Wildlife

Conservation_____________________________________________________________

WILDLIFE CONSERVATION
EFFORTS IN INDIA

An assignment submitted to C.P.V.N

For

INTERNAL AASESMENT
In

GEOGRAPHY
By

Abdul Ghaus Khan

2016

2017

Wildlife
Conservation_____________________________________________________________

reface

This file contains all the information about Wildlife

conservation and Wildlife conservation in India. It
has information regarding the NGOs and other
government and non-government organizations and
involvements which have major contributions in
conserving wildlife. This project also encourages the
people to take care of the wildlife and why is there a
need to do so?
The project is completed by me with the help of internet,
books and my friends. I request the people to read,
observe, and comply the efforts showed in the project.

Submitted by: Abdul Ghaus Khan

Submitted to: Mr. R.K. Bajpai

Wildlife
Conservation_____________________________________________________________

ontents

Conservation An Introduction
Wildlife in India Flora
Fauna
Major Dangers to Wildlife
Recent Extinctions
Wildlife Conservation efforts in India Policies and Legislations
Conventions related to Wildlife Consevation

Project Tiger
Project Elephant
Project Vultures
Project Gharial

Non Government Involvements

Conclusion
Bibliography

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Conservation
The Indian leopard is found across the Indian subcontinent.
Poaching for its skin is a serious threat to the leopard.
The need for conservation of wildlife in India is often questioned
because of the apparently incorrect priority in the face of direct
poverty of the people. However, Article 48 of the Constitution of
India specifies that, "The state shall endeavor to protect and
improve the environment and to safeguard the forests and wildlife
of the country" and Article 51-A states that "it shall be the duty of
every citizen of India to protect and improve the natural
environment including forests, lakes, rivers, and wildlife and to
have compassion for living creatures." The committee in the
Indian Board for Wildlife, in their report, defines wildlife as "the
entire natural uncultivated flora and fauna of the country" while
the Wildlife (protection) Act 1972 defines it as "any animal, bees,
butterflies, crustacea, fish, moths and aquatic or land vegetation
which forms part of any habitat."
Despite the various environmental issues faced, the country still
has a rich and varied wildlife compared to Europe. [12] Large and
charismatic mammals are important for wildlife tourism in India,
and several national parks and wildlife sanctuaries cater to these
needs. Project Tiger, started in 1972, is a major effort to conserve
the tiger and its habitats. At the turn of the 20th century, one
estimate of the tiger population in India placed the figure at
40,000, yet an Indian tiger census conducted in 2008 revealed the
existence of only 1,411 tigers. 2010 tiger census revealed that
there are 1700 tigers left in India. As per the latest tiger census
(2015), there are around 2226 tigers in India. By far, there is an
overall 30% increase in tiger population. Various pressures in the
later part of the 20th century led to the progressive decline
of wilderness resulting in the disturbance of viable tiger habitats.
At the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and

Wildlife
Conservation_____________________________________________________________

Natural Resources (IUCN) General Assembly meeting in Delhi in

1969, serious concern was voiced about the threat to
several species of wildlife and the shrinkage of wilderness in
India. In 1970, a national ban on tiger hunting was imposed, and
in 1972 the Wildlife Protection Act came into force. The framework
was then set up to formulate a project for tiger conservation with
an ecological approach. However, there is not much optimism
about this framework's ability to save the peacock, which is the
national bird of India. George Schaller wrote about tiger
conservation.

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Wildlife in India
The wildlife in India comprises a mix of species of different types
of organisms. Apart from a handful of the major farm animals such
as cows, buffaloes, goats, poultry, and camels, India has an
amazingly wide variety of animals native to the country. It is home
to Bengal tigers, Indian lions, deer, pythons, wolves, foxes, bears,
crocodiles, wild dogs, monkeys, snakes, antelope species,
varieties of bison and the Asian elephant. The region's rich and
diverse wildlife is preserved in 120+ national parks, 18 Bioreserves and 500+ wildlife sanctuaries across the country. India
has some of the most biodiverse regions of the world and hosts
three of the worlds 35 biodiversity hotspots or treasure-houses
that is the Western Ghats, the Eastern Himalayas and IndoBurma. Since India is home to a number of rare and threatened
animal species, wildlife management in the country is essential to
preserve these species. India is one of the seventeen
megadiverse countries. According to one study, India along with
other 16 mega diverse countries is home to about 60-70% of the
world's biodiversity. India, lying within the Indomalaya ecozone, is
home to about 7.6% of all mammalian, 12.6% of avian, 6.2% of
reptilian, and 6.0% of flowering plant species.
Many Indian species are descendants of taxa originating in
Gondwana, to which India originally belonged. Peninsular India's
subsequent movement towards, and collision with, the Laurasian
landmass set off a mass exchange of species. However,
volcanism and climatic change 20 million years ago caused the
extinction of many endemic Indian forms. Soon thereafter,
mammals entered India from Asia through two zoogeographical
passes on either side of the emerging Himalaya. As a result,

