Tiger Conservation in India
Tigers
Tigers (Panthera tigris) are mammals of the Felidae family and one of four "big cats" in the Panthera
genus. They are superpredators and the largest and most powerful living cat species in the world.
In the wild, Royal Bengal Tigers, live in tropical jungles, brush, marshland and tall grasslands in
fragmented areas of Bangladesh, Nepal, India, Bhutan and Burma and some parts in China.
Among the big cats, only the tiger and jaguar are strong swimmers.
Tigers hunt alone and eat primarily medium to large sized herbivores such as deer, wild pigs, gaur and
water buffalo. However, they also take smaller prey on occasion.
Across the world the tigers are considered to be endangered animals. The Royal Bengal Tiger is the
most common subspecies of tiger. There are about 3,500 tigers in the world of which 1,706 are in
India.
Tiger is the National Animal of India.
Project Tiger
Project Tiger is a wildlife conservation project initiated in India on April 1, 1973 aimed to protect the
Royal Bengal Tigers (Latin name: Panthera tigris, and it belongs to the mammalian family Felidae).
The project aimed at tiger conservation in specially constituted tiger reserves and maintain a viable
tiger population in their natural environment.
The background
Prior to the Project Tiger, the then Prime Minister Mrs. Indira Gandhi appointed The Tiger Task
Force under the chairmanship of Dr Karan Singh in 1970. This task force submitted its report in 1972.
The report revealed the existence of only 1827 tigers in India. Given the biotic pressure, the report
predicted the tiger would be extinct by the turn of the 20th century if immediate conservation
measures were not taken.
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The Early Years of the Project Tiger
In the 1970s, nine tiger reserves were set up in different ecological systems. Each had human
settlements in them, which brought enormous pressure on the reserves and the conservation
programme. Thus the first Task Force, in an attempt to restrict human activity within the reserves,
devised the Core – Buffer Strategy.
The core areas were designated as a national park and all human activity were banned; and
The buffer areas were subjected to conservation oriented land use.
The idea was to relocate people from the core areas, but they could coexist with the cats in the buffer
areas. Management plans were drawn up for each tiger reserve, based on conservation principles.
The 9 tiger reserves established in the beginning of Project Tiger were:
Manas (Assam), Palamau (Bihar), Similipal (Orissa), Corbett (U.P.), Kanha (M.P.), Melghat
(Maharashtra), Bandipur (Karnataka), Ranthambhore (Rajasthan) and Sunderbans (West Bengal).
The Achievements of the Project Tiger
1. Project Tiger has saved the endangered tiger from extinction, and has put the species on an
assured path to recovery by improving the protection and status of its habitat.
2. From nine tiger reserves in 1973, it expanded to 44 tiger reserves in 2014.
3. In the early eighties, it undertook path breaking radio-telemetry study.
4. The recent All India Tiger Estimation 2011, highlights the achievement of Project Tiger by
showing that viable tiger population exists only in Project Tiger areas, while outside
populations are highly depleted
5. Project envisioned a core-buffer-corridor strategy. While the core area of a tiger reserve is
managed for wildlife conservation, the buffer is treated as a multiple use zone.
6. While conserving the flagship species, the Project has saved several other species of plants
and animals from extinction.
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7. The local communities are benefiting from eco-tourism apart from eco developmental inputs
in fringe areas.
8. The Project has served as a role model for wildlife management planning, habitat restoration,
protection and ecodevelopment. States have been provided funding support for enhancing
protection through deployment of local work force, ex-army personnel. The field staff have
been provided allowance as an incentive for working in difficult conditions.
National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA)
The NTCA has been constituted under the Wild Life (Protection) Amendment Act, 2006, as
recommended by the Tiger Task Force of 2005.
An objective of NTCA is to provide statutory authority to Project Tiger so that compliance of its
directives becomes legal. NTCA strives to streamline scientific modules of conservation and co-opt
communities as responsible stakeholders.
The National Tiger Conservation Authority was set up with headquarters in New Delhi under the
Chairmanship of the Minister for Environment & Forests.
The Authority lays down standards and guidelines for tiger conservation in the Tiger Reserves, apart
from National Parks and Sanctuaries.
It provides information on protection measures including future conservation plan, tiger estimation,
disease surveillance, mortality survey, patrolling, report on untoward happenings and such other
management aspects as it may deem fit, including future plan for conservation.
Tiger Reserves in India
India, as in late 2014, has 48 tiger reserves. The list of tiger reserves is given below in the order of
their establishment.
