Wildlife Conservation- Indian response

The major activities pertaining to wildlife conservation and implementation of National Wildlife Action Plan carried out are as follows 

Wildlife Institute of India (WII), Dehradun Organizes trainings to build-up professional managers for protected areas . A number of research projects have been initiated and on completed projects published.

The Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, the provisions of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) and Export and Import Policy of India continued to be enforced

The Subramaniam Committee appointed to look into the issues related to illegal trade in wildlife and wildlife products, has recommended several measures for strengthening anti-poaching infrastructure arrangements.

The co-ordination committee works in collaboration with CBI and other organizations to curb illegal trade in wildlife and its products. 

Indian Board for Wildlife (IBWL)  is the apex advisory body in the field of Wildlife Conservation in the country and is headed by the Honourable Prime Minister of India. As per the recommendation of the Standing Committee of IBWL, five Regional Task forces for rationalization of boundaries of protected areas was also constituted.

India’s major strength is in-situ conservation lies in its impressive Protected Area (PA) network, which currently comprises 661 Pas which includes ninety nine National Parks and five hundred fifteen Wildlife Sanctuaries forty three Conservation Reserves and four Community Reserves. Established under the Wildlife (Protection) Act (WPA), 1972] covering approximately 4.80 per cent of the total geographical area of the country. The top five states in terms of PA coverage are Gujarat, Maharashtra, Jammu & Kashmir, Andhra Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. The PA network covers about 24.2 per cent of the forest area of the country.

New Wildlife Action Plan (2002-16) points out the strategy for the conservation of wild fauna and flora in the country. It strengthens and increases the Protected Area Network and works for the effective management of protected areas, conservation of endangered species, control of poaching, taxidermy and illegal trade in wild animals and plant species, ensures people’s participation in wildlife conservation; enhances financial allocation for ensuring sustained fund flow to the wildlife sector, and also works for the Integration of National Wildlife Action plan with other sectoral programmes.

Besides this in-situ conservation measures, India has a comprehensive ex-situ conservation programme. There are 33 Botanical Gardens, 275 zoos, deer parks, safari parks, acquaria etc. A Central Zoo Authority was set up to secure better management of zoos. The zoos help in creating awareness among the people and also serve as captive breeding centres to replenish the wild stock. Germ plasma banks have been set up, which help in the preservation of the genetic diversity of the Flora and Fauna of India.

Recent

setting up of Committees for revision of  floral and faunal species included in the Schedules of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, ban on Gifting of Wild Animals by Head of States, conservation of  vultures in the country by phasing out the use of veterinary drug ‘diclofenac’, and setting up of National Crime Control Bureau.

Wildlife Reserves

• Some of the famous wildlife reserves of India are listed below:
• Balpakram Wildlife Sanctuary situated in the Garo Hills in Meghalaya houses a variety of animals but is well known for tigers, elephants and bisons.
• Bandipur Sanctuary along the Karnataka-Tamil Nadu border is the home of wild animals like tigers, elephants, bears, sambhars, panthers and deer.
• Corbett National Park, the home of tigers in Nainital, Uttaranchal, has elephants, chitals, sambhars, nilgais and sloth bear as well.
• Dudwa National Park in Lakhimpur Kheri, Uttar Pradesh is well-known mainly for its tiger, nilgai, and sambhar and panther population.
• Ghana Bird Sanctuary is a famous sanctuary of water birds. Siberian cranes, storks, herons, spoonbills and teals can be seen here. It is located in Bharatpur, Rajasthan.
• Hazaribagh National Park, housing a variety of animals and birds such as leopards, tigers, sambhars and chitals, is situated in Hazaribagh, Jharkhand.
• Jaldapara Sanctuary, West Bengal houses the famous Indian rhinoceros.
• Kanha National Park is the home of a variety of species including the panther, tiger, nilgai, antelope and barking deer. It is in Madhya Pradesh.
• Mudumalia Wildlife Sanctuary in the Nilgiris in Tamil Nadu is famous for elephants, deer and pigs.
• Namdapha National Park is the home of elephants and tigers in Tirap, Arunachal Pradesh.
• Palamau is a tiger reserve in Daltenganj, Jharkhand which has many other animals such as elephants, leopards and panthers.
• Parakal in Warangal, Andhra Pradesh is popular for animals like tigers, panthers, nilgais and chitals.
• Periyar Sanctuary is the home of tigers, panthers, elephants, sambhars, gaurs and the wild boar. It is located in Idukki, Kerala.
• Ranganthitoo Bird Sanctuary which comprises some islands in River Cauvery, Karnataka is well known for its many species of birds.
• Shivpuri National Park in Shivpuri, Madhya Pradesh houses different species of birds and animals.
• Sunderbans, the tiger sanctuary in Sunderbans, West Bengal is also the home of the wild bear, crocodile and deer.
• Vedanthangal bird sanctuary is located in an artificial lake in Tamil Nadu.
• Wild Ass Sanctuary in Rann of Kutch, Gujarat is famous for its wild ass. Wolves, chinkaras and nilgais are also found here.