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among Indian species, only 12.6% of mammals and 4.5% of birds

are endemic, contrasting with 45.8% of reptiles and 55.8% of
amphibians. Notable endemics are the Nilgiri leaf monkey and the
brown and carmine Beddome's toad of the Western Ghats. India
contains 172, or 2.9%, of IUCN-designated threatened species.
These include the Asian elephant, the Asiatic lion, the Bengal
tiger, the Indian rhinoceros, the mugger crocodile, and the Indian
white-rumped vulture, which suffered a near-extinction from
ingesting the carrion of diclofenac-treated cattle.
In recent decades, human encroachment has posed a threat to
India's wildlife; in response, the system of national parks and
protected areas, rst established in 1935, was substantially
expanded. In 1972, India enacted the Wildlife Protection Act and
Project Tiger to safeguard crucial habitat; further federal
protections were promulgated in the 1980s. Along with over 515
wildlife sanctuaries, India now hosts 18 biosphere reserves, 10 of
which are part of the World Network of Biosphere Reserves; 26
wetlands are registered under the Ramsar Convention.
The pipal g tree, shown on the seals of Mohenjo-Daro, shaded
Gautama Buddha as he sought enlightenment. The varied and
rich wildlife of India has had a profound impact on the region's
popular culture. The common name for wilderness in India is
jungle, which was adopted into the English language. The word
has been also made famous in The Jungle Book by Rudyard
Kipling. India's wildlife has been the subject of numerous other
tales and fables such as the Panchatantra.

Flora:

India is home to several well-known large mammals,

including the Asian elephant, Bengal tiger, Asiatic lion, leopard,
sloth bear and Indian rhinoceros. Some other well known large

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Indian mammals are: ungulates such as the rare wild Asian water
buffalo, common domestic Asian water buffalo, gail, gaur, and
several species of deer and antelope. Some members of the dog
family, such as the Indian wolf, Bengal fox and golden jackal, and
the dhole or wild dogs are also widely distributed. However, the
dhole, also known as the whistling hunter, is the most endangered
top Indian carnivore, and the Himalayan wolf is now a critically
endangered species endemic to India. It is also home to the
striped hyena, macaques, langur and mongoose species.

Fauna:

There are about 17500 taxa of flowering plants from

India. The Indian Forest Act, 1927 helped to improve protection of
the natural habitat. Many eco regions, such as the shola forests,
also exhibit extremely high rates of endemism; overall, 33% of
Indian plant species are endemic.
India's forest cover ranges from the tropical rainforest of the
Andaman Islands, Western Ghats, and Northeast India to the
coniferous forest of the Himalaya. Between these extremes lie the
sal-dominated moist deciduous forest of eastern India; teakdominated dry deciduous forest of central and southern India; and
the babul-dominated thorn forest of the central Deccan and
western Gangetic plain. Important Indian trees includes the
medicinal neem, widely used in rural Indian herbal remedies.

