The chapter, Conservation of Plants and Animals, helps students understand the concept in a detailed and exciting way. In addition, students can download the free PDF to keep all the solutions handy while preparing for class 8th examination.

The NCERT solutions for class 8 science chapter 7 conservation of plants and animals include answers to short questions, long questions, fill-in-the-blanks, and crossword puzzles. Let us understand all these answers one by one:

1. Fill in the blanks.

• A place where animals are protected in their natural habitat is called _.
• Species found only in a particular area are known as _.
• Migratory birds fly to faraway places because of _ changes.

Answers: 

• A place where animals are protected in their natural habitat is called a sanctuary.
• Species found only in a particular area are known as endemic.
• Migratory birds fly to faraway places because of climatic changes. 

2. Differentiate between the following.

• Wildlife sanctuary and biosphere reserve
• Zoo and wildlife sanctuary
• Endangered and extinct species
• Flora and fauna

Answers:

• Wildlife sanctuary and biosphere reserve

Wildlife sanctuary	Biosphere reserve
It is an area where wild animals are protected from external dangers like hunting.	It is a biodiversity conservation area.
It offers proper habitat and protection for the wild animals living there.	It houses different life forms including micro-organisms, animals, plants, etc.
Example: Corbett National Park	Example: Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve

 

• Zoo and wildlife sanctuary
  
  

Zoo	Wildlife sanctuary
Animals are kept in man-made facilities for public exhibitions.	It is an area where wild animals are protected from external dangers like hunting.
The animals may not adapt to the new artificial habitat conditions.	There are no issues of adaptation as animals are conserved within natural habitat only.

 

• Endangered and extinct species
  
  

Endangered species	Extinct species
These are the species that are on the verge of extinction.	These species no longer exist on the earth.
Example: Blue Whale, Bengal Tiger, etc.	Example: The passenger pigeon, Caribbean monk seal, Great Auk, etc.

 

• Flora and fauna
  

Flora	Fauna
It stands for plant life from a specific region.	It stands for animal life from a specific region.
Example: Hogweed, Spurge, etc. from the Nilgiris.	Example: Tahr, Tiger, Langur, etc. from the Nilgiris.

3. Discuss the effects of deforestation on the following.

• Wild animals
• Environment
• Villages (Rural areas)
• Cities (Urban areas)
• Earth
• The next generation

Answers:

• Wild animals: Plant life and trees are an integral part of the ecosystem, which is the natural habitat of wild animals. The removal of trees and plant life threatens the existence of wild animals and leads them to extinction.
• Environment: Plant life and trees are responsible for maintaining the balance of carbon dioxide in the environment. When this balance is hampered due to deforestation, the carbon dioxide concentration increases that causes global warming. Further, the rainfall pattern changes due to the rise in the earth’s temperature, and floods or droughts are caused.
• Villages (Rural areas): Soil erosion caused by deforestation makes the soil infertile for farming as there is humus loss. Thus, any agricultural land of a village can turn into a desert.
• Cities (Urban areas): Deforestation increases natural calamities like floods, droughts, global warming, and disrupted water cycle in cities.
• Earth: Deforestation leads to droughts, floods, global warming, desertification, soil erosion, etc., all of which are disastrous for the planet.
• The next generation: The next generation has to face the deforestation effects like increased temperature, pollution, disrupted water cycle, droughts, floods, scarcity of clean drinking water, etc.

4. What will happen if -

• we go on cutting trees?
• the habitat of an animal is disturbed?
• the top layer of soil is exposed?

Answer:

• If we go on cutting trees, it affects biodiversity and leads to global warming, changed rainfall patterns, desertification, soil erosion, etc.
• If the habitat of an animal is disturbed, they may not get necessary shelter, protection, food, and water at the new place. It also increases the chances of their extinction because of this.
• If the top layer of the soil is exposed, it will reduce humus quality and the below layers of unfertile soil are exposed. Hence, it can turn fertile land into barren land.

5. Answer in brief.

• Why should we conserve biodiversity?
• Protected forests are also not completely safe for wild animals. Why?
• Some tribals depend on the jungle. How?
• What are the causes and consequences of deforestation?
• What is Red Data Book?
• What do you understand by the term migration?

