Wildlife Conservation Efforts in India Introduction The Indian subcontinent boasts of serving as the natural habitat of a large and

variedwildlife. The sub-continent with its varied geographical spread from the Himalayas inthe north to the Cauvery basin in the south and the Kutch region in the west to theplains of Assam in East present a diverse range of environmental conditions for some of the most magnificent as well as the rarest wildlife species of the world in India to exist.The beauty and variety we see in the jungles of India is difficult to be expressed inwords and I bring together the breadth through pictures in this project . However, thepast few decades have seen the greed and negligence of human beings working to thedetriment of this rich wildlife. Large-scale poaching, habitat destruction and conflict withhumans have resulted in a rapid decline in the population of most of the wild animalsand birds. Some animals like the Indian cheetah due to this are now extinct.Conservation of Indian wildlife was not given the requisite importance for a long time.However, the government as well as the people slowly and gradually understood their responsibility in this context. Today, efforts are being made towards wildlifeconservation in India, to preserve this natural wealth. Numerous wildlife conservationprojects have been undertaken in India, both at the government as well as the individuallevel, to protect the rich wildlife of the subcontinent. The private sector has also startedstepping in as part of their corporate social responsibility to bring about this change andincrease peoples awareness. The Save the Tiger campaign by Aircelwhich isdiscussed here.I am a wildlife fan and have been to a fair number of national parks around the country.In this project I analyze the threat to wildlife in India and then extensively report theefforts of the government, societies, groups and individuals.

Importance of wildlife conservation Due to the growing impact of deforestation, continuous efforts are being made by someanxious animal lovers to protect the endangered species of wildlife as well as those thatare on the verge of extinction and thus save the world from running out its greenheritage. Wildlife is important for four main reasons: y Beauty: Wild life provides aesthetic value to man. By their unique way of existence, wild creatures exaggerate the natural beauty of the earth. y Economic value: The financial value of wild species is important to theeconomies of several nations, as it provides many valuable substances like woodand other plant products, fibers, meat and other foods, and skins and furs. Manywild plants provide useful substances like timber, paper, gums etc. And they alsohave wide applications in Ayurveda and other branches of medicine. y Scientific value: Most important contribution of wild life for human progress isavailability of large

genepool for the scientists to carry breeding programmes inagriculture, animal husbandry and fishery.By studying wildlife, scientists havegained valuable knowledge about various life processes and discoveredimportant medical products y Survival value: To maintain ecological 'balance of nature' and maintain foodchain and nature cycles.Wildlife helps in maintaining the balanced living systemsof earth, which consequently ensures survival of life. y Wild life of a country is its cultural asset

Threats to Wildlife The major threats being faced by the wildlife in India are: y The problem of overcrowding is one of the major reasons for the depletingpopulation of wild animals in India. The wildlife sanctuaries of India have becomeovercrowded and their capacity has decreased to quite an extent. y Tourism in the national parks of the country is increasing day by day. One of thereasons for this is a rise in the popularity of eco-tourism and adventure tourism.This has led to a growth in vehicle pollution and wildlife road fatalities, apart fromleading to a damage of the natural habitat of birds and animals. y With the increase in tourism, the parks have witnessed an increase in wildfiresalso. Innocent campfires started by visitors have, more often than not, led tomenacing wildfires. These fires not only kill animals, but also destroy their naturalhabitat. y The wildlife of coastal areas is constantly disturbed by personal watercrafts, like jet skis or wave runners. These personal watercrafts enter shallow waters andexpel nesting birds from their roosts. Such activities are disturbing the matingpattern of birds. y Releasing of chemicals and other toxic effluents into the water bodies has led topoisoning of the water. The animals and birds drinking such water face a fatalthreat. Even the population of fish, living in such water bodies, is declining at afast pace. y The climate changes taking place in the world today, are affecting not onlyhumans, but also the wildlife. The natural habitat as well as migration patterns of the animals and birds is experiencing disturb patterns. y Last but not the least, the threat of poaching has been haunting the wildlife of India since ages. Even after the establishment of wildlife sanctuaries and nationalparks, the threat of poaching has not been totally eliminated

Wildlife conservation projects andprograms To promote wildlife awareness among the people, the Indian government has startedvarious natural projects and programs such as Project Tiger, Nature Camps and JungleLodges. These projects not only help to preserve our natural heritage, but encourageeco-tourism as well.Project Tiger was formed in 1972 and launched on the 1st April 1973 at CorbettNational Park. Till date, the project has been the most successful one in preserving thetiger population at Tiger Reserves in Bandhavgarh, Corbett, Pench, Ranthambhore,Kanha, Bandipur, Panna, Dudhwa, Sunderbans, Manas and Sariska. All these reservesact as Conservation Centers for tigers in India

Wildlife Conservation Efforts in India Last few decades have seen emergence of human encroachment to an extent that has never been seen. This is one of the greatest threat to India's wildlife. In order to overcome the result of human encroachment many national parks as well as protected areas have been established so far and the first came in 1935. Also in 1972, to protect the tiger and wildlife in India, the Wildlife Protection Act and Project Tiger to safeguard were enacted. Wildlife Sanctuaries in India 3.29 million sq. km of area comes under the wildlife conservations efforts in India and it is becoming a very popular holiday destinations both for Indian as well as International tourists. At present there are more than 500 wildlife sanctuaries in India and seventeen Biosphere Reserves. Popular Wildlife Sanctuaries in India Bandhavgarh National Park in Madhya Pradesh Corbett National Park in Uttar Pradesh Gir National Park & Sanctuary in Gujarat Kanha National Park in Madhya Pradesh Kaziranga National Park in Assam Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary in Kerala Sariska Wildlife Sanctuary in Rajasthan Sunderbans National Park in West Bengal