Wildlife conservation
TheSiberian tigeris a subspecies of tiger that is critically
endangered; three subspecies of tiger are already extinct.Wildlife
conservationis the practice of protectingendangered plant and
animal speciesand theirhabitats. Among the goals of wildlife
conservation are to ensure that nature will be around for future
generations to enjoy and to recognize the importance
ofwildlifeandwildernesslands to humans.[1]Many nations
havegovernment agenciesdedicated to wildlife conservation, which
help to implement policies designed to protect wildlife. Numerous
independentnonprofit organizationsalso promote various wildlife
conservation causes.[2]Wildlife conservation has become an
increasingly important practice due to the negative effects ofhuman
activityonwildlife. The science of extinction is called dirology.
An endangered species is defined as a population of a living being
that is at the danger of becoming extinct because of several
reasons. Either they are few in number or are threatened by the
varying environmental or predation parameters.Major threats to
wildlifeMajor threats to wildlife can be categorized as below:[3] :
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
lossdue to destruction, fragmentation or degradation of habitatis
the primary threat to the survival of wildlife in the United
States.When an ecosystem has been dramatically changed by human
activitiessuch as agriculture, oil and gas exploration, commercial
development or water diversionit may no longer be able to provide
the food, water, cover, and places to raise young. Every day there
are fewer places left that wildlife can call home. There are three
major kinds of habitat loss: Habitat destruction: A bulldozer
pushing down trees is the iconic image of habitat destruction
Habitat fragmentation: Much of the remaining terrestrial wildlife
habitat in the U.S. has been cut up into fragments by roads and
development. Aquatic species habitat has been fragmented by dams
and water diversions Habitat degradation:Pollution,invasive
speciesand disruption ofecosystemprocesses (such as changing the
intensity of fires in an ecosystem) are some of the ways habitats
can become so degraded that they no longer support native wildlife.
Climate change:Global warmingis making hot days hotter,rainfalland
flooding heavier,hurricanesstronger anddroughtsmore severe. This
intensification of weather andclimateextremes will be the most
visible impact ofglobal warmingin 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
ofplantsandanimalshave specific 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. Unregulated Hunting and poaching: Unregulated hunting
andpoachingcauses a major threat to wildlife. Along with this,
mismanagement of forest department and forest guards triggers this
problem. 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.[6]Over-exploitation of resources, i.e., exploitation of
wild populations for food has resulted in population crashes
(over-fishing and over-grazing 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 Today,
the Endangered Species Act protects some U.S. species that were in
danger from over exploitation, and the Convention on International
Trade in Endangered Species of Fauna and Flora (CITES) works to
prevent the global trade of wildlife. But there are many species
that are not protected from being illegally traded or
over-harvested. In order of the sexual lifestyle to continue it is
needed to come about with everything that you need especially if a
currency of the conservation is initially under consecration and
wildliifeWildlife of India
India has the largest wild population oftigersin the world.
The most endangeredIndiantop predator of 2010, thedholeis on
edge ofextinction. Less than 2500 members of the species remain in
the world.
Snowleopard is an endangered species found along the
HimalayasThewildlife in Indiacomprises a mix of species of
different types of organisms.[1]Apart from a handful of the major
farm animals such as cows, buffaloes, goats, poultry,pigs &
sheep, India has an amazingly wide variety of animals native to the
country. It is home
toTigers,Lions,Leopards,Pythons,Wolves,Foxes,Bears,Crocodiles,Rhinoceroses,Camels,Wild
dogs,Monkeys,Snakes,Antelopespecies,Deerspecies, varieties
ofbisonand not to mention the mightyAsian elephant. The region's
rich and diverse wildlife is preserved in 89 national parks, 18 Bio
reserves and 400+ wildlife sanctuaries across the country.India has
some of the most biodiverse regions of the world and hosts three of
the worlds 34 biodiversity hotspots or treasure-houses that is the
Western Ghats, the Eastern Himalayas and Indo- Burma.[2]Since India
is home to a number of rare and threatened animal species, wildlife
management in the country is essential to preserve these
species.[3]According to one study, India along with 17 mega diverse
countries is home to about 60-70% of the world's biodiversity.[4]In
recent decades, human encroachment has posed a threat to India's
wildlife; in response, the system ofnational parksandprotected
areas, first established in 1935, was substantially expanded. In
1972, India enacted theWildlife Protection ActandProject Tigerto
safeguard crucial habitat; further federal protections were
promulgated in the 1980s. Along withover 515 wildlife sanctuaries,
India now hosts18 biosphere reserves, four of which are part of
theWorld Network of Biosphere Reserves;26 wetlandsare registered
under theRamsar Convention.