1. Bandipur Tiger Reserve - Karnataka
2. Jim Corbett Tiger Reserve - Uttarakhand
3. Kanha Tiger Reserve - Madhya Pradesh
4. Manas Tiger Reserve - Assam
5. Melghat Tiger Reserve - Maharashtra
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6. Palamau Tiger Reserve - Jharkhand
7. Ranthambore Tiger Reserve - Rajasthan
8. Similipal Tiger Reserve - Odisha
9. Sunderbans Tiger Reserve - West Bengal
10. Periyar Tiger Reserve - Kerala
11. Sariska Tiger Reserve - Rajasthan
12. Buxa Tiger Reserve - West Bengal
13. Indravati Tiger Reserve - Chhattisgarh
14. Namdapha Tiger Reserve - Arunachal Pradesh
15. Dudhwa Tiger Reserve - Uttar Pradesh
16. Kalakkad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve - Tamil Nadu
17. Valmiki Tiger Reserve - Bihar
18. Pench Tiger Reserve - Madhya Pradesh
19. Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve - Maharashtra
20. Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve - Madhya Pradesh
21. Panna Tiger Reserve - Madhya Pradesh
22. Dampa Tiger Reserve - Mizoram
23. Bhadra Tiger Reserve - Karnataka
24. Pench Tiger Reserve - Maharashtra
25. Pakke Tiger Reserve - Arunachal Pradesh
26. Nameri Tiger Reserve - Assam
27. Satpura Tiger Reserve - Madhya Pradesh
28. Anamalai Tiger Reserve - Tamil Nadu
29. Udanti-Sitanadi - Chattisgarh
30. Satkosia Tiger Reserve - Odisha
31. Kaziranga Tiger Reserve - Assam
32. Achanakmar Tiger Reserve - Chattisgarh
33. Dandeli-Anshi National Park - Karnataka
34. Sanjay-Dubri Tiger Reserve - Madhya Pradesh
35. Mudumalai Tiger Reserve - Tamil Nadu
36. Nagarahole Tiger Reserve - Karnataka
37. Perambiculam Tiger Reserve - Kerala
38. Sahyadri - Maharashtra
39. Biligiriranga Swamy Temple Tiger Reserve - Karnataka
40. Kawal Tiger Reserve - Telangana
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41. Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve - Tamil Nadu
42. Mukandra Hills - Rajasthan
43. Nawegaon-Nagzira Tiger Reserve - Maharashtra
44. Nagarjunsagar-Srisailam Tiger Reserve - Andhra Pradesh
45. Nagarjunsagar-Srisailam Tiger Reserve - Telangana
46. Pilibhit Tiger Reserve - Uttar Pradesh
47. Bor Tiger Reserve - Maharashtra
48. Rajaji Tiger Reserve - Uttarakhand
Status of Tigers in India, 2014
The Preliminary estimates of “Status of Tigers in India, 2014” report were released in the public
domain recently in January 2015. It is a summary report, and a detailed report would be ready by
March-end.
The report is prepared by collaborative efforts of NTCA and WII. This is the third round of the
country-level tiger assessment. The earlier rounds were done in 2006 and 2010.
The highlights of the recent tiger census
•
India now has 70 per cent of the tiger population in the world
•
The total number is about 2,226 big cats. These tigers are present in 3,78,118 sq.km of forests
in 47 reserves in 18 States.
•
It is a rise of 30 per cent from 1,706 in 2010
•
The average rate of annual rise since 2006 is 6% per annum.
•
This is truly remarkable while the world lost 97 per cent tigers in the last 50 years in 13
countries.
Distribution of tigers in India
In Western Ghats Landscape complex
•
Western Ghats Landscape complex — Kerala, Karnataka, Goa and Tamil Nadu — has 776
tigers (up from 402 in 2006). It holds world’s single largest population of tigers.
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•
The largest increase is recorded in the The Mudumalai-Bandipur-Nagarahole-Wayanad
complex holds the world’s single largest tiger population currently estimated at over 570
tigers (in 11,000 sq.km of habitat), the report says.
•
Karnataka has the highest number of tigers (406).
•
Goa now has a persistent tiger presence with 3 to 5 animals.
Uttatrakhand
•
Tiger population in Uttarakhand has risen from 227 to 340 since the last census, becoming the
second State in the country after Karnataka with the highest number of tigers.
In other areas
•
The Sunderbans did not report an increase in the numbers because of a low prey base and
other factors. Odisha reported a fall in number.
Image Courtesy: The Hindu
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Methodology of tiger estimation
Double sampling method was adopted.
Step 1: Field verification by forest department officials, WII experts and volunteers. They looked for
tiger pug marks, tiger scratches, tiger fecal matter (scats) which was subjected to DNA analysis.
It is then followed by:
Step 2: Camera traps: 9,753 camera traps had been set up and over 100 people were trained to use
them. There were 1,540 photos of individual tigers aged above a year and a half for the first time.
