Question

Select the wrong statement from the following?
A. Forests provide variety of products
B. Forests have greater plant diversity
C. Forests do not conserve soil
D. Forests conserve water

Answer 1

Hint: The role of forests in our life cannot be underestimated. We depend on forests, from the air we breathe to the wood we use. Besides providing livelihoods for humans and habitats for animals, forests also offer many other benefits. Also forests are an important part of our life.

Complete answer:
By maintaining the environmental conditions that are needed for agricultural production, trees and forests make an essential contribution to food security. They prevent erosion, stabilize the soil, enhance the land's capacity to store water, and moderate soil and air and temperatures, regulate climate, provide us food etc.
When we continue cutting trees and clear the forests, it will result in clearance of tree vegetation and the subsequent loss of hectares of productive land. This will expose the land to direct attack from rain and wind-soil erosion and land degradation is still undermining agriculture's resource base.
The land's vegetative cover determines the rate at which soil erosion occurs. Bare soil does not help in protection against the ravages of rain and wind. The litter layer beneath the forest canopy and the groundcover are the best protection against erosion, and are even more important than the trees in preventing erosion.

Hence, the correct answer is option (C).

Note: Studies have shown that an agricultural system resembles a natural forest in its canopy structure, ground cover and tree spacing; hence, there is less chance of soil erosion. Traditional agroforestry techniques, which help in providing natural cover, have been used for centuries to produce food without causing long-term damage to the environment.