Page 140 - Health, Population and Environment Education 9

mixture of silt, clay and loam. The soil in this region is loose and fragile which is more
exposed to erosion. However, the soil of this region is more fertile and of better quality
than that of the mountain region.

Terai region
The land of the terai region is plain and lies in
lower altitude. The soil found here is alluvial
which contains more humus. The plants and
other organic materials flooded down by the rain
water and river are deposited in the plain land of
terai which in the course of time turn into humus
and mix with the top soil which makes the soil
more fertile. Plain land and fertile soil are the
main reasons for why more amount of grains are
grown in this region and this region is called the Fig: 15
granary of Nepal

Importance of land /soil
i. Shelter

Most of the living creatures including human beings live in land. It has provided shelter
to many types of animals, insects including us.

ii. Economic activities

Agriculture, animal husbandry and many other economic activities of people are carried
out in land and soil. We grow various food crops and cash crops in soil.

iii. Minerals
Various types of minerals are found and obtained from the land. Land is the source of
many treasures which are valuable and useful to us.

Forest resource

Forest resource is one of the most important natural resources available in nature.
According to the report of the Department of Forest Research and Survey in 2015 AD,
around 44% of total land of Nepal is covered by the forest resources including other
wooded land. Still more than 50% of total population of Nepal depends on the forest
resource for firewood. In Nepal, there are different types of forests due to variation in
altitude and climate. Plants or trees found in the terai are similar to those found in tropical
climatic region. In hilly and mountain region in the middle and north, the plants or trees
are more similar to those found in the temperate and frigid zone respectively. The forests
are divided into different types on the basis of the types and features of the vegetation. In
Nepal, the forest resources are divided into following four groups.
140 GREEN Environment Population and Health Education Book-9