Wildlife Conservation legislations and award

• Wildlife acts are:
• Madras Wild Elephant Preservation Act, 1873.
• All India Elephant Preservation Act, 1879
• The wild Birds and Animal Prohibition Act, 1912
• Bengal Rhinoceros Preservation Act, 1932.
• Assam Rhinoceros Preservation Act, 1954
• Indian Board for Wildlife (IBWL) 1952
• Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
• Wildlife Institute of India in 1982 under Ministry of Environment and Forest.
• Central Zoo Authority (CZA) in 1992 at New Delhi
• National Zoological Park, New Delhi.
• Amritadevi Wildlife Protection Award in the name of Amritadevi Bishnoi to be given village communities.

Wildlife Research

• Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, and the Salim Ali Centre Ornithology and Natural History, Coimbatore.
• National Natural Resource Management System (NNRMS)
• The National Museum of National History (NMNH) set up in New Delhi in 1978.
• The Indira Gandhi National Forest Academy, Dehradun.
• The Indian Institute of Forest Management, Bhopal.
• The Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun.

National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA)

The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), previously known as Project Tiger was launched in 1973 with an objective “to ensure maintenance of a viable population of Tigers in India”. The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), a statutory body under ministry of environment and forests (MoEF) monitoring all 45 tiger reserves in India, will examine 15 mining and power project proposals impacting tiger conservation mostly in Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra. According to preliminary estimates, the Kaziranga National Park had shown the highest known tiger density so far.

Government has cleared the setting up of a National Wildlife Crime Prevention and Control Bureau in 2007 while ordering a special task force to report on the status of tigers.

Tiger Reserve (45)

• Nagarjunasagar tiger reserve in Andhra Pradesh is the largest
• Bannerghatta tiger and Lion reserve in Karnataka is the smallest.

Project Cheetah

The ministry, after a survey by the Wildlife Trust of India, had choosen Kuno - Palpur and Nauradehi in Madhya Pradesh and the Shahgarh Bulge in Jaisalmer district for introducing cheetah, which is now extinct in the country.

Project Elephant

The government has launched this project in 1991-92 with the objective of saving the Asiatic elephant. The project covers the major elephant populations extending over 12 states and inhabiting an area over 60,000 sq. kms. The project is being implemented with the collaboration of the state governments with the aim to provide corridors of protected areas for the free movement of elephant herds. This measure would help in the preservation of the gene pool and also minimize the man-elephant conflict.

Recent

• India’s Environment Ministry has declared the elephant a National Heritage Animal in order to increase protective measures for the country’s nearly 29,000 elephants.
• With the notification of Uttar Pradesh Elephant reserve in the year 2009, the total number of Elephant Reserves (ERs) in the country has become twenty seven where as permission for five more Elephant Reserves-Baitarini ER & South Orissa ER in Orissa, Lemru & Badalkhod in Chattisgarh and Khasi ER in Meghallaya has been accorded by the Ministry.
• Monitoring of Illegal Killing of Elephants (MIKE) Programme :Mandated by COP resolution of CITES, MIKE program started in South Asia in the year 2003.