Wildlife of India
• The wildlife in India is a mix of species of different types of organisms.Apart from a handful of the major famed animals such as cows, buffaloes, goats, poultry and sheep, India has an amazingly wide variety of animals native to the country.
• It is home to lions, tigers, leopards, snow leopards, black panthers, cheetahs, wolves, foxes, bears, crocodiles, rhinoceroses, camels, dogs, monkeys, snakes, antelope species, deer species, varieties of bison and not to mention the mighty Asian elephant.
• The region's rich and diverse wildlife is preserved in 96 national parks, 15 Bio reserves and 400+ wildlife sanctuaries across the country. Since India is home to a number of rare and threatened animal species, wildlife management in the country is essential to preserve these species. According to one study, India along with 17 mega diverse countries is home to about 60-70% of the world's biodiversity.
• India is home to about 7.6% of all mammalian, 12.6% of avian, 6.2% of reptilian, and 6.0% of flowering plant species.33% of Indian plant species are endemic.
• India contains 172, or 2.9%, of IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature)-designated threatened species. These include the Asiatic lion, the Bengal tiger, and the Indian white-rumpedvulture, which suffered a near-extinction from ingesting the carrion of diclofenac-treated cattle.
• In recent decades, human encroachment has posed a threat to India's wildlife. In response, the system of national parksand protected areas, first established in 1935, was substantially expanded.
• In 1972, India enacted the Wildlife Protection Act and Project Tiger to safeguard crucial habitat; further federal protections were promulgated in the 1980s.
• Along with over 500 wildlife sanctuaries, India now hosts 18 biosphere reserves, Eight of which are part of the World Network of Biosphere Reserves; 25 wetlandsare registered under the Ramsar Convention.
• Article 48 of the Constitution of India specifies that, "The state shall endeavour 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.
• The wildlife in India is a mix of species of different types of organisms.Apart from a handful of the major famed animals such as cows, buffaloes, goats, poultry and sheep, India has an amazingly wide variety of animals native to the country.
• It is home to lions, tigers, leopards, snow leopards, black panthers, cheetahs, wolves, foxes, bears, crocodiles, rhinoceroses, camels, dogs, monkeys, snakes, antelope species, deer species, varieties of bison and not to mention the mighty Asian elephant.
• The region's rich and diverse wildlife is preserved in 96 national parks, 15 Bio reserves and 400+ wildlife sanctuaries across the country. Since India is home to a number of rare and threatened animal species, wildlife management in the country is essential to preserve these species. According to one study, India along with 17 mega diverse countries is home to about 60-70% of the world's biodiversity.
• India is home to about 7.6% of all mammalian, 12.6% of avian, 6.2% of reptilian, and 6.0% of flowering plant species.33% of Indian plant species are endemic.
• India contains 172, or 2.9%, of IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature)-designated threatened species. These include the Asiatic lion, the Bengal tiger, and the Indian white-rumpedvulture, which suffered a near-extinction from ingesting the carrion of diclofenac-treated cattle.
• In recent decades, human encroachment has posed a threat to India's wildlife. In response, the system of national parksand protected areas, first established in 1935, was substantially expanded.
• In 1972, India enacted the Wildlife Protection Act and Project Tiger to safeguard crucial habitat; further federal protections were promulgated in the 1980s.
• Along with over 500 wildlife sanctuaries, India now hosts 18 biosphere reserves, Eight of which are part of the World Network of Biosphere Reserves; 25 wetlandsare registered under the Ramsar Convention.
• Article 48 of the Constitution of India specifies that, "The state shall endeavour 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.
Recent extinctions
The 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, and Sumatran Rhinoceros.
Some species of birds have gone extinct in recent times, including the Pink-headed Duck and the Himalayan Quail .