Lion conservation in India
Asiatic Lion is one of the seven sub-species of lions on this planet. Its scientific name is Panthera leo
persica. The Asiatic lion is a subspecies of the lion which survives today only in the Gir
Forest of Gujarat, India. In IUCN Red list of threatened species, lion is categorized as endangered
species.
The Asiatic lion is one of the five major big cats found in India, the others being the Bengal tiger,
the Indian leopard, the snow leopard and clouded leopard. The Asiatic lions once ranged from
the Mediterranean to the north-eastern parts of the Indian subcontinent, but excessive hunting, water
pollution and decline in natural prey reduced their habitat.
Status
In India, Lions are found in the wild only in the Gir Forest National Park of Gujarat.
According to the 14th Asiatic Lion Census 2015, the number of Asiatic lions in Gujarat's Gir
sanctuary has gone up to 523, an increase of 27 per cent since 2010, when the last census showed the
count at 411.
There are 109 adult lions and 201 adult lionesses along with 213 sub adults and cubs. Importantly,
there has been a significant increase in lions in adjoining districts outside the protected zones
particularly in Amreli district.
Forest officials attribute the increase to various factors including improved breeding base.
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Factors like rescue, habitat improvement, water management, man animal conflict mitigation, creating
awareness have contributed to increased numbers.
The census was conducted with state-of-the-art equipment including Global Positioning System,
camera traps and digital cameras.
Conservation
Conservation efforts for Asiatic Lion were made for the first time in the year 1910. The Nawab of
Junagadh imposed a ban on the hunting of lions within the boundaries of his province. The ban was
continued even when India gained independence in 1944.
In 1960s, the Gir forest, the home of the last surviving Indian lions, was converted into a National
Park and Sanctuary.
The Lion Conservation Programme was launched in 1965. Since then the number of lions has been
increasing steadily.
Presently, Palpur - Kuno Project in Madhya Pradesh is being undertaken with a view to reduce the
lion overcrowding at Gir. The excess population of Gir will be relocated here. Palpur-Kuno has been a
former lion habitat.
Threats
1. Hostility of humans living near the sanctuary.
2. Farmers on the periphery of the Gir Forest (known as Maldharis) frequently use crude and
illegal electrical fences. These are usually intended to protect their crops from Nilgai but lions
and other wildlife are also killed.
3. Lions are frequently poisoned for attacking livestock.
4. Nearly 15,000 to 20,000 open wells dug by farmers in the area for irrigation have led to many
lions drowning.
5. Many have been relocated outside the park by the forestry to allow the lions a more natural
surrounding and more natural prey.
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6. Floods, fires and epidemics. The restricted range of lions makes them especially vulnerable.
7. Habitat overcrowding. The Gir forest is now overcrowded with lions. If this situation
persists, then it may soon lead to problems related to carrying capacity.
Rhinoceros conservation in India
The Indian Rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis) is also called Great One-horned Rhinoceros belongs to
the Rhinocerotidae family. Listed as a vulnerable species, the large mammal is primarily found in
parts of north-eastern India and in protected areas in the Terai of Nepal, where populations are
confined to the riverine grasslands in the foothills of the Himalayas.
Weighing between 2260 kg and 3000 kg, it is the fourth largest land animal and has a single horn,
which measures 20 cm to 57 cm in length.
Number and distribution
These Rhinoceros once ranged throughout the entire stretch of the Indo-Gangetic Plain but excessive
hunting reduced their distribution drastically. Today, about 3,000 Rhinos live in the wild, 2,000 of
which are found in India's Assam alone. A small population is also present in the Dudhwa National
Park in Uttar Pradesh.
Threats
In the nineteenth and early twentieth century, the Indian Rhinoceros was hunted persistently. The
Indian rhino is illegally poached for its horn, which some cultures in East Asia believe has healing
and potency powers and therefore is used for Traditional Chinese Medicine and other Oriental
medicines.
Habitat loss is another threat.
Conservation
In the early 1900s, officials became concerned at the rhino's reducing numbers. By 1908 in Kaziranga,
one of the rhino's main ranges, the population had fallen to around 12 individuals. In 1910, all rhino
hunting in India became prohibited.
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Peration Rhino is a major success of conservation. Only 100 remained in the early 1900s; a century
later, their population has increased to about 2000 again, but even so the species is still endangered.
The Nepalese and Indian governments have taken major steps toward Indian Rhinoceros conservation
with the help of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).
The Kaziranga National Park (having the highest number of rhinos) and Manas National Park,
Pobitora reserve forest (having the highest Indian rhino density in the world) are most important rhino
habitats. Orang National Park and Laokhowa reserve forest in Assam have very small populations.