Answer:

• We should conserve biodiversity as plants and animals are mutually dependent on each other for existence. Hence, to conserve nature’s balance, it is important to conserve biodiversity.
• People living near protected forests depend on them for their resources for survival. It threatens the situation for wild animals as they may be killed by poachers (someone who catches and kills animals illegally) for huge sums of money. Example: Poachers hunt and kill rhinos for their horns.
• Tribals mainly depend on the jungle as they use food, fodder, and other forest resources.
• The key causes of deforestation include increasing population, agricultural activities, sourcing firewood, etc. The key consequences of deforestation include loss of biodiversity, droughts, floods, global warming, disrupted water cycle, soil erosion, etc.
• It contains the international list of plants and animals species that are on the verge of extinction. The Red Book is maintained by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN).
• Migration stands for the movement of organisms from their natural habitat to other locations during a specific time of the year. Organisms migrate to avoid the uninhabitable conditions of the climate or breeding process.

6. In order to meet the ever-increasing demand in factories and for shelter, trees are being continually cut. Is it justified to cut trees for such projects? Discuss and prepare a brief report.

Answer: No, cutting trees to meet the increasing demand in factories and for shelter is not justified. Several organisms live in forests; trees offer good air quality for humans and animals to breathe; trees keep the earth’s temperature under control; forests help to prevent soil erosion, eliminate natural calamities, etc. This shows that trees are an important part of the earth’s ecosystem, and hence, it is crucial to protect our forests. Without trees, we may have to face problems like:

• Greenhouse effect
• Floods
• Droughts
• Global warming
• Soil erosion

7. How can you contribute to the maintenance of the green wealth of your locality? Make a list of actions to be taken by you.

Answer: Growing plants can help contribute to the maintenance of the green wealth of my locality. The list of quick actions to be taken by me includes:

Motivating neighbourhood people to plant more trees and maintain the health of existing trees.

• Organise weekly events or awareness programmes in the locality.
• Create awareness among youth and children in the locality to plant new trees and protect old trees.
• Encourage people to water existing plants and trees.

8. Explain how deforestation leads to reduced rainfall.

Answer: Deforestation causes a decrease in plant life and trees. Hence, it affects the carbon dioxide balance in the environment that raises the earth’s temperature. This increased temperature directly impacts the water cycle that further causes reduced rainfall in the region.

9. Find out about national parks in your state. Identify and show their location on the outline map of India.

Answer:

10. Why should paper be saved? Prepare a list of ways by which you can save paper.

Answer: Trees are essential to maintain balance in nature, and producing paper requires excessive cutting of trees. Some of quick ways to save paper include:

• Use both sides of the paper for writing.
• Proper and intelligent use of paper.
• Recycling used paper.
• Spreading awareness about saving paper, specially among children and students.

11. Complete the word puzzle.

Down

• Species on the verge of extinction.
• A book carrying information about endangered species.
• Consequences of deforestation.

Across

• Species which have vanished.
• Species found only in a particular habitat.
• Variety of plants, animals and microorganisms found in an area.

Answer:

Down

• Endangered
• Red Data Book
• Deserts

Across

• Extinct
• Endemic
• Biodiversity

It is easy to download the MSVGo for free to find NCERT solutions for class 8, science chapter 7 quickly. Students can participate in interesting games related to class 8, science chapters and inter-school competitions held on the app regularly.

1. How many questions are there in the NCERT solutions for class 8 chapter 7 Conservation of Plants and Animals?

Answer: There are eleven questions in the NCERT solutions for class 8 chapter 7 Conservation of Plants and Animals. It includes crossword puzzles, brief questions, long questions, fill-in-the-blanks, etc.

2. What is meant by the conservation of plants and animals?

Answer: The solution on conservation of plants and animals includes effective ways to preserve and protect large varieties of plants and animals that are on the verge of extinction due to multiple reasons.

3. Can I get Conservation of Plants and Animals class 8 NCERT solutions online?

Yes, it is easy to get the conservation of plants and animals class 8 NCERT solutions online using the MVSGo app. It has detailed solutions on all different topics in the chapter on the conservation of plants and animals.

4. Can I download conservation of plants and animals NCERT solutions for free?

Yes. It is easy to download conservation of plants and animals NCERT solutions for free using the MVSGo app. Students can further download the PDF to go through these solutions when needed while studying the class 8 science chapter 7.