Why Deforestation?

Deforestation means removal of trees and forests. Exam tip: connect it with decline in forest area.

Forests were cleared to expand cultivation. Exam tip: remember the link between farming and deforestation.

Railway sleepers required a lot of wood. Exam tip: treat railways as a cause of deforestation.

Strong timber was needed for shipbuilding. Exam tip: connect naval power with demand for timber.

The British saw Indian forests as a source of timber. Exam tip: connect Britains need with Indian forests.

Railway lines and sleepers increased demand for wood. Exam tip: write railway expansion as a main cause.

Colonial rule linked forests with economic gain. Exam tip: remember the link between forests and revenue.

Large forest areas were cleared for plantations. Exam tip: connect plantations with deforestation.

Large areas of natural forest were cleared to establish commercial rubber plantations. Therefore, forest cover declined, and biodiversity was also affected. Forest laws were not abolished; colonial governments generally increased control through forest laws. Exam tip: remember commercial plantations as an important cause of deforestation.

When population increased more food and more cultivation were needed. Exam tip: connect population with cultivation expansion.

To meet the growing demand for food crops, more land was brought under cultivation. Large forest areas were cleared and converted into agricultural fields. Ports and forts were not cleared for farming, and seas cannot be converted into farmland in this context. Exam tip: Remember agricultural expansion as a major cause of deforestation during colonial rule.

Forest land was cleared for commercial farming. Exam tip: understand the link between market and cultivation expansion.

British rule wanted income from forest land and timber. Exam tip: write economic interest as a cause.

Railways and ships increased the need for strong timber. Exam tip: remember both examples together.

Agricultural expansion was a main cause of deforestation. Exam tip: remember the field and forest link.

More cultivation could give land revenue to the government. Exam tip: write cultivation and revenue together.

Railway sleepers, which support the railway tracks, were mainly made from strong timber. During the colonial period, railway expansion created a huge demand for timber and contributed to deforestation. Iron was needed for rails, not for the sleepers. Exam tip: link railway expansion with increased timber demand and forest clearing.

Railway construction used large amounts of timber. Exam tip: connect infrastructure with deforestation.

The navy needed good timber for strong ships. Exam tip: connect navy with forest resources.

Tea plantations were established to produce tea on a large scale for markets and export, so they were a form of commercial farming. In subsistence farming, crops are grown mainly to meet a farmer’s family needs; plantations, however, were run for profit and trade. Exam tip: link colonial tea, coffee and rubber plantations with commercial farming.