen forests found? [NDA 2006 I]

(a) The Western Ghats

(b) The Eastern Ghats

(c) The Western Himalayas

(d) The Central Himalayas

 

Arrange the following states in decreasing order of their total area under forest cover: [NDA]

1. Jharkhand
2. Chhattisgarh
3. Arunachal Pradesh
4. Madhya Pradesh

(a) 4-3-2-1

(b) 4-2-3-1

(c) 3-4-1-2

(d) 2-1-3-4

 

Which of the following states in India has the largest area under forest cover? [NDA]

(a) Maharashtra

(b) Chhattisgarh

(c) Madhya Pradesh

(d) Andhra Pradesh

 

Which one of the following types of forest covers the maximum areas in India? [NDA 2008-II]

(a) Tropical rain forest

(b) Tropical moist deciduous forest

(c) Tropical dry deciduous forest

(d) Tropical dry evergreen forest

 

What is the sequential order of vegetation types observed while moving from Assam Valley to Rajasthan Plains? [NDA 2009 II]

(a) Tropical Wet Evergreen-Tropical Moist Deciduous-Tropical Dry Deciduous-Tropical Thorn Forest

(b) Tropical Thorn Forest- Tropical Dry Deciduous- Tropical Moist Deciduous- Tropical Wet Evergreen

(c) Tropical Moist Deciduous- Tropical Wet Evergreen- Tropical Dry Deciduous- Tropical Thorn Forest

(d) Tropical Dry Deciduous- Tropical Thorn Forest- Tropical Moist Deciduous-Tropical Wet Evergreen

 

Which one of the following Indian states has the highest proportion of area under forest cover? [NDA 2015-I]

(a) Madhya Pradesh

(b) Sikkim

(c) Meghalaya

(d) Mizoram

 

Consider the following states of India in terms of percentage of forest area in relation to the total area of the states:[NDA 2017 II]

1. Karnataka
2. Odisha
3. Kerala
4. Andhra Pradesh

Which one of the following is the correct descending order?

(a) 1-2-4-3                                                            (b) 3-1-2-4                            (c) 3-2-1-4                             (d) 2-3-1-4

 

82. Consider the following statements: [NDA 2011-I]
83. The Himalayan vegetation varies according to both altitude and climatic conditions.
84. There are mainly two types of tropical forests that are found in the Himalayas-the tropical rainforests and the tropical deciduous forests.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 Only                                                              (b) 2 Only                              (c) Both 1 and 2                   (d) Neither 1 nor 2

 

 

142. Match List-I with List-II and select the correct answer using the code given below the lists: [NDA 2015-II]

	List I		List II
	Place		Normal Vegetation Type
A.	Western Ghats	1.	Tropical Moist Deciduous
B.	Himachal Pradesh	2.	Tropical Evergreen
C.	Haryana and Punjab	3.	Himalayan Moist Forest
D.	Chhota Nagpur Plateau	4.	Tropical Thorny Forest

 Codes:

	A	B	C	D
(a)	2	3	4	1
(b)	1	4	3	2
(c)	2	4	3	1
(d)	1	3	4	2

 

The natural vegetation which covers the maximum geographical areas of India is: [NDA 2021-I]

(a) Tropical deciduous forests

(b) Tropical thorn forests

(c) Montane Forests

(d) Tropical evergreen forests

 

Which one of the following states has the largest forest area to its total land area? [CDS 2008-II]

(a) Mizoram

(b) Arunachal Pradesh

(c) Sikkim

(d) Jammu and Kashmir

 

In which one of the following places is the forest survey of India (FSI), a national organisation engaged in forest cover mapping, forest inventory and training in the field of remote sensing and GIS, located? [CDS 2009 I]

(a) Dehradun

(b) Itanagar

(c) Ahmadabad

(d) Aizawl

Among the following forest types in India, which one occupies the largest area? [CDS 2007 I]

(a) Tropical wet evergreen forest

(b) Tropical moist deciduous forest

(c) Sub-tropical dry evergreen forest

(d) Montane wet temperate forest

 

The national forestry action plan aims to bring 33% of land area in India under tree cover by which year? [CDS 2007 I]

(a) 2008                                                (b) 2012                                (c) 2016                                                 (d) 2020