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For the second time this year, the Asian Rhino Range Nations convened in New Delhi. World Wildlife Fund-India (WWF), the International Rhino Foundation (IRF), and non-governmental organisation (NGO) Aaranyak all came together in New Delhi to hold the 2nd Asian Rhino Range Nations meeting, which was sponsored by the Union Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC). In October 2013, Bandar Lampung, Indonesia, hosted the first Asian Rhino Range States Meeting. The Asian Rhino Range nations include Bhutan, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Nepal.

Outcome of Meeting

At their second conference, the Asian rhino range nations ratified the New Delhi Declaration.

New Delhi Declaration

  • The New Delhi Declaration emphasised India’s, Nepal’s, and Bhutan’s trans-boundary cooperation in the conservation and protection of the species of the larger one-horned rhino.
  • Extending rhino domains within a country or between rhino range countries was also emphasised.
  • To increase natural and conservation breeding of the critically endangered Sumatran rhino, the best use of all available people and technology is being made.
  • India as a model
    • The concept includes replicating or expanding on the Kaziranga rhino conservation success story for Sumatran and Javan rhinos.
    • When Kaziranga was designated as a rhino sanctuary in 1905, it contained less than ten rhinoceros. In India, the Kaziranga National Park in Assam is home to 2,938 rhinos.
  • To ensure the future of three Asian rhino species (greater one-horned, Javan, and Sumatra), the Asian rhino range nations have committed to monitor their populations every four years.
  • To secure the rhino population inside and across range nations, it has also decided to bolster protection regimes, intelligence collecting, and real-time exchange of intelligence information on rhino crime and horn trade. The rhino traffic in Asia was discussed at the summit.
  • It claims that the potential opening of international commerce in rhino horn and other derivatives could harm rhino populations in Asian rhino range nations.
  • The nations have also agreed to do study on a variety of environmental factors, including invasive species that endanger Asian rhino habitats, and to manage the habitats optimally.
  • The summit was also determined to find cross-border connections and corridors and keep them operational, safe, and secure to allow Asian rhinos and other species to roam freely.

Status of Rhinoceros

  • Greater one-horned rhinos, Javan rhinos, and Sumatran rhinos are the three rhino species found in Asia. The bigger one-horned (or Indian) rhino is fragile, whereas the Javan and Sumatran rhinos are severely endangered.
  • The Javan and Sumatran rhinoceros, which formerly roamed from China to Bangladesh, are on the verge of extinction.
  • There are no rhinos in Bhutan; however some rhinos from Assam’s Manas National Park and West Bengal’s Buxa Tiger Reserve have been known to travel over.
  • Other Asian nations where the last rhinos can be found are Indonesia and Malaysia.
  • The Indian one-horned rhinoceros has a worldwide population of 3,584 individuals. In India, the Kaziranga National Park in Assam has the most rhinos at 2,938, while Nepal has 646.
  • In Malaysia, the Sumatran rhino, the smallest of all rhino species and the only Asian rhino with two horns, became extinct in the wild.

National Rhino Conservation Strategy

  • The National Rhino Conservation Strategy for India was just announced by the Indian government.
  • It appealed to India and Nepal to work together to safeguard the species.
  • According to the proposal, the political boundary between the two nations separates the single population of rhinos in Sukla-Phanta (Nepal), Valmiki Tiger Reserve (India), Chitwan National Park (Nepal), and Dudhwa (India).
  • Instead of managing the two populations in two nations independently, the two populations must be handled using the same protocol.
  • The plan will pave the way for conservation and protection of the species of rhinos in the long run.
  • The strategy asks for widening the rhino’s distribution range, citing that the presence of 90% of rhinos in a single protected region is concerning, and that protection of current and future rhino habitats should be made a national priority.
  • It also demands for more protection, as well as focused research, monitoring, and enforcement.

Conclusion

There are three Asian rhino species that India has pledged to work with Bhutan, Nepal, Indonesia, and Malaysia to enhance their populations: the Greater one-horned rhinoceros, Javan rhinoceros and Sumatran rhinoceros. The New Delhi Declaration on Asian Rhinos 2019 was signed by India, Bhutan, Nepal, Indonesia, and Malaysia at the Second Asian Rhino Range Countries Meet, organised by the Environment, Forest and Climate Change Ministry in collaboration with the IUCN Asian Rhino Specialist Group, WWF-India, and Aaranyak. There was a reaffirmation of India’s commitment to rhino conservation by Environment Minister Harsh Vardhan during the meeting.