NCERT Solutions for Class 5 EVS Chapter 20 - Whose Forests

All natural resources available are for everyone and must be used judiciously. Exploiting natural resources would affect everyone’s lives, including our future generations. Some examples of collective wealth are—
i) Coal and petroleum, ii) Seafoods like fish, crabs, and prawns, iii) Groundwater, iv) Minerals.

Forests belong to everyone, including man, animals, birds, insects, because these are not anyone’s personal property.

No, growing many trees close to each other does not make a forest. A forest is a thick cover of plants that takes many years to form.

An area covered with different plants including trees, shrubs and bushes is called a forest. One can see various types of plants, birds, insects, and animals in a forest.

Other than trees, the forest is home to various animals, insects, birds and microorganisms.

Humans depend on forests for various reasons because of the following reasons—
i) Plants give off oxygen and absorb carbon dioxide. We know oxygen is essential for the sustenance of life. Thus, forests act as a balancing agent of the environment and also plays the role of a natural air purifier.
ii) Forests are the sources of food, medicinal herbs, different raw materials like wood that humans use in different ways.
iii) Forests provide a source of livelihood for the people residing near them.
iv) Forests are the natural habitat of many animals, birds and insects. Without forests, they will not have a place to stay and will start to encroach on human settlements for their survival.
So based on the above points, we can say that forests play a significant role in the existence of human life.

The environmental factors of the region impact the type of trees that grow in the forests of those regions. Hence, one can find different kinds of trees in different forests. I can identify the following trees— i) Mango, ii) Coconut, iii) Gulmohar, iv) Neem, v) Sheesham, vi) Banyan, vii) Teak, viii) Eucalyptus. [Students should mention their experience based on the above lines.]

The contractor cut wood from the forest for commercial purposes, so he did not allow Suryamani to go into the forest.

Yes, I and my father are fond of forests. We go to different forests and enjoy jungle safaris during our vacations.
[Students should mention their experience based on the above lines.]

There is an old palace in my town. It is neither open for common people nor maintained well by the authorities. I feel it should be renovated by the authorities and should be open to the common people.
[Students should mention their experience based on the above lines.]

Yes, Avantika is my best friend with whom I share everything.
[Students should mention their experience based on the above lines.]

 Using the word jungli seems disrespectful. The choices, habits, rituals, festivals, and lifestyles of people depend on the geographical location. Dwelling near forests does not make people jungli. Instead, they respect forests and take care of them. They work hard and honestly earn their living.

Yes, I have an adivasi friend in school, and her name is Jamuna. Since she has spent a long time in the forests, she knows many things about them. She can identify plants by looking at their leaves and understands the benefits of medicinal plants. I have learnt the use of natural herbs in daily life from her. For example, using neem in hot water keeps our skin clean, and harshringar is used to relieve joint pains.
[Students should mention their experience based on the above lines.]

Adivasis are simple people who depend on forests for their food. They have simple style of wearing clothes. In some areas, one can find them wearing animal skins. They have different festivals, languages and cultures. They do not like the interference of outsiders in their living places or lives. They worship different elements of nature as they value the importance of natural resources.

I want to become a pilot. I will study hard to make my dream come true.

Yes, I would like to keep the following things alive in my culture—
i) Rajasthani folk music and dance.
ii) The traditional Rajasthani attire of ghagra, choli and odhni.
[Students should mention their experience based on the above lines.]

I have come across news articles that state that how global warming has led to climate change. Deforestation i.e., cutting down forests is one of the major causes of global warming. Extensive deforestation causes an increase in carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere, facilitating global warming, thereby affecting the weather patterns.
i) The rainfall pattern is becoming erratic.
ii) Frequent occurrence of cyclones.
iii) Extreme hot summers.
iv) Occurrence of droughts.
[Students should mention their experience based on the above lines.]

Yes, there is a small group in our locality, and they work to maintain a small patch of forest near our city. They organise awareness camps, tree plantation drives and forest cleaning programmes.
[Students should mention their experience based on the above lines.]

 Due to the construction of the industrial complex, the following difficulties have arisen—
i) A patch of land with many trees has been cleared. A waterbody, too, has been filled up.
ii) The air quality has degraded.
iii) One gets the pungent smell of ammonia in the early mornings.
Yes, the people residing there are not aware of the harmful effects of such construction work, and so they have not raised any issue.
[Students should mention their experience based on the above lines.]

 An industrial complex is being built on the outskirts of my city. A lot of construction work is going on for this reason.
[Students should mention their experience based on the above lines.]

Jharkhand is situated towards the south of Bihar and north of Orrisa.

The forests are represented by a green colour on the map and are visible in some states of India. A key for the same is mentioned in the bottom right position of the map.

 The map shows the distribution of forest cover in our country.

The following states have the sea on one side—
i) Karnataka, ii) Goa, iii) Maharashtra, iv) Gujarat, v) Kerala, vi) Tamil Nadu, vii) Andhra Pradesh, viii) Orrisa, ix) West Bengal.

 For someone in Madhya Pradesh, the country’s thickest forest would be towards the north, east and north-east. The states with the thickest forests are as follows— Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand, Arunachal Pradesh, and Jharkhand.

Orissa is in the eastern coastal part of India. It is surrounded by Chhattisgarh, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh and Jharkhand.

We can find this by looking at the key. The dark green colour indicates the thick forest cover, and the light green colour shows a thin forest cover.

‘Cheraw’ is a famous traditional dance of Mizoram. The dancers use bamboo staves to set a rhythm for dancing. Four to six people hold the long bamboos across one another on the ground, and the female dancers weave in between the bamboos on the rhythm. Their dance movements reflect the swaying of trees and the flight of birds. They wear colourful costumes, which adds to the beauty of the dance. Cheraw is gradually gaining fame globally. In 2010, this dance form was featured in the Guinness Book of World Records.

The adivasis must have made those cups. They must have been selling those cups to earn money. Also, they must have kept it in the middle of the roadways to be used by people passing by for drinking water.

 Yes, there are many things in public places that people are free to use like water dispensers, public toilets etc.

The states around Mizoram are—Manipur, Nagaland, Tripura, Meghalaya.

Other ways of measuring land are—i) square metres, ii) Bigha, iii) Acre, iv) Katha, v) Yard, vi) Hectare

Similarities:
Both types of farming are based on the use of natural manure to maintain soil fertility and get a good crop yield.
Differences:

The following reasons distinguish Jhoom farming from other types of farming—
i) A new patch of land is used in every cropping season.
ii) This type of farming allows the soil to replenish its fertility.
iii) The weeds and unwanted plants are not removed; rather, they are used as manure.