ENDANGERED SPECIES IN INDIA
Critically Endangered
• Jenkin s Shrew
• Malabar Large-spotted Civet: Kerala, Karnatka
• Namdapha Flying Squirrel: NE India
• Pygmy Hog (wild pig): Assam
• Salim Ali s fruit bat: Tamil Nadu
• Wroughton s Free-tailed Bat: Karnataka, Assam
• Sumatran Rhinoceros: NE India
Other important endangered species
Now the world's rarest monkey, the endangered Golden Langur, is found in the Chakrashila Wildlife Sanctuary in Assam.the other endangered species are :
• Asiatic lion
• Asiatic Black bear
• Desert Cat
• Great Indian Rhinoceros
• Golden Langur
• Kashmir Stag
• Lion-tailed Macaque
• Nilgiri Leaf Monkey
• Indian Elephant
• Nicobar Shrew
• Nilgiri Tahr
• Red Panda
• ·Wild Water Buffalo
• Woolly Flying Squirrel
The Protected Area System
India has an age-old tradition of nature conservation which is reflected not only in old literature and cultural ethos, but also in the constitution, policies, legislation and organizations. Abharanya (forest without fear) were established by many Indian kings where hunting of animals was prohibited.
Many rulers had also established sanctuaries but they were mainly for hunting purpose. Nonetheless, they protected large tracts of natural habitats. After India’s Independence and merger of semi-autonomous states with the Indian Union, many of these former hunting grounds were established as sanctuaries. The most famous are the Ranthambore National Park and Keoladeo National Park in Rajasthan and Bandavgarh National Park in Madhya Pradesh. All are recognised as IBAs.
For a long time, only two types of protected areas were recognised in India: national park and sanctuary. Other categories include tiger reserves, biosphere reserves, reserved forests, social forestry areas and village forests. In the recently amended Wildlife (Protection) Act,1972, two new categories of protected areas have been added: Community Reserves and Conservation Reserves. The main criterion that distinguishes these two categories is land ownership. If the land ownership is private or with community, then the community reserve category is applicable, and if the land ownership is with government, then the area could be declared as a conservation reserve.
The main strategy of the Government of India for the conservation of biodiversity is the protection of habitats in representative ecosystems.
About 4% of India’s land area is presently gazetted as national parks and sanctuaries.
Forty-five percent of the IBAs in India do not fall within the protected areas system. These IBAs should be given some sort of legal protection, either as sanctuaries or community conservation areas or eco sensitive areas. While legal measures may not always guarantee protection on the ground, they demonstrate to all sectors of the society and branches of government, the official recognition and importance of a site.
National parks of India
• The National parks of India are IUCN category II protected areas.
• India's first national parkwas established in 1936 as Hailey National Park, now known as Jim Corbett National Park.
• By 1970, India only had five national parks.
• As of April 2012, there were 102 national parks. All national park lands then encompassed a total 39,919 km2 (15,413 sq mi) km², comprising 1.21% of India's total surface area.
• A total of 166 national parks have been authorized. Plans are underway to establish the remaining scheduled parks
Wildlife sanctuaries of India
• Indiahas over 500 animal sanctuaries, referred to as Wildlife sanctuaries (IUCN Category IV Protected Area).
• Among these, the 28 Tiger Reserves are governed by Project Tiger, and are of special significance in the conservation of the tiger.
• Some wildlife sanctuaries are specifically named Bird Sanctuary, e.g. Keoladeo National Park before attained National Park status.
• Many National Parks were initially Wildlife Sanctuaries.
• Wildlife sanctuaries of national importance to conservation, usually due to some flagship faunal species, are named National Wildlife Sanctuary, like National Chambal (Gharial) Wildlife Sanctuary for conserving the Gharial (1978)
Biosphere Reserves
1. Protect larger areas of natural habitat than National Parks or Wildlife Sanctuaries
2. Often include one or more National Parks inside the Reserve
3. Includes buffer zone that are open for nominal economic use
4. Protection is granted not only to the flora and fauna in the Reserve but also to habiting human communities and their ways of life
5.Panna (Madhya Pradesh) becomes India's latest Biosphere Reserve
The concept of Biosophere Reserve was involved by UNESCO in 1973-74. The UNESCOs Man and Biosphere Programme identified 12 mega-diversity countries in the world, one among them is India.