The endangeredBlack buckat theUndying National Parkwithin
theChennaimetropolis
One of the world's rarest monkeys,Gee's Golden Langurtypifies
the precarious survival of much of India'smega fauna.India is home
to several well-known large mammals, including theAsian
Elephant,Bengal Tiger,Asiatic Lion,Leopard,Sloth BearandIndian
Rhinoceros. Some other well-known large Indian mammals are:
ungulates such as the rareWild Asian Water buffalo, commonDomestic
Asian Water buffalo, Gail,Gaur, and several species of deer and
antelope. Some members of the dog family, such as theIndian
Wolf,Bengal FoxandGolden Jackal, and theDholeor Wild Dogs are also
widely distributed. However, thedole,also known asthe whistling
hunter,is the most endangered top Indian carnivore, and
theHimalayan Wolfis now acritically endangeredspecies endemic
toIndia.[citation needed]It is also home to theStriped
Hyena,Macaques,LanguorsandMongoosespecies.==Conservation==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 yendeavour 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."[11]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
thetigerand its habitats.[12]At the turn of the 20th century, one
estimate of the tigerpopulationin 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.[13]The passing of theForest
Rights Actby the Indian government in 2008 has been the final nail
in the coffin and has pushed the Indian tiger to the verge of
extinction. Various pressures in the later part of the 20th century
led to the progressive decline ofwildernessresulting in the
disturbance of viable tigerhabitats. At theInternational Union for
the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources(IUCN) General
Assembly meeting inDelhiin 1969, serious concern was voiced about
the threat to severalspeciesofwildlifeand the shrinkage of
wilderness in India. In 1970, a national ban ontiger huntingwas
imposed, and in 1972 theWildlife Protection Actcame into force. The
framework was then set up to formulate a project for tiger
conservation with anecologicalapproach. However, there is not much
optimism about this framework's ability to save the peacock, which
is the national bird of India..Recent extinctions
Illustration of aHimalayan QuailfromA. O. Hume's work. Last seen
in 1876The 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,Javan
Rhinoceros, andSumatran Rhinoceros.[14]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.Some species of
birds have gone extinct in recent times, including thePink-headed
Duck(Rhodonessa caryophyllacea) and theHimalayan Quail(Ophrysia
superciliosa). A species of warbler,Acrocephalus orinus, known
earlier from a single specimen collected byAllan Octavian Humefrom
near Rampur in Himachal Pradesh, was rediscovered after 139 years
in Thailand.[15][16]Biosphere reserves[edit]The Indian government
has established eighteen Biosphere Reserves of India which protect
larger areas of natural habitat and often include one or more
National Parks and/or preserves, along buffer zones that are open
to some economic uses. Protection is granted not only to the flora
and fauna of the protected region, but also to the human
communities who inhabit these regions, and their ways of life. The
Bio-reserves in India are:1. Achanakmar-Amarkantak2.
Agasthyamalai3. Dibru Saikhowa4. Dihang Dibang5. Great Nicobar6.
Gulf of Mannar7. Kachchh8. Kangchenjunga9. Manas10. Nanda Devi11.
The Nilgiris12. Nokrek13. Pachmarhi14. Simlipal15. Sundarbans16.
Cold desert17. seshachalam hills18. PannaNine of the eighteen
biosphere reserves are a part of theWorld Network of Biosphere
Reserves, based on theUNESCOMan and the Biosphere Programme(MAB)
list.[22]1. Gulf of Mannar Biosphere Reserve2. Nanda Devi Biosphere
Reserve3. Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve4. Nokrek National Park5.
Pachmarhi Biosphere Reserve6. Simlipal National Park7. Sundarbans
Biosphere Reserve8. Achanakmar-Amarkantak Biosphere Reserve9.
Nicobar Islands
The endangered animals
Royal Bengal Tiger Indian Lion
Indian Leopard Snow LeopardClouded leopard Asian black bear
Indian elephantIndian Rhinoceros
Red PandaIndian Crested Porcupine
Chital Indian Wild Dog(Dhole)
Striped hyena(Hyaena hyaena) Saltwater crocodile
Indian Peacock, India's national bird Brahminy Kite
Brown Fish-owl Indian Cobra
Lion-tailed Macaque Pariah Kite
Ring-necked Parakeet Shikra
Special situations and actsThe Wild Life (Protection) Act,
1972
An Act to provide for the protection of Wild animals, birds and
plants and for matters connected therewith or ancillary or
incidental thereto.
