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Conservation of wildlife is meant as the practice of protecting the flora and fauna and their habitats. An important part of the ecosystem, wildlife is responsible for maintaining the balance and stability of nature’s process. The main purpose of wildlife conservation is to ensure the survival of these species and also to educate people on living sustainably with other species.
What is meant by wildlife conservation projects?
The wildlife conservation projects, in general, mean preserving, protecting, and restoring the natural environment of wildlife. In this era of development, the destruction of wildlife, nature, natural resources and the environment are evident. The conservation of wildlife projects is an effort to maintain the natural resources and sustain the environment.
Top 4 National Wildlife Conservation Projects in India
The below-mentioned are the conservation of wildlife projects that are initiated and implemented by the Indian government:
Project Snow Leopard
Snow Leopards are found across the Himalayan region, as well as in Uttarakhand, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, and Himachal Pradesh, amongst other places. Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) classify this species as “Vulnerable.” According to the CITES and the CMS, snow leopards are given the highest possible conservation status both at national and international levels.
As part of a larger effort to protect the Snow Leopard, India’s first wildlife conservation initiative for the species was initiated in 2009 and was named “Project Snow Leopard.”
In 2019, the Indian government launched the ‘First national Protocol on Snow Leopard Population Assessment’. Camera traps and scientific surveys were used in this project’s technological components.
The SOS or Save Our Snow Leopards, established by WWF India and the Tata Housing Development Company in 2014, was designated to analyse the status and distribution of snow leopards by setting up camera traps.
Project Tiger
The Indian Tiger’s population was shrinking rapidly around the turn of the 21st century. To get an idea of how many tigers there were in the country, the Tiger Census was undertaken in 1972. Tigers were hunted in huge numbers because their body parts are employed in traditional Chinese medicine.
When the Indian government launched Project Tiger in 1973, it was meant to protect Indian wildlife from poaching. In Jim Corbett national park, Uttarakhand, the Palamau Tiger Reserve was established to safeguard the tigers from extinction.
In 2019, the tiger census 2018 revealed that there are 2967 Bengal tigers in the nation, which required the following conservation efforts under the Wildlife Act of 1972:
- Under Section 38L of the Act, the conservation authority has been constituted.
- Under section 38Z of the Act, the Tiger and Other Endangered Species Crime Control Bureau has been established.
- Anti-poaching activities have been strengthened by the government.
- Setting-up up the Tiger Task Force was recommended by the National Board for Wildlife to look into the issues arising in implanting the tiger conservation initiative across the entire nation.
Project Elephant
In 1992, Project Elephant was created to save elephants from extinction because of the threat of attrition. It was the primary goal of this initiative to better control and safeguard the elephants in the states where they roam freely.
Additional legislation such as the Elephant Preservation Act of 1879 has been enacted by the Indian government to ensure that elephants are protected across the country. Now that elephants have been designated as a national treasure, the government has a greater responsibility to safeguard them. The goals of the project were:
- Protect elephants, elephant corridors, and their habitats;
- Prevent man-animal conflicts; and
- Ensure the welfare of domesticated elephants.
Project Hangul
Jammu and Kashmir’s Project Hangul was launched in the 1970s in collaboration with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the World Wildlife Fund to protect and conserve Kashmir Red Stag and its natural habitats.
Poaching, illegal trade, and domestic livelihood overgrazing in the Red Stag’s habitat contributed to its demise. The number of Kashmir Red Stacks increased by 340 till 1980 due to the project’s success.
Other Indian Wildlife Conservation Projects
Following mentioned are some other wildlife conservation projects launched by the Indian government:
Wildlife Conservation Projects |
Description |
Indian (One Horn) Rhino Vision 2020 |
It was the department of environment and forests, Assam that implemented Indian (One Horn) Rhino Vision 2020 to populate the potential rhino habitat areas. |
Sea Turtle Project |
Sea Turtle Project was initiated by MoEF in collaboration of UNDP with Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun in the year 1999. The main objective of this project was to conserve olive ridley turtles and other endangered marine turtles. |
Indian Crocodile Conservation Project |
Indian Crocodile Conservation Project was launched in 1975 by the Indian government to protect the remaining population of crocodiles and promote captive breeding. |
Ganges Dolphin |
It was on 15 August 2020 that Indian Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change announced the project “Ganges Dolphin” to conserve river and oceanic dolphins. |
Conclusion
It is vital for the country to pay attention to conserving wildlife to maintain balance and stability in the ecosystem. The expansion of human activities into the natural habitats of these species has led to the decline of multiple species in the country. The government of India, through the projects mentioned above, is trying to conserve wildlife.
