Question

How did the Second World War impact the forests of India and Indonesia?

• A. Many Indonesian villagers took advantage of the war and cut down forests to expand cultivation.
• B. India gave up much of its agricultural plots to the forest department.
• C. The forest department of India cut trees freely to meet British war needs.
• D. The Japanese managed the forests in Java in a sustainable manner.

Answer 1

Answer: (A), (C)

The correct options are
A Many Indonesian villagers took advantage of the war and cut down forests to expand cultivation.
C The forest department of India cut trees freely to meet British war needs.

The Japanese forced the Javanese villagers to cut down their forests for wood. Many villagers used this opportunity to expand cultivation into the forests. After the war, it became extremely difficult for the Indonesian forest service to get this land back.

In India, the forests department freely cut down the forest to meet the war requirements and most of these regions were later used for agriculture.