Topic: geographical features and their location-changes in critical geographical features (including water-bodies and ice-caps) and in flora and fauna and the effects of such changes.
1. Throw light of distribution of grasslands in India. What are the threats faced by grasslands? Discuss steps that are needed to protect them. (250 words).
Difficulty level: Moderate
Reference: The Hindu
Why the question:
Since September 2022, India has translocated eight African cheetahs from Namibia and 12 from South Africa. This is part of a long-term conservation plan to re-introduce the wild cat into the country after it became extinct in the 1950s, primarily due to hunting. The aim is to be able to build a self-sustaining population, centred at Madhya Pradesh’s Kuno National Park, which will also contribute to the global survival of the cheetah as a species. Can the cheetahs thrive in India and help India’s grasslands?
Key Demand of the question:
To write about the distribution of grasslands in India, threats faced by them and steps needed to protect them.
Directive word:
Discuss – This is an all-encompassing directive – you must debate on paper by going through the details of the issues concerned by examining each one of them. You must give reasons for both for and against arguments.
Structure of the answer:
Introduction:
Begin by mentioning the types of grassland in India.
Body:
First, with a small representative map, show the distribution of grasslands in India – Deccan Plateau, Western Ghats, and Himalayan foothills. Mention their major features in brief.
Next, write about the threats faced by grasslands and its impact – conversion into agricultural land, overgrazing by livestock, deforestation, invasive species, climate change, and infrastructure development. These threats are leading to habitat fragmentation, loss of biodiversity, and displacement of wildlife species.
Next, suggest steps that are needed to protect grasslands in the country.
Conclusion:
Conclude by writing a way forward.