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Major dangers to Wildlife

Fewer natural wildlife habitat areas remain each year. Moreover,
the habitat that remains has often been degraded to bear little
resemblance to the wild areas which existed in the past. Habitat
loss due to destruction, fragmentation and degradation of habitat
is the primary threat to the survival of wildlife in the India. When
an ecosystem has an ecosystem are some of the ways habitats
can become so degraded that they no longer support native
wildlife.
Climate Change: Global warming is making hot days hotter,
rainfall and flooding heavier, hurricanes stronger and droughts
more severe. This intensication of weather and climate extremes
will be the most visible impact of global warming in our everyday
lives. It is also causing dangerous changes to the landscape of
our world, adding stress to wildlife species and their habitat. Since
many types of plants and animals have specic habitat
requirements, climate change could cause disastrous loss of
wildlife species. A slight drop or rise in average rainfall will
translate into large seasonal changes. Hibernating mammals,
reptiles, amphibians and insects are harmed and disturbed.
Plants and wildlife are sensitive to moisture change so, they will
be harmed by any change in moisture level. Natural phenomena
like floods, earthquakes, volcanoes, lightning, and forest res also
do harm to wildlife.

Unregulated Hunting and Poaching:

Unregulated
hunting and poaching causes a major threat to wildlife. Along with
this, mismanagement of forest department and forest guards
triggers this problem.

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Pollution:

Pollutants released into the environment are

ingested by a wide variety of organisms. Pesticides and toxic
chemical being widely used, making the environment toxic to
certain plants, insects, and rodents. Perhaps the largest threat is
the extreme growing indifference of the public to wildlife,
conservation and environmental issues in general. Overexploitation of resources, i.e., exploitation of wild populations for
food has resulted in population crashes (overshing and overgrazing for example).
Over exploitation is the over use of wildlife and plant species by
people for food, clothing, pets, medicine, sport and many other
purposes. People have always depended on wildlife and plants
for food, clothing, medicine, shelter and many other needs. But
today we are taking more than the natural world can supply. The
danger is that if we take too many individuals of a species from
their natural environment, the species may no longer be able to
survive. The loss of one species can affect many other species in
an ecosystem. The hunting, trapping, collecting and shing of
wildlife at unsustainable levels is not something new.

Deforestation:

Humans are continually expanding and

developing, leading to an invasion of wildlife habitats. As humans
continue to grow, they clear forested land to crew more space.
This stresses wildlife populations as there are fewer homes and
food sources to survive off of.

Population:

The increasing population of human beings is the

most major threat to wildlife. More people on the globe mean
more consumption of food, water and fuel. Therefore, more waste
is generated. Every major threat to wildlife as seen above is

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directly related to increasing population of human beings. If the

population is altered so is the amount of risk to wildlife. The less is
the population; less is the disturbance to wildlife.

Recent extinctions
The exploitation of land and forest resources by humans along
with hunting and trapping for food and sport has led to the
extinction of many species in India in recent times. These species
include mammals such as the Indian/Asiatic cheetah, wild
zebu, Indian Javan rhinoceros, and Northern Sumatran
rhinoceros. While some of these large mammal species are
confirmed extinct, there have been many smaller animal and plant
species whose status is harder to determine. Many species have
not been seen since their description.

Adult male Indian lion at Gir Forest. (Gir forest in India has the only surviving population
of Asiatic lions in the world.)

Some species of birds have gone extinct in recent times, including

the pink-headed
duck (Rhodonessa
caryophyllacea)
and
the Himalayan quail (Ophrysia superciliosa). A species of
warbler, Acrocephalus orinus, known earlier from a single
specimen collected by Allan Octavian Hume from near Rampur in
Himachal Pradesh, was rediscovered after 139 years in Thailand

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Conservation_____________________________________________________________

Wildlife Conservation Efforts in India

The need for conservation of wildlife in India is often questioned
because of the apparently incorrect priority in the face of direct
poverty of the people. However, Article 48 of the Constitution of
India species that, "The state shall endeavor to protect and
improve the environment and to safeguard the forests and
wildlife of the country" and Article 51-A states that "it shall be
the duty of every citizen of India to protect and improve the
natural environment including forests, lakes, rivers, and
wildlife and to have compassion for living creatures." The
committee in the Indian Board for Wildlife, in their report, denes
wildlife as "the entire natural uncultivated flora and fauna of the
country" while the Wildlife (protection) Act 1972 denes it as "any
animal, bees, butterflies, crustacea, sh, moths and aquatic or
land vegetation which forms part of any habitat."
Despite the various environmental issues faced, the country still
has a rich and varied wildlife compared to Europe. Large and
charismatic mammals are important for wildlife tourism in India,
and several national parks and wildlife sanctuaries cater to these
needs. Project Tiger, started in 1972, is a major effort to conserve
the tiger and its habitats. At the turn of the 20th century, one
estimate of the tiger population in India placed the gure at
40,000, yet an Indian tiger census conducted in 2008 revealed the
existence of only 1,411 tigers. 2010 tiger census revealed that
there are 1700 tigers left in India. As per the latest tiger census
(2015), there are around 2226 tigers in India. By far, there is an
overall 30% increase in tiger population. Various pressures in the
later part of the 20th century led to the progressive decline of
wilderness resulting in the disturbance of viable tiger habitats. At

