Environment and Ecology of UP
- 01Habitats, Ecosystems and Biodiversity
- 02Forests, Forest Policy and Social Forestry
- 03Protected Areas and Wildlife Conservation
- 04Pollution and Its Control
- 05Climate Change and Weather Forecasting
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Contents
Habitats, Ecosystems and Biodiversity
Ecozones of UP: Habitat, Flora and Fauna
Chapter Overview
Chapter 1 covers the living base of Uttar Pradesh: its three ecozones, its land ecosystems and grasslands, its wetlands and Ramsar sites, and the conflict between people and wildlife. In June 2026 Surha Tal (Jai Prakash Narayan Bird Sanctuary), Ballia, became India's 100th Ramsar site and UP's 13th (PM India, 2026).
Topic 1 sets out the terai, the Gangetic plain and the Vindhyan–Bundelkhand plateau with their habitats, plants and animals. Topics 2 and 3 take the land and water ecosystems inside these zones, with the State's 2030 green-cover goal and its 13 Ramsar sites. Topic 4 shows what happens when shrinking habitats meet farms and villages. Forests are covered in Ch 2, and protected areas and species projects in Ch 3.
- 1Ecozones of UP: Habitat, Flora and Fauna
- whose land ecosystems include
- 2Terrestrial Ecosystems and Grasslands of UP: Vision Plan 2030
- beside the water ecosystems of
- 3Wetlands and Ramsar Sites of UP
- all pressed by people, leading to
- 4Human–Wildlife Conflict in UP: Causes and Measures
UP's tiger estimate rose from 117 in 2014 to 205 in 2022, against 3,682 for India (PIB, 2024), so its northern habitats still hold large predators. A habitat is the place where a species lives, an ecosystem is the wider unit of living beings and their surroundings, and an ecozone is a broad region of similar relief, soil, climate and life.
Habitat, Ecosystem and Adaptation
- Habitat and ecosystem: a habitat is the physical space one species needs; an ecosystem is the larger unit where many species interact with soil, water and climate; e.g. swamp deer habitat: the wet grassland of Jhadi Tal, Kishanpur, inside the terai forest ecosystem.
- Biotic and abiotic parts: producers or autotrophs (green plants), consumers or heterotrophs (animals) and decomposers or saprotrophs (fungi, bacteria) depend on soil, water, light, temperature and humidity; e.g. in a terai forest: sal (producer), chital (herbivore), tiger (carnivore), fungi (decomposer).
- Adaptation: species fit their ecozone through body form, behaviour (migration, night activity) or body functions, so each zone carries its own set of plants and animals; e.g. sal sheds leaves in the dry season; mahua flowers draw pollinators; bar-headed geese winter at Shekha Jheel (PIB, 2026).
The Three Ecozones: Habitat, Flora and Fauna
UP has three main ecozones, the terai along Nepal, the central Gangetic plain and the southern Vindhyan region, with small semi-arid pockets in Agra, Mathura and Etawah (NBRI Lucknow, 2011).
- Terai–Bhabar: bouldery bhabar foothills (100–400 m) give way to the terai: deep alluvium, 1,200–2,500 mm rain, floods, lakes and UP's finest sal forests; e.g. tiger, swamp deer, five of India's seven deer species and over 450 bird species in Pilibhit Tiger Reserve (NTCA, 2026).
- Gangetic plain: the most fertile and most farmed zone, with 600–1,200 mm rain, waterlogging, usar patches and little natural forest beyond riverine plantations; e.g. swamp deer, hog deer, Ganga river dolphin and over 300 bird species at Hastinapur (UP Eco Tourism, 2026).
- Vindhyan–Bundelkhand plateau: hills mostly below 300 m, with thin red lateritic soil, 750–1,200 mm rain and summer-dry streams, carry sal, mahua, tendu and salai forest; e.g. leopard, sloth bear, four-horned antelope, chinkara and wolf in Kaimoor WLS, Mirzapur–Sonbhadra (UP Eco Tourism, 2026).