6.According to Myers (1990), 18 biodiversity hotspots are found in Asia-Pacific region. In particular, the Eastern Himalayas and Western Ghats are recognized as two Hotspots. The Indian National MAB Committee constituted a core advisory Group of Experts in 1979 and identified 14 potential sites for notifying as biosphere reserves, with the following objectives:
a) To conserve the diversity and integrity of plants and animals within the natural ecosystem,
b) To safeguard genetic diversity of species on which their continuing evolution depends.
c) To provide areas for multi-faceted research and monitoring.
d) To provide facilities for education and training.
e) To ensure sustainable use of natural resources through most appropriate technologies for improvement of economic life of local people.
The Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, which covers areas in the states of Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu was the first of its kind, established on 1st September 1986.
Eight of the Eighteen biosphere reserves are a part of the World Network of Biosphere Reserves, based on the UNESCO Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Programme list.
Name
|
States
|
Year
|
Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve
|
Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka
|
2000
|
Gulf of Mannar Biosphere Reserve
|
Tamil Nadu
|
2001
|
Sundarbans national park
|
West Bengal
|
2001
|
Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve
|
Uttarakhand
|
2004
|
Nokrek Biosphere Reserve
|
Meghalaya
|
2009
|
Pachmarhi Biosphere Reserve
|
Madhya Pradesh
|
2009
|
Simlipal Biosphere Reserve
|
Orissa
|
2009
|
Achanakmar-Amarkantak Biosphere Reserve
|
Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand
|
2012
|
Potential sites for Biosphere Reserves
Following is the list of potential sites for Biosphere Reserves as selected by Ministry of Forests and Environment:-
• Namdapha, Arunachal Pradesh
• Thar Desert, Rajasthan
• Little Rann of Kutch, Gujarat
• kavalam, Assam
• Kanha, Madhya Pradesh
• North Islands of Andaman Andaman & Nicobar
• Abujmarh, Madhya Pradesh
• Chintapalli, Andhra Pradesh
• Lakshadweep Islands, Lakshadweep
• Singbhum , Jharkhand
Reserved forests and protected forests of India
1. Declared by the state governments (unlike Wildlife Sanctuaries or National Parks)
2. These are forested lands where human activity (like hunting, logging, grazing etc) may be permitted on a sustainable basis
3. The key difference between Reserved Forests and Protected Forests is that in Reserved Forests explicit permission is required for such activities whereas in Protected Forests such activities are permitted unless explicitly prohibited
4.Protected forests are of two kinds - demarcated protected forests and undemarcated protected forests, based on whether the limits of the forest have been specified by a formal notification.
5.Typically, reserved forests are often upgraded to the status of wildlife sanctuaries, which in turn may be upgraded to the status of national parks, with each category receiving a higher degree of protection and government funding. For example, Sariska National Park was declared a reserved forest in 1955, upgraded to the status of a wildlife sanctuary in 1958, becoming a Tiger Reserve in 1978. Sariska became a national park in 1992, though primary notification to declare it as a national park was issued as early as 1982
6.A Reserve Forest is an area notified under the provisions of the Indian Forest Act or the State Forest Acts having full degree of protection.
7.According to an estimate of the Forest Survey of India (2001), the total forest cover in India is 7,68,436 sq. km or 23.38% of the country’s geographical area. Of these, 4,23,311 sq. km forms the Reserved Forest. The Protected Forest is 217,245 sq. km, and 1,27,881 sq. km of land is defined as Unclassed Forest.