Wildlife
Conservation_____________________________________________________________

the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural

Resources (IUCN) General Assembly meeting in Delhi in 1969,
serious concern was voiced about the threat to several species of
wildlife and the shrinkage of wilderness in India. In 1970, a
national ban on tiger hunting was imposed, and in 1972 the
Wildlife Protection Act came into force. The framework was then
set up to formulate a project for tiger conservation with an
ecological approach. However, there is not much optimism about
this framework's ability to save the peacock, which is the national
bird of India.

Policies and Legislations

To govern wildlife conservation and protection of endangered
species, the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 was adopted by all
states excluding Jammu and Kashmir (which has its own Act).
The Act prohibits trade in rare and endangered species.
Government at central level provides financial assistance to
states for (i) strengthening management and protection of
infrastructure of national parks and sanctuaries; (ii) protection of
wildlife and control of poaching and illegal trade in wildlife
products; (iii) captive breeding programs for endangered species
of wildlife; (iv) wildlife education and interpretation; (v)
development of zoos; (vi) conservation of rhinos in Assam; (vii)
protection of tiger, elephant, etc.
The 1972 Act has been amended to make the provisions more
effective. Endangered species of plants and animals have been
brought under the purview of the Act. Under a new amendment to
the Act in 2002, penalties are sought to be enhanced for violations
of the provisions of the Act. Also proposed is the creation of two

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new categories of protected areas, viz., conservation reserve

and community reserve. A Central Zoo Authority (CZA) was
established in 1992 under the Act to oversee the management of
zoological parks in the country.
The CZA was reconstituted for the sixth time in September 2007
with Minister of State, Environment and Forests as its chairman.
There is a total 15 member contingents in CZA for discharge of its
mandated functions.
The main functions of the CZA are:
(i)
(ii)
(iii)

(iv)
(v)

Specification of minimum standards for housing,

upkeep and veterinary care of the animals in the zoos.
Recognition of zoos on the basis of evaluation of their
functioning.
Identification of endangered species of wild animals for
the purpose of captive breeding and assignment of
responsibility in this regard to zoos.
Co-ordination of the acquisition, exchange and loaning
of animals for breeding.
Provision of technical and other assistance to zoos for
manage meant and development on scientific lines.

A National Studbook Cell has been envisaged for maintaining

national studbooks of all the endangered wild animal species. A
National Referral Centre (NRC) was established at Indian
Veterinary Research Institute, Bareilly for providing super
specialty services and diagnostic facilities for better health care of
wild animals in Indian zoos.
Recognition of zoos is now based on notified standards for
upkeep, maintenance and veterinary care of animals.

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In 1983, the Government of India adopted a National Wildlife

Action Plan to provide the framework of strategy as well as a
program for wildlife conservation. The 1983 action plan was
revised, and a new plan (2002-2016) has now been adopted. A
monitoring committee will oversee the implementation of the plan.
The important decisions taken during the third meeting of the
National Board for wildlife in June 2006 included an alternate
home for lions, survey for assessing the current status of
peacocks in India, preparation of an action plan for conservation
of the red jungle fowl, and identification of wetlands outside the
protected area system for conservation.
The standing committee of the Board was reconstituted in July
2007 and the fourth meeting of the Board was held in November
2007.
A Wildlife Institute was set up at Dehradun and a Wildlife Advisory
Committee was constituted (in 1996) to advise on various aspects
of wildlife conservation and related matters.
The Indian Board of Wildlife, headed by the prime minister, is the
apex advisory body overseeing and guiding the implementation of
various schemes for wildlife conservation. It was reconstituted on
December 7, 2001.
The protected area network in India includes 99 national parks
and 513 wildlife sanctuaries, 41 conservation reserves and 4
community reserves.
The Animal Welfare Division became a part of Ministry of
Environment and Forests in July 2002. Earlier, the division was
under Ministry of Statistics and Program Implementation. The

