Forest and Wildlife Conservation in India

We can see a variety of forests and wildlife if we look around. The plant population is referred to as flora, whereas the animal population is called fauna. In terms of biological diversity, forest and wildlife conservation in India is among the world’s wealthiest and most strong. This could be twice or three times the number yet to be explored. We take these diversified flora and fauna for granted because they are so well incorporated into daily life. However, they have recently been under a lot of pressure. Approximately 10% of India’s recorded adventurous flora and 20 percent of the total of its mammalian species are on the threatened list.

Conservation of Forests in India

Forests are a gift from nature to a man and one of a country’s most prized assets. They are useful in both the short term and long term and thus are appropriately referred to as an ‘index of a nation’s prosperity.’ Strong conservation measures must be implemented; given the benefits that we generate from forest areas.

Forest conservation in India does explicitly not entail rejection of use but rather proper use that has no negative impact on our economy or environment. It is the practice of preparing and preserving forested areas for future generations’ benefit and sustainability.

Conservation is required to protect ecological diversity and our safety systems like air, water, and soil. The Indian Wildlife Act was enacted in 1972 to conservationists’ demands. This act included several provisions for habitat protection.

The project’s primary purpose was to safeguard the remaining populations of certain endangered wildlife by prohibiting hunting, providing legal protection for their habitats, and limiting wildlife trade. For this purpose, the federal and state governments established various nature reserves and wildlife sanctuaries.

The central government of India has developed various projects to protect specific animals that were critically endangered, such as the tigers, one-horned rhinos, and others. The Government of India established Project Tiger in 1973 to save the country’s endangered tiger species.

Several thousand butterflies, dragonflies, ladybugs, and beetles have been added to a list of Forest conservation in India under the Wildlife Acts of 1980 and 1986. Plants were added to this list too in 1991.

Wildlife Conservation in specific

Wildlife management in India has a long past. It was restricted to only a few species in a specific geographical area back in the colonial period. The creation of the Wildlife at the national level, followed by the enactment of the Wildlife Act in 1972, laid the groundwork for the current “wildlife conservation” era in post-independence India.

Furthermore, the country has some of the richest biodiversity regions on the planet, with four of the world’s 35 biodiversity hotspots. So far, the country’s wildlife has been protected in 120+ nature reserves, 515 sanctuaries, 26 waterways, and 18 Bio Reserves, 10 of which are members of the Worldwide Network of Biodiversity Hotspots. This vast biodiverse area requires protection, and conservation is unquestionably a necessary measure.

Given recent human influence, the Indian government has taken effective measures to preserve biodiversity in the country. The most notable of which is the Wildlife Protection Act (1972), which prohibits the trade of threatened and endangered species.

Conclusion

Humans share the planet earth with many other living organisms. Forests have been cleared to construct many buildings, reservoirs, industries, and other structures, which has directly impacted biodiversity. The forests and wildlife are the ecosystem’s primary sources, and they are also interdependent. Many organisms around us are in danger of becoming extinct due to human activity. Many factors, such as mining, shifting cultivation, and so on, are primarily responsible for affecting forests and wildlife. We can conserve ecosystems in various ways by implementing many traditional techniques. Hence forest and wildlife conservation of India is necessary.