8.Protected Forest is an area notified under the provisions of Indian Forest Act or the State Forest Acts having limited degree of protection. In Protected Forests all activities are permitted unless specially prohibited. The Unclassified Forest is an area recorded as forest but not included in Reserved or Protected Forest category. Ownership status of such forests variesfrom State to State.
Conservation reserves and community reserves of India
1. Conservation reserves and community reserves in Indiaare terms denoting protected areas of India which typically act as buffer zones to or connectors and migration corridors between established national parks, wildlife sanctuariesand reserved and protected forests of India.
2. Such areas are designated as conservation areas if they are uninhabited and completely owned by the Government of India but used for subsistence by communities, and community areas if part of the lands are privately owned. Administration of such reserves would be through local people and local agencies like the gram panchayat, as in the case of communal forests.
3. Community reserves are the first instances of private land being accorded protection under the Indian legislature. It opens up the possibility of communally owned for-profit wildlife resorts, and also causes privately held areas under non-profit organizations like land trusts to be given protection. (See Private protected areas of India)
4. These protected area categories were first introduced in the Wildlife (Protection) Amendment Act of 2002 - the amendment to the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972. These categories were added because of reduced protection in and around existing or proposed protected areas due to private ownership of land, and land use. A case in point was the Melghat Tiger Reserve where a large area was left unprotected due to private ownership.
5. Amendments to the Wild life protection act in 2003, provided a mechanism for recognition and legal backing to the community initiated efforts in wildlife protection. It provides a flexible system to achieve wildlife conservation without compromising community needs. TiruvidaimarudurConservation Reserve, declared on February 14, 2005, is the First Conservation Reserve to be established in the country. It is an effort of a village community who wanted to protect the birds nesting in their village.
6. These categories roughly correspond to IUCN Category V (conservation reserves) and VI (community reserves) protected areas.
7. Tiruppadaimarathur consertvation reserve near Chennai District of Tamil Nadu, declared in 2005, is the first Community Reserve in the country.
8. Recently, Rajasthan government in India declared "Jawai Bandh forests" as a conservation reserve forest. Jawai Bandh forest is situated in Pali district and it is in close proximity of Kumbalgarh Sanctuary.
Village Forest and Panchayat Forest
1. Forested lands administered by a village or a panchayat on a sustainable basis
2. The flora, fauna and habitat are accorded some degree of protection by the community
Private Protected Areas
1. Regions owned by an individual or an organization not affiliated to the government
2. Not legally protected by the government; however, NGO’s and land trust help in conservation
3. Most private protected areas before Independence were used as royal hunting grounds by the Princely States; they were absorbed as Wildlife Sanctuaries and National Parks following Independence
4. Prominent Private Protected Areas managed by the Wildlife Trust of India include
1. Siju-Rewak Corridor (Garo Hills, Meghalaya): a protected migration corridor between the Siju Wildlife Sanctuary and the Rewak Reserved Forest. Caters to Bengal Tiger, Clouded Leopard and Himalayan Black Bear
2. Tirunelli-Kudrakote Corridor (Kerala): a protected migration corridor for India’s largest elephant population between the Tirunelli Reserved Forest and the Kudrakote Reserved Forest
Conservation Areas
1. Large, well-designated areas where landscape conservation is undergoing, and contains different kinds of constituent protected lands as well as privately owned lands
2. These were primarily part of a joint Indo-US project on landscape management and protection. The project ran from 1996 to 2002
Tiger reserves of India
1. There are 42 tigerreserves in India(21-6-2011) which are governed by Project Tiger which is administered by the National Tiger Conservation Authority.There were an additional six proposed and four approved in principle reserves that are not yet declared. Asam was the place where this project was working since 1800 as a foundation PSH tiger
2.
3. The 53,547 km2 (20,675 sq mi) of declared reserves are operated by state forestry departments “to ensure maintenance of viable populations of the conservation dependent Bengal tigers in India.