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mandate of Animal Welfare Division is to prevent the infliction of

unnecessary pain or suffering on animals. The main task of the
division is to implement effectively the various provisions of the
Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (PCA) Act, 1960.
The division provides assistance for construction of shelter
houses, dispensaries, etc., for stray, infirm and abandoned
animals. It also gives grants for ambulances and vehicles in
connection with treatment and transportation of sick, injured and
rescued animals. Another major developmental program is
immunization and sterilization of stray dogs.
A National Institute of Animal Welfare (NIAW) at Faridabad has
also been established to impart training and education in animal
welfare and veterinary science. The institute aims at creating an
enabling environment for the fulfillment of statutory requirements
under the PCA Act, 1960.
The Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) is a statutory body
under the PCA Act, 1960. With headquarters at Chennai, its basic
mandate is to advise the government on animal welfare issues,
and create awareness in animal welfare. The AWBI gives financial
assistance to eligible animal welfare organizations for shelter
houses, model gaushalas for setting up of bio-gas plants,
famine/drought relief, earthquake relief, etc., in various states.
The Committee for Purpose of Control and Supervision of
Experiments on Animals (CPCSEA) is also a statutory body under
the PCA Act, I960 with headquarters at Chennai. The mandate of
this committee is to register and monitor the animal breeders and
institutions conducting experiments on animals.

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CONVENTIONS
RELATED
WILDLIFE CONSERVATION

TO

Project Tiger: The Government of India launched Project Tiger

on April 1, 1973 in the Corbett National Park as a consequence of
the concrete international effort to create awareness and raise
funds for saving the tiger. This international effort was led by Guy
Mount fort of the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF).
It ensured maintenance of a viable population of tigers in India for
scientific, economic, aesthetic, cultural and ecological values, and
to preserve for all times, areas of biological importance as a
national heritage for the benefit, education and enjoyment of the
people. Initially, nine tiger wildlife reserves (with 268 tigers)
constituted the Project Tiger network.
As of 2008, there were 28 tiger reserves in 17 states, covering an
area of 37,761 sq. km. The Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 was
amended in 2006 to incorporate the creation of the National Tiger
Conservation Authority. The first meeting of the National Tiger
Conservation Authority was held in November 2006. With the
amendment of this Act, a Wildlife Crime Control Bureau was also
subsequently established.
The Ministry of Environment and Forests provides necessary
technical and financial support to the state governments for
wildlife conservation under various centrally sponsored schemes
(CSS). The states receive 100 per cent financial assistance for
non-recurring items and 50 per cent for approved recurring items.
The punishment in cases of offence within a tiger reserve has
also been enhanced.

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Conservation_____________________________________________________________

Following are some of the administrative measures taken by the

environment and forests ministry:
i.

ii.

iii.

iv.
v.
vi.

Strengthening of anti poaching activities, including special

strategy for monsoon patrolling by providing funding
support to tiger reserve states.
Provision of hundred per cent central assistance to 17
tiger reserves as an addition for deployment of tiger
protection force.
Constitution of a multidisciplinary Tigers and Other
Endangered Species Crime Control Bureau, with effect
from June 2007, comprising officers from police, forest,
customs and other enforce meant agencies to effectively
control illegal trade in wildlife.
Approval for eight new tiger reserves.
Evolution and mainstreaming of a scientific methodology
for estimating the number of tigers.
Identification of approximately 31,111 sq. km of core or
critical tiger habitat in 17 states.

The Project Tiger guidelines have been further revised and

include funding support to states for enhanced village relocation;
rehabilitation of communities involved in traditional hunting and
mainstreaming livelihood and wildlife concerns in forests; and
fostering corridor con serration through restorative strategy to
stop habitat fragmentation.
International Cooperation in Tiger Conservation: A
memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Nepal on controlling
trans-boundary illegal trade in wildlife and conservation.
i.

A protocol on tiger conservation with China.

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Conservation_____________________________________________________________

ii.

iii.

A Global Tiger Forum of Tiger Range Countries for

addressing international issues related to tiger
conservation.
A resolution along with China, Nepal and Russia for
restricting breeding tigers on a commercial scale and for
adopting measures to conserve wild tigers.

