World Wildlife Day.

India is known for its rich biodiversity, with an enormous amount of flora and fauna
abundantly thriving in every state. Industrialization and ignorance go hand in hand and this
always impacts the nature negatively. Over time, wildlife began to suffer from native animals
going extinct, reducing the number of species significantly over the period. 
The Indian Constitution defines Wildlife under Section 2(37) of the Wildlife Protection Act,
1972 to include any animal, either aquatic or terrestrial, and vegetation that forms a part of
any habitat.
Laws like The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act enacted in 1960 to prevent the infliction
of unnecessary pain or suffering on animals and to amend the laws relating to the prevention
of cruelty to animals have played an important role in managing the crime against wildlife.
Art. 51-A (g) of the Indian Constitution imposes a fundamental duty on every Indian citizen
to protect and improve wildlife in the country.

The government of India has also enacted several acts and projects like
 Project Tiger, the first-ever project by the government, was launched on 1 April 1973
in Jim Corbett National Park. The project's task force envisioned these tiger reserves
as breeding nuclei, allowing surplus animals to move into adjacent forests. The
project was mastered with funding and commitment to supporting an intensive
program of habitat protection and rehabilitation.
 UNDP Sea Turtle Project: This project was initiated and implemented by the Wildlife
Institute of India, Dehradun in November 1999 to conserve the Olive Ridley Turtles
that are listed under Schedule 1 of the Indian Wildlife Protection Act as 'Vulnerable'
species according to the list released by IUCN. 
 The Green Phoenix: A plant conservation and habitat restoration project in the
Western Ghats. The Gurukula Botanical Sanctuary was founded in 1981 to protect
these endangered plants. The project has successfully propagated 2,000 species of
plant, an incredible one-third of the region’s flora. The sanctuary has also, in fact,
trained a group of "eco-system gardeners" who are local women helping to regenerate
wild flora.

And just like the law states our fundamental duties, we have to look after wildlife on an
individual level too. A few ways to do this are listed below.

 Boycotting products that are made from animals and their parts.
 Joining and volunteering for wildlife protection agencies.
 Marine wildlife can be protected by reducing plastic usage. Simple things like buying
reusable straws, shopping bags, bamboo toothbrushes, etc. can bring in significant
changes.
 Reducing your use of electricity, water, and by selecting reusable products you
prevent the need to destroy more habitats to make new products or provide more
power.
 Planting more trees, generating awareness, and sensitizing the youth to actively
volunteer in protecting the environment.
  Living a minimalist lifestyle and following the 5 R's (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Refuse
and Repurpose)

It is high time that we realise the importance of wildlife in our lives and how a single specie impacts
the survival of a million others. The ecosystem is a wide network that interconnects the flora and
fauna and disturbing the balance of this nature would have an adverse effect on the lives of every
living and non-living organism on this planet.

We need to understand the gravity of the damage caused till date be sensitive towards planning our
way ahead. This can only be done if we support the government instead of criticizing outrightly.