CitationAct No. 53 of 1972
Enacted byParliament of India
Date enacted9 September 1972
Amendments
Wild Life (Protection) Amendment Act, 1982Wild Life (Protection)
Amendment Act, 1986Wild Life (Protection) Amendment Act, 1991Wild
Life (Protection) Amendment Act, 1993Wild Life (Protection)
Amendment Act, 2002Wild Life (Protection) Amendment Act, 2006
TheWildlife Protection Act, 1972is anIndian legislationenacted
by theParliament of Indiafor protection of plants and animal
species. Before 1972,Indiaonly had five designatednational parks.
Among other reforms, the Act established schedules of protected
plant and animal species; hunting or harvesting these species was
largely outlawed.The Act provides for the protection of wild
animals, birds and plants; and for matters connected therewith or
ancillary or incidental thereto. It extends to the whole ofIndia,
except the State ofJammuandKashmirwhich has its own wildlife act.
It has six schedules which give varying degrees of
protection.Schedule Iand part II ofSchedule IIprovide absolute
protection - offences under these are prescribed the highest
penalties. Species listed inSchedule IIIandSchedule IVare also
protected, but the penalties are much lower.Schedule Vincludes the
animals which may be hunted. The plants inSchedule VIare prohibited
from cultivation and planting. The hunting to the Enforcement
authorities have the power to compound offences under this Schedule
(i.e. they impose fines on the offenders). Up to April 2010 there
have been 16 convictions under this act relating to the death of
tigers Other ActsWildlife Conservation in IndiaWildlife means all
the flora and fauna, which are not domesticated by humans. It
includes animals, plants and microorganisms.Wildlife tours in
Indiais your chance to explore some of the well known tiger
reserves and national parks sprinkled across different parts of the
country.Wildlife Conservation Efforts in IndiaLast few decades have
seen emergence of human encroachment to an extent that has never
been seen. This is one of the greatest threat to India's wildlife.
In order to overcome the result of human encroachment manynational
parksas well as protected areas have been established so far and
the first came in 1935. Also in 1972, to protect the tiger
andwildlife in India, the Wildlife Protection Act and Project Tiger
to safeguard were enacted.Yes, Plan My Trip!Project TigerNATIONAL
WILDLIFE CONSERVATION PROJECTSPROJECT TIGERProject Tiger is a
wildlife conservation project initiated in India in 1972 to protect
the Bengal Tigers. It was launched on April 1, 1973 and has become
one of the most successful wildlife conservation ventures. The
project aims at tiger conservation in specially constituted tiger
reserves representative of various bio-geographical regions
throughout India. In 2007, there were 28 Project Tiger wildlife
reserves covering an area of 37,761 km. Project Tiger helped
increased the population of these tigers from 1,200 in the 1970s to
3,500 in 1990s.At the turn of the 20th century, one estimate of the
tiger population in India placed the figure at 40,000. The first
ever all-India tiger census was conducted in 1972 which revealed
the existence of only 1827 tigers. In 1970, a national ban on tiger
hunting was imposed and in 1972 the Wildlife Protection Act came
into force. A task force was then set up to formulate a project for
tiger conservation with an ecological approach.The project was
launched in 1973, and various tiger reserves were created in the
country based on a 'core-buffer' strategy. Management plans were
drawn up for each tiger reserve based on the principles outlined
below:- Elimination of all forms of human exploitation and biotic
disturbance from the core area and rationalization of activities in
the buffer zone.- Restricting the habitat management only to repair
the damages done to the eco-system by human and other interferences
so as to facilitate recovery of the eco-system to its natural
state.- Monitoring the faunal and floral changes over time and
carrying out research about wildlife. Initially, 9 tiger reserves
were established in different States during the period 1973-74, by
pooling the resources available with the Central and State
Governments. These nine reserves covered an area of about 13,017km
-- viz Manas (Assam), Palamau (Bihar), Similipal (Orissa), Corbett
(U.P.), Kanha (M.P.), Melghat (Maharashtra), Bandipur (Karnataka),
Ranthambhore (Rajasthan) and Sunderbans (West Bengal).The World
Wildlife Fund For Nature has given Project Tiger assistance in the
form of equipments, expertise and literature worth US $ 1 million.
The various States have given up forestry operations in the
reserves leading to a loss of revenue. Project Tiger was a pet
project of Indira Gandhi, the then Prime Minister of India.