| Ecozone (main districts) | Habitat condition | Flora | Fauna |
|---|---|---|---|
| Terai–Bhabar (Saharanpur, Bijnor, Pilibhit, Kheri, Bahraich, Shrawasti, Balrampur, Siddharthnagar, Mahrajganj) | Bhabar: bouldery soil, water table 30 m or deeper; terai: deep alluvium, 1,200–2,500 mm rain, floods, lakes | Moist deciduous sal with shisham, jamun and asna; tall wet grassland and swamps | Tiger, leopard, swamp deer, sloth bear, sambar; 450+ birds incl. sarus and Bengal florican; gharial, mugger |
| Gangetic plain (Doab, Awadh, Purvanchal) | 600–1,200 mm rain, more in the east; canal seepage, waterlogging, usar (sodic) land | Little natural forest; poplar, shisham and khair on riverine land; khadar grasses | Swamp deer, hog deer, chital, sarus; Ganga river dolphin, otters, turtles, crocodiles |
| Vindhyan–Bundelkhand plateau (Jhansi, Lalitpur, Jalaun, Hamirpur, Mahoba, Banda, Chitrakoot, Mirzapur, Sonbhadra) | Hills mostly below 300 m; thin red lateritic soil with murram; 750–1,200 mm rain; streams dry in summer | Sal, mahua, tendu, amla, khair, salai; bamboo, palas, dhau | Leopard, sloth bear, sambar, chital, four-horned antelope, nilgai, blackbuck, chinkara, wolf |
Why UP's Biodiversity Matters
- Biodiversity: the variety of genes, species and ecosystems; in UP it runs from terai grassland and sal to Ganga river habitats and Vindhyan dry forest; e.g. Ganga river dolphin from Bijnor barrage to Brajghat (UP Eco Tourism, 2026); concept: see GS-3 Environment Ch 1, Topic 2.
- State symbols: the swamp deer (State animal), sarus crane (State bird), Ashoka (State tree) and palash (State flower) mark UP's wet grassland, wetland and forest life; e.g. the peafowl is the national bird, not the State bird.
Gaps in Implementation
UP has laws, sanctuaries and plans for its wildlife, yet habitat keeps shrinking because protection covers islands of the terai and the hills, not the plain between them.
- Island protection: natural habitat survives mainly in the terai and southern hills, so most wild species depend on a few reserves cut off from each other; e.g. forest cover and its trend: see Ch 2, Topic 1.
- Neglected plain: the Gangetic plain, the largest zone, has little natural forest left, and its wetlands and river stretches face the heaviest pressure from farms and towns; e.g. canal seepage, waterlogging and usar land (UP BSAP, 2002).
- Old knowledge base: the State Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan of 2002 predates the Kunming–Montreal targets and many of today's pressures, so it needs updating; e.g. UP BSAP, prepared under the national biodiversity strategy process of the MoEF.
Way Forward for UP's Ecozones
- Zone-wise plans: update the 2002 State biodiversity plan into separate plans for the terai, the plain and the plateau, run with the UP State Biodiversity Board; e.g. Biological Diversity Act, 2002: State Biodiversity Boards and village Biodiversity Management Committees; Green UP mission of UP SAPCC 2.0 (2021–30).
- Habitat links: keep forest links to Nepal open and restore river and wetland habitat in the plain, so wildlife is not confined to a few reserves; e.g. Pilibhit lies in the Terai Arc Landscape (NTCA); 7 biodiversity parks sanctioned in UP under Namami Gange (PIB, 2026).
- Global targets: align State action with the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (2022), which aims to conserve 30% of land and water by 2030; e.g. SDG 15; protected areas incl. the Dudhwa, Pilibhit and Ranipur tiger reserves: see Ch 3, Topic 1.
Zone-wise plans and linked habitats can carry UP's biodiversity beyond a few terai and hill reserves.
Based on NCERT, Standard Books references, Keywords from Syllabus and Previous Year question Papers
Terrestrial Ecosystems and Grasslands of UP: Vision Plan 2030
To widen the green cover of these ecozones, UP set a goal of 15% green cover by 2030 in February 2026 (The Statesman, 2026). A terrestrial ecosystem is a land-based community of plants, animals and microbes with its soil and climate; UP's are forest, grassland, ravine and scrub.
Forest, Grassland, Ravine and Scrub: UP's Land Ecosystems
- Forest ecosystem: the main land ecosystem: moist sal forest in the terai and dry deciduous forest in the Vindhyan hills, each with its own food web; e.g. forest cover 6.24% of UP (ISFR 2023); cover, types and trends: see Ch 2, Topic 1.
- Grassland ecosystem: tall, seasonally waterlogged grasslands and savannah woodland of the terai are UP's main natural grasslands, though small in area; e.g. eastern wet alluvial grassland 0.63% and low alluvial savannah woodland 0.03% of forest cover (ISFR 2019).