The WWF recently launched the Indian Rhino Vision 2020 (IRV 2020). The programme aims to:
1. Increase the total rhino population in Assam to about 3000 by the year 2020
2. Ensure that these rhinos are distributed over at least seven protected areas to provide longterm viability of of the species. This will be achieved by translocating the rhinos from twosource populations (Kaziranga and Pobitara) into 3 or 4 target Protected Areas (Manas,
Laokhowa, Burachapori, Kochpora, Dibrusaikhowa and possibly, Orang).
Dolphin conservation in India
The Ganges River Dolphin (Platanista gangetica gangetica) and Indus River Dolphin(Platanista
minor minor) are two sub-species of freshwater or river dolphins found in Bangladesh,
India, Nepal and Pakistan.
The Ganges River Dolphin is primarily found in the Ganges and Brahmaputra Rivers and their
tributaries in India, Bangladesh and Nepal, while the Indus River Dolphin is found in the Indus river
in Pakistan and its Beas and Sutlej tributaries.
From the 1970s until 1998, they were regarded as separate species; however, in 1998, their
classification was changed from two separate species to subspecies of a single species.
The Ganges river dolphin has been recognized by the government of India as its National Aquatic
Animal. This decision was taken in the first meeting of the National Ganga River Basin Authority
(NGRBA) chaired by Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh on 5th October, 09.
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Status
River dolphin is a critically endangered species in India and therefore, has been included in the
Schedule I for the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
According to WWF reports, the Gangetic dolphins are among the oldest creatures in the world along
with crocodiles, sharks and some turtles.
They inhabit the Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna and Karnaphuli-Sangu river systems of Nepal, India,
and Bangladesh.
In 1982, the population in India was estimated to be between 4,000 and 5,000 individuals. Today, it is
difficult to sight a dolphin in the rivers.
Conservation
There are various conservation works going on the Santuary Areas.
Noted works are:
WWF India has started The Dolphin Conservation Programme to conserve the habitat of the Ganges
River Dolphin and secure a future for the endangered species.
The Vikramshila Biodiversity Research and Education Centre (VBREC), together with the Whale and
Dolphin Conservation Society (WDCS), the Environmental Biology Laboratory of Patna University,
and T.M. Bhagalpur University, has initiated a project to improve the conservation value of
Vikramshila Gangetic Dolphin Sanctuary.
Aaranyak, a registered conservation NGO working in North East India since 1989, has initiated a
project entitled “Conservation of Gangetic dolphin in Brahmaputra river system, India" in
collaboration with Dibrugarh University (Assam). The project aims to evaluate the conservation status
of the Ganges River dolphin throughout the entire Brahmaputra river system .
Threats
1. Multiple dams and barriers disrupting free moment of the dolphins.
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2. Pollution by fertilisers, pesticides and industrial and domestic effluents, which are responsible
for the death of many fish and are likely to have a negative effect on dolphin populations.
3. Killing of the animals for their meat or oil
4. Accidental entanglement in fishing nets.
Project Elephant
Introduction to Asiatic Elephants
Asiatic Elephant (Elephas maximus) is the largest terrestrial mammal of India.
Asian elephants were believed to be widely distributed – from Tigris – Euphrates in West Asia
eastward through Persia into the Indian sub-continent , South and Southeast Asia including Sri Lanka,
Java , Sumatra , Borneo and up to North China. However currently they are confined to Indian
Subcontinent, South East Asia and some Asian Islands - Sri Lanka, Indonesia and Malaysia.
About half of the Asian elephant population is in India.
Habitat of elephants in India
Elephant being wide ranging animal requires large areas. The requirement of food and water for
elephants are very high and therefore their population can be supported only by forests that are under
optimal conditions. The status of elephant can be the best indicator of the status of the forests.
The current distribution of wild elephant in India is confined to South India ; North East including
North West Bengal; Central Indian states of Orissa , South WB and Jharkhand; and North West India
in Uttarakahnd and UP.
Project Elephant (PE)
Project Elephant (PE) was launched by the Government of India in the year 1992 as a Centrally
Sponsored Scheme with following objectives:
1. To protect elephants, their habitat & corridors
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2. to address issues of man-animal conflict
3. welfare of domesticated elephants
4. Financial and technical support is being provided to major elephant bearing States in the
country.
The Project is being mainly implemented in 17 states/UTs, viz, Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh,
Assam, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Odisha,
Tamil Nadu, Tripura, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Haryana.
Main activities under the Project are as follows:
1. Ecological restoration of existing natural habitats and migratory routes of elephants;
2. Development of scientific and planned management for conservation of elephant habitats and
viable population of Wild Asiatic elephants in India;
3. Promotion of measures for mitigation of man elephant conflict in crucial habitats and
moderating pressures of human and domestic stock activities in crucial elephant habitats;
4. Strengthening of measures for protection of Wild elephants form poachers