The main achievements of this project are excellent recovery of
the habitat and consequent increase in the tiger population in the
reserve areas, from a mere 268 in 9 reserves in 1972 to above one
thousand in 28 reserves in 2006. Tigers, being at the apex of the
food chain, can be considered as the indicator of the stability of
the ecosystem. For a viable tiger population, a habitat should
possess a good prey base which in turn will depend on an
undisturbed forest vegetation. Thus, 'Project Tiger' is basically
the conservation of the entire ecosystem and apart from tigers, all
other wild animals population have also increased in the project
areas. PROJECT ELEPHANTProject Elephant (PE), a centrally sponsored
scheme, was launched in February 1992 to provide financial and
technical support to major elephant bearing States in the country
for protection of elephants, their habitats and corridors. It also
seeks to address the issues of human-elephant conflict and welfare
of domesticated elephants. The Project is being implemented in 13
States / UTs , viz. Andhra Pradesh , Arunachal Pradesh , Assam ,
Jharkhand , Karnataka , Kerala , Meghalaya , Nagaland , Orissa ,
Tamil Nadu , Uttranchal , Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. 25
Elephant Reserves (ERs) extending over about 58,000 sq km have been
formally notified by various State Governments till now. The
estimated population of wild elephants in 2002 was 26413.Main
activities of the Project are as follows:- 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 form
poachers and unnatural causes of death;- Research on Elephant
management related issues;- Public education and awareness
programmes;- Eco-development- Veterinary care PROJECT HANGULThe
Kashmir stag (Cervus affinis hanglu) also called Hangul is a
subspecies of Central Asian Red Deer native to northern India. This
deer lives in groups of two to 18 individuals in dense riverine
forests, high valleys, and mountains of the Kashmir valley and
northern Chamba in Himachal Pradesh. In Kashmir, it's found in
Dachigam National Park at elevations of 3,035 meters. These deer
once numbered from about 5,000 animals in the beginning of the 20th
century. Unfortunately, they were threatened, due to habitat
destruction, over-grazing by domestic livestock, and poaching. This
dwindled to as low as 150 animals by 1970. However, the state of
Jammu & Kashmir, along with the IUCN and the WWF prepared a
project for the protection of these animals. It became known as
Project Hangul. This brought great results and the population
increased to over 340 by 1980. INDIAN CROCODILE CONSERVATION
PROJECTThe Indian Crocodile Conservation Project is considered
among the more successful of conservation initiatives in the world.
The Project has not just produced a large number of crocodiles, but
has contributed towards conservation in a number of related fields
as well.The broad objectives of activities under crocodile project
were as follows :- To protect the remaining population of
crocodilians in their natural habitat by creating sanctuaries.- To
rebuild natural population quickly through `grow and release' or
`rear and release' technique - more than seven thousand crocodiles
have been restocked - about 4000 gharial (Gavialis gangeticus),
1800 mugger (Crocodylus palustris) and 1500 salt- water crocodiles
(Crocodylus porosus)- To promote captive breeding,- To take-up
research to improve management.- To build up a level of trained
personnel for better continuity of the project through training
imparted at project-sites and through the (erstwhile) Central
Crocodile Breeding and Management Training Institute, Hyderabad.-
To involve the local people in the project intimately The Himalayan
Musk Deer Ecology and Conservation Project, Project Lion, the Snow
Leopard Project and several Pheasant Projects have also been
initiated.
GOI UNDP SEA TURTLE PROJECTWith the objective of conservation of
olive ridley turtles and other endangered marine turtles. Ministry
of Environment & Forests initiated the Sea Turtle Conservation
Project in collaboration of UNDP in November, 1999 with Wildlife
Institute of India, Dehradun as the Implementing Agency. The
project is being implemented in 10 coastal States of the country
with special emphasis in State of Orissa. Total financial
allocation for the project is Rs.1.29 crores. The project has
helped in preparation of inventory map of breeding sites of Sea
Turtles, identification of nesting and breeding habitats along the
shore line, and migratory routes taken by Sea Turtles, development
of guidelines to safeguard and minimize turtle mortality,
development of national and international cooperative and
collaborative action for Sea Turtle Conservation, developing
guideline plans for tourism in sea turtle areas and developing
infrastructure and human resources for Sea Turtle Conservation. One
of the important achievements have been demonstration of use of
Satellite Telemetry to locate the migratory route of Olive Ridley
Turtles in the sea and sensitizing the fishermen and State
Government for the use of Turtle Exclusion Device (TED) in fishing
trawlers to check turtle mortality in fishing net.