Tiger Reserves: The selection of reserves is guided by

representation of eco-typical wilderness areas across the biogeographic range of tiger distribution in the country.
Project Tiger is a custodian of major gene pool in the country. It is
also a repository of some of the most valuable ecosystem and
habitats for wildlife.
The Tiger Reserves are constituted on a core-buffer strategy.
The core area is kept free of biotic disturbances and forestry
operations, where collection of minor forest produce, grazing
human disturbances are not allowed within. However, the buffer
zone is managed as a multiple use area with twin objectives of
providing habitat supplement to the spillover population of wild
animals from the core conservation unit, and to provide sitespecific eco-developmental inputs to surrounding villages for
relieving the impact on the core.
No relocation is visualized in the buffer area, and forestry
operations, Non Timber Forest Produce (NTFP) collection and
other rights and concessions to the indigenous communities are
supposed to be permitted in a regulated manner to complement
the initiatives in the core unit.
An eco-development scheme in and around national parks and
sanctuaries including tiger reserves was also launched to provide

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alternate sources of sustenance to the communities living at the

fringes of national parks and sanctuaries including tiger reserves,
to improve the ecological productivity of the buffer zones of
protected areas through the involve meant of these communities
in protecting these sanctuaries and national parks and their wild
life; through a well-designed package of activities aimed at
providing sustenance to the forest side communities and
ameliorating their hardships to minimize conflicts between those
communities and the protection staffs.
The various activities undertaken under the scheme are:
i.
ii.
iii.

iv.

Habitat improvement
Alternate sources of energy
Infrastructure building/roads, etc., and
Small welfare measures.

Project Elephant: In India elephants are mainly to be found in

the rain forests of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala; the tropical
forests of West Bengal, Jharkhand, Central India, and the western
region; and the Himalayan foothills in the north-east and
Uttarakhand. India has about 25,000 elephants.
The elephant habitat has shrunk over the years, and poaching for
elephant tusks has endangered the species especially in southern
India. Construction of roads and dams has led to encroachment of
forest lands, interfering with the traditional migratory routes of
elephants necessary for them in their search for food. Conversion
of natural forests to monocarp plantations for commercial
purposes has also been harmful. The forced isolation of elephants
in reserves has often led to inbreeding with the consequential
negative effects.

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Project Elephant was launched in February 1992 to assist states

having free ranging populations of wild elephants to ensure long
term survival of identified viable populations of elephants in their
natural habitats.
The project is being implemented in 13 states, viz., Andhra
Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Jharkhand, Karnataka,
Kerala, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Orissa, Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand,
Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. The states are given financial as
well as technical and scientific assistance in achieving the
objectives of the project.
The main activities of Project Elephant are as follows:
(i)
(ii)

(iii)

(iv)

(v)
(vi)
(vii)
(viii)

(ix)

Ecological restoration of existing natural habitats and

migratory routes of elephants;
Development of scientific and planned management for
conservation of elephant habitats and viable population
of wild Asiatic elephants in India;
Promotion of measures for mitigation of man-elephant
conflict in crucial habitats and moderating pressures of
human and domestic stock activities in crucial elephant
habitats;
Strengthening of measures for protection of wild
elephants from poachers and unnatural causes of
death;
Research on issues related to management of elephant
conservation;
Public education and awareness programs;
Eco-development;
Veterinary care; and
Building up the stock of field staff, mahouts and
veterinarians.

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Protecting Vultures: The report of the Department of Animal

Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries made a shocking revelation on
the population of vultures that has decimated in the entire region
of South Asia. One of the major causes of decimation of the
population of vultures is the pharmaceutical drug, diclofenac,
which is toxic to the bird even at relatively low dosage.
This is a matter of great concern as vultures are natural
scavengers and play a crucial role in the ecosystem, and are also
essential for the overall well being of the environment and life
support system.
In May 2006, the Government of India initiated preventive actions
to curb further decline in the population of vultures which also
includes banning the use of diclofenac in veterinary sector.
Following are the other measures adopted by the government:
i.

ii.

iii.

