Question

The minimum forest cover necessary to maintain ecological balance is _____.

a.50% of land area
b.40% of land area
c.33% of land area
d.25% of land area

Answer 1

Hint: Forests play an indispensable role in supporting a manifold of life on the Earth. They are a complex ecosystem which mainly consists of trees that buffer the Earth.

Complete Step by Step answer: Around 31% of the Earth's land surface is covered with forests.
The contribution of the forests cannot be underestimated. Forests help in maintaining ecological balance on the Earth.
 The shape and health of the forest indicate the environmental conditions that prevail in the area.
Forests contribute to the development of their environment by providing oxygen, purifying air, enhancing climate, conserving water, preserving soil, and supporting wildlife. During the process of photosynthesis, trees take in carbon dioxide and produce the oxygen we breathe.
They uphold the ecological balance in several ways;
-Forest gives a diversified environment for plants and animals and helps in retaining the water cycle of an area.
-They prevent soil deterioration and stimulate the soil with nutrients. They retain an appropriate balance of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
-They also present a combination of raw materials such as timber, wood etc.
-Forests have a significant ecological utility in stabilizing and storing carbon from the atmosphere.

The National Forest Policy has proposed that to strengthen the ecological balance there should be 33 % area under the forest.

Hence, option 'c' is correct.

Note: The advantages of forests to the community and the mixture of life make it crucial that they are safeguarded from deforestation and other harmful impacts of civilization. The Amazon forests are the largest in the world and are regarded as the 'lungs of the Earth'.