- Ravine and scrub: gully erosion on the Chambal and Yamuna has created a dry ravine ecosystem of thorn scrub, bare slopes and sandy river banks; e.g. semi-arid pockets of Agra, Mathura and Etawah (NBRI Lucknow, 2011); gharial on Chambal sandbanks; ravine forest: see Ch 2, Topic 1.
UP's Grasslands and Why They Matter
- Terai grasslands: seasonally waterlogged tall grassland and swamp form a mosaic with sal forest and river channels inside the terai reserves; e.g. Pilibhit (sal about 76%), Dudhwa, Kishanpur and Katarniaghat (NTCA, 2026); Suhelwa in the eastern terai.
- Floodplain grasslands: the khadar of the Ganga in western UP keeps grassland, marsh and riverine habitat inside Hastinapur Wildlife Sanctuary; e.g. swamp deer, hog deer and sarus crane (UP Eco Tourism, 2026).
- Wildlife value: swamp deer and hog deer depend wholly on tall grass, which also hides tigers and gives ground birds nesting cover; e.g. largest swamp-deer herds at Jhadi Tal, Kishanpur (UP Eco Tourism, 2026); Bengal florican in Pilibhit (NTCA); hispid hare at Katarniaghat.
- Soil, water and livelihoods: dense roots bind soil, absorb flood water, trap silt and recharge groundwater, while villages cut fodder and thatch grass; e.g. terai grasslands along the Sharda and Ghaghara soak up floods; thatch for forest-edge villages.
UP's Vision 2030 for Life on Land
- SDG UP Vision 2030: the State's roadmap for all 17 SDGs, led by the Planning Department, places terrestrial ecosystems and grasslands under SDG 15, Life on Land; e.g. reviewed by the Chief Minister in 2019 (PTI, 2019).
- 15% green cover by 2030: the core target is to lift green cover to 15% by 2030 through farm woodlots, trees outside forests and Gram Sabha-led planting; e.g. a 2023 plan sought 9.23% to 15% with about 175 crore trees (Business Standard, 2023); Green Chaupals in 14,318 villages (The Statesman, 2026).
- Means and funds: the 2030 goal depends on trees outside forests, raised on farms, village land and roadsides with State social forestry money and climate-plan funds; e.g. ₹800 crore for social forestry (UP Budget 2026-27); drives and schemes: see Ch 2, Topic 3; Green UP: see Ch 5, Topic 2.
Gaps in Implementation
The 2030 goal is clear, but it starts from a low base, counts saplings more than survival and often treats open grassland as land to plant.
- Low base: the 15% goal starts from a low base, so green cover must rise about five percentage points by 2030, far faster than recent gains; e.g. UP 9.96% vs India 25.17% forest and tree cover (ISFR 2023); trends: see Ch 2, Topic 1.
- Counts over survival: planting is reported by sapling counts, while survival and canopy gain show up only years later in satellite surveys; e.g. one-day drives counted in crore saplings (see Ch 2, Topic 3), while FSI maps canopy only every two years.
- Grasslands overlooked: grasslands are often treated as wasteland fit for tree planting, while encroachment, overgrazing, fire and weeds shrink them; e.g. tall grass of Dudhwa, Pilibhit and Hastinapur needs grassland care, not plantations.
Way Forward for Land Ecosystems
- Grassland plans: map terai and floodplain grasslands, control grazing, fire and weeds, and keep them open instead of planting trees on them; e.g. UP Forest and Wildlife Department: weed removal and fire control in Dudhwa, Pilibhit and Hastinapur, protected under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
- Trees on farms: raise green cover on private land through farm woodlots and agroforestry with carbon payments, sparing grasslands from plantation; e.g. Carbon Credit Finance Scheme run with TERI (PTI, 2025); details: see Ch 2, Topic 3.
- Track outcomes: publish SDG 15 indicators of Vision 2030 every year and report sapling survival beside each ISFR change; e.g. survival audits: see Ch 2, Topic 3; national forest goals: see GS-3 Environment Ch 2, Topic 4.
Measured survival, trees on farms and a plan for grasslands can let UP reach 15% green cover by 2030 without losing its open habitats.
Based on NCERT, Standard Books references, Keywords from Syllabus and Previous Year question Papers