An action plan for vulture conservation is being

implemented to stem the decline and put the vulture
population on growth path.
The government has extended support to breeding
centres at Pinjore in Haryana, Buxa in West Bengal and
Rani Forest in Assam.
Captive breeding centres at four zoos at Bhopal,
Bhubaneswar, Junagarh and Hyderabad have also been
set up through the Central Zoo Authority.

Protecting Gharials: It was reported in 2008 that since midDecember 2007 dozens of the rare Indian crocodile, known as the
gharial, are turning up dead on the banks of the Chambal River.
They have perished, apparently as a result of a mysterious live

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Conservation_____________________________________________________________

disease, while the population of these animals in the wild has

been dropping steadily.
The decline in the population of adult gharials from 436 about a
decade ago to 182 in 2006, according to World Conservation
Union (IUCN) estimates, has raised international alarm. It has
prompted the IUCN to classify them as critically endangered on its
Red List of species.
The Central governments initiative to set up a crisis management
group for the gharial with help from the World Wildlife Fund offers
some hope. A comprehensive investigation to determine the
cause of the gharial deaths and urgent remedial measures has
been called for.
There may also be some merit in the criticism from
conservationists that poor enforcement in prime gharial nesting
areas in the Chambal has created ruinous habitat disturbance.
Sand mining and the hunting of fish and turtles in the protected
areas have led to the destruction of nesting sites, the depletion of
fish, and the killing of gharials that accidentally get entangled in
turtle nets; poorly conceived dams, barrages, irrigation canals,
and roaming livestock have added to the pressure.
Conservationists say the gharial deaths are a cause for worrying
because they could be the first sign of river contamination and of
potential threats to the rest of the ecosystem.
The gharial (a fish-eating crocodile with a long snout), native to
South Asia, is one of the most endangered freshwater crocodile
species. The World Wide Fund for Nature believes it is extinct in
its former habitats of Pakistan, Bhutan and Myanmar. Now, it is
reported only from India and Nepal.

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An estimated 1,300 gharials are left in the wild, mostly in India,

according to the Fund. The government, under pressure from
conservationists, set up protected areas in 1979 along the
Chambal to prevent poaching of their skin for high-grade crocodile
leather, and it raises eggs in captivity to protect them from
predators.
The World Conservation Union recently upgraded it from being an
endangered to a critically endangered species. But the recent
deaths have further depleted the stock of breeding pairs to less
than 200, conservationists and the Forest Department believes.

Non-government involvement

Wildlife
Conservation_____________________________________________________________

As major development agencies became discouraged with the

public sector of environmental conservation in the late 1980s,
these agencies began to lean their support towards the private
sector or non-government organizations (NGOs). In a World
Bank Discussion Paper it is made apparent that the explosive
emergence of nongovernmental organizations was widely known
to government policy makers. Seeing this rise in NGO support,
the U.S. Congress made amendments to the Foreign Assistance
Act in 1979 and 1986 earmarking U.S. Agency for International
Development (USAID) funds for biodiversity. From 1990 moving
through recent years environmental conservation in the NGO
sector has become increasingly more focused on the political and
economic impact of USAID given towards the Environment and
Natural Resources. After the terror attacks on the World Trade
Centers on September 11, 2001 and the start of former President
Bushs War on Terror, maintaining and improving the quality of the
environment and natural resources became a priority to prevent
international tensions according to the Legislation on Foreign
Relations Through 2002 and section 117 of the 1961 Foreign
Assistance Act. Furthermore, in 2002 U.S. Congress modified the
section on endangered species of the previously amended
Foreign Assistance Act.

onclusion

Wildlife
Conservation_____________________________________________________________

The project concludes that what if there is no need of

conservation at all? Why we cant do our work without disturbing
the non-social life? If we start to adopt methods which will not
create problems for the same then therell be no need of
conserving it.
We can do our best to be at that point, but this is a hypothetical
thought which cant be otherwise real.
As forests and wildlife are renewable natural resource and if all
the planned programmes are effectively executed, in few decades
flora and fauna will start flourishing.
So, Wildlife Conservation Methods need to be carried on.

ibliography

Wildlife
Conservation_____________________________________________________________

Links:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wildlife_conservation
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wildlife_of_India
https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/wildlife-conservation

Books:
National Geographic Animal Encyclopedia
Half-Earth: Our Planet's Fight for Life by Edward O Wilson