4. The tigers are maintained for their scientific, economic, aesthetic, cultural and ecological values and to preserve for all time areas of biological importance as a national heritage for the benefit, education and enjoyment of the people”.
5. The largest Tiger Reserve is the 3,568 km2(1,378 sq mi) Nagarjunsagar-SrisailamTiger Reserve of Andhra Pradesh.
6. The 2010 National Tiger Assessment estimated the total population of tigers in India as 1,706. This exhaustive study indicated that better protected tiger source sites, especially tiger reserves, have maintained viable tiger populations, however, the area occupied by tigers outside protected areas has decreased considerably. This demonstrates the need for securing corridors for tigers to move between source sites. The existing tiger reserves represent around one-third of India's high density forest area.
WILDLIFE LEGISLATION AND POLICIES: A BRIEF ACCOUNT
The Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972
1. The Wildlife (Protection) Act was enacted on 7th September 1972.It provides legal guidelines for the protection, conservation and management of wildlife in India.
2. It covers all matters relating to India’s wildlife, including protected areas, activities within protected areas, control of hunting and poaching, trade of wildlife, enforcement and administrative functions of wildlife authorities.
3. The Act authorises the appointment of Directors and other officers, after the establishment of sanctuaries, national parks, as well as zoos.
4. It also empowers the appointment of Directors and other officers of the Ministry of Environment and Forests to be in charge of wildlife in India.
5. Under the Act, the Ministry of Environment and Forests and state forest departments manage sanctuaries and national parks through regulations that prohibit various activities within them.
6. Regulations for specific national parks and sanctuaries are to be drawn up in consultation with local authorities, which differs from place to place.
7. The Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 also provides almost complete or partial protection of wild species, listed under various Schedules.
8. The avifauna section of the Act says that all Indian birds are protected under the Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972, though in its Schedule V, the House Crow is declared as a vermin.
Project tiger
Project Tiger was launched in 1973 in India.
The project aims at ensuring a viable population of Bengal tiger in their natural habitats and preserving areas of biological importance as a natural heritage for the people.
The selection of areas for the reserves represented as close as possible the diversity of ecosystems across the tiger's distribution in the country.
The project's task force visualized these tiger reserves as breeding nuclei, from which surplus animals would emigrate to adjacent forests. Funds and commitment were mustered to support the intensive program of habitat protection and rehabilitation under the project. The government has set-up a Tiger Protection Force to combat poachers, and funded the relocation of up to 200,000 villagers to minimize human-tiger conflicts.
During the tiger census of 2008, a new methodology was used extrapolating site-specific densities of tigers, their co-predators and prey derived from camera trap and sign surveys using GIS. Based on the result of these surveys, the total tiger population has been estimated at 1,411 individuals ranging from 1,165 to 1,657 adult and sub-adult tigers of more than 1.5 years of age.
In 1973, the project was launched in Palamau Tiger Reserve, and various tiger reserves were created in the country based on a 'core-buffer' strategy. For each tiger reserve, management plans were drawn up based on the following principles:
• 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 ecosystem by human and other interferences so as to facilitate recovery of the ecosystem to its natural state.
• TheForest Rights Actpassed by the Indian government in 2006 recognises the rights of some forest dwelling communities in forest areas. This has led to controversy over implications of such recognition for tiger conservation. Some have argued that this is problematic as it will increase conflict and opportunities for poaching; some also assert that "tigers and humans cannot co-exist". Others argue that this is a limited perspective that overlooks the reality of human-tiger coexistence and the role of abuse of power by authorities, rather than local people, in the tiger crisis. This position was supported by the Government of India's Tiger Task Force, and is also taken by some forest dwellers' organisations.
• Reports of widespread poaching of tigers in two of the premier Tiger Reserves of North India- Sariska and Ranthambore is heartbreaking news for tiger lovers all around the world. Dr. Manmohan Singh, the Prime Minister of India, visited Ranthambore to review the condition and ordered a high level inquiry to book the culprits. A special committee of eminent ecologists and wildlife experts, under the direct supervision of the Prime Minister, has also been constituted to find new ways to curb the menace of indiscriminate poaching of tigers in India.
• Monitoring the faunal and floral changes over time and carrying out research about wildlife
Six countries, including Russia and China, have sought India's help to replicate Project Tiger, one of the most successful conservation programmes running in the country to protect the big cats from extinction.
During the first stock-taking conference held in the capital in mid-May to review implementation of the Global Tiger Recovery Program (GTRP), tiger range countries such as Bangladesh, Nepal, Russia, Vietnam, Myanmar and China approached India to help them in conserving tigers. Considering the urgency of the situation, Project Tiger was converted into NTCA, a statutory authority, in 2006 with more power and separate funding for the conservation of tigers.
India took a lead in tiger conservation by forming the Global Tiger Forum (GTF), an international body established with members from willing countries to embark on a global campaign to protect the animal.
India's Environment minister Jayanthi Natarajan currently chairs the forum. Other members include Bangladesh, Vietnam, Cambodia, Bhutan, Nepal and Myanmar.
India and Russia have recently come up with a joint resolution of agreed action to protect tigers.
Collaboration on tiger conservation is already going on with Nepal, while Bangladesh, Vietnam and Myanmar want India's help in assessment and capacity building.
India's success story in reintroducing tigers from wild to wild has generated keen interest
Space technology has shown the interconnectivity of natural and anthropogenic phenomena occurring anywhere on earth. Several tiger reserves are being linked with the Project Tiger Directorate in the GISdomain for Wildlife Crime Risk Management. A 'Tiger Atlas of India' and a 'Tiger Habitat and Population Evaluation System' for the country is being developed using state-of-the-art technology. This involves:
• Mapping, data acquisition and GIS modeling
• Field data collection and validation
• Data Maintenance, dissemination and use
Satellite data is being used and classified into vegetationand land use maps on a 1:50,000 scale, with digitized data relating to contour, villages, roads, drainage, administrative boundaries and soil. The spatial layers would be attached with attribute data, viz. human population, livestock population, meteorological data, agricultural information and field data pertaining to wildlife, habitat for evolving regional protocols to monitor tigers and their habitat.
Conservation of tigers and their prey species faces challenges from the need for income, lack of awareness, and lack of land use policy in landscapes having Tiger Reserves.On 24 July 2012, the Supereme court coming heavily on several defaulting States for not having notified buffer zones as directed earlier by the Court, directed that there should be no tourisim activity in the core region of a tiger reserve across the country.
Project Elephant
Project Elephant was launched in 1992 by the Government of India Ministry of Environment and Forests to provide financial and technical support of wildlife managementefforts by states for their free ranging populations of wild Asian Elephants. The project aims to ensure long term survival of viable conservation reliantpopulations of elephants in their natural habitats by protecting the elephants, their habitats and migration corridors. Other goals of Project Elephant are supporting research of the ecology and management of elephants, creating conservation awareness among local people, providing improved veterinary care for captive elephants . Project 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, namely, Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Orissa, Tamil Nadu, [[Uthakhand ]], Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal The initial modest Plan Outlay of Rs 23 crores in the 8th Planwas enhanced to Rs 60 crores in the 10th Plan.
The main goals of the Project are as follows:
• Ecological restoration of existing natural habitats and migratory routes of elephants.
• Development of scientific management planning for conservation of elephant habitats and viable elephant populations in India;
• Promotion of measures for mitigation of man elephant conflict in crucial habitats;
• Moderating impact of human and domestic stock activities in crucial elephant habitats;
• Strengthening of measures for protection of wild elephants from poachers and unnatural causes of death;
• Research on Elephant management related issues;
• Increase public conservation education and awareness programs about elephants;
• Eco-development of elephant habitats;
• Provide improved veterinary care for elephants.
• To have more tusked elephants.
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