Wildlife: Conservation Projects | Zoology Optional Notes for UPSC PDF Download

Wildlife Conservation Initiatives in India

• Conservation in India broadly refers to the preservation, protection, or restoration of the natural environment and its animal inhabitants.
• The urgency of conservation arises from the escalating destruction of nature, the environment, and wildlife due to climate change, industrialization, and globalization.

• Wildlife conservation projects are instrumental in safeguarding and sustainably utilizing natural resources, ensuring their availability for future generations.
• Recognizing the intrinsic value of wildlife as an integral part of nature, their preservation is imperative.

Bridge Between Theory and Reality

• Conservation initiatives serve as a bridge between evolutionary theory and real-world environmental challenges.
• They aid in predicting how wildlife will respond to existing and impending environmental changes.
• Conservation programs are crucial to secure wildlife's survival against the looming threats of global warming, farming, population growth, pollution, and hunting.

Diverse Wildlife Conservation Projects in India

1. Project Snow Leopard: Preserving Himalayan Elegance

• Snow Leopards inhabit Himalayan regions, including Jammu & Kashmir, Uttarakhand, Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, and Himachal Pradesh.
• This globally important conservation initiative safeguards the critically endangered snow leopard.
• Various international and national classifications, such as the IUCN, CITES, Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, and CMS, highlight the species' dire need for protection.
• This project is part of the Global Snow Leopard and Ecosystem Protection Program.

• Launched in 1973 to address the sharp decline in India's tiger population.
• Factors like deforestation, habitat loss, and poaching contributed to the decline.
• The project is a remarkable success, expanding from nine reserves to fifty across India, significantly increasing tiger populations.
• Multiple designations, including the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, IUCN, and CITES, highlight the tiger's endangered status.

• Initiated in 1992 to manage and protect India's elephant population.
• While elephants face attrition rather than extinction, the project aims to conserve free-roaming elephant populations.
• The Elephants' Protection Act of 1879 was also established for their safeguarding.
• Recognized as a national heritage of India, this project seeks to raise awareness about the dwindling elephant numbers.

• Launched in 2005, this ambitious project aims to achieve a wild population of at least 3,000 one-horned rhinos by 2020 in seven protected areas in Assam.
• Several rhino species in Asia, including the Indian rhino, are under severe threat due to poaching and habitat destruction.
• The project includes wild-to-wild translocations and collaborations with organizations like the International Rhino Foundation.

• Initiated in the 1970s by the Jammu and Kashmir government, the project conserves the endangered Hangul (Kashmir Red Stag).
• The Hangul, an IUCN-listed endangered species, is native to northern India and primarily found in regions like Kashmir Valley, Himachal Pradesh, and Sindh Valley.
• Efforts focus on artificial breeding enclosures.

• Project Crocodile, initiated in 1975, addresses the plummeting crocodile populations in India.
• Poaching for commercial interests and habitat degradation were significant threats.
• The initiative employs methods like captive breeding and rearing, in collaboration with organizations like FAO and UNDP.

More Wildlife Conservation Projects

• Lesser Cats Project (1976)
• Gir Lion Sanctuary Project (1972)
• Sea Turtle Conservation Project (1999)
• Project Himalayan Musk Deer (1981)
• Ganges Dolphin Conservation Initiative

• Protecting wildlife is vital for maintaining ecological stability and preserving the planet's biodiversity.
• Increasing human activities in natural habitats necessitate stricter enforcement of wildlife legislation.
• Conservation projects play a pivotal role in ensuring the sustainable use of natural resources for future generations and mitigating the damage caused by human actions. Extinction of species poses significant threats to the global ecosystem, and responsible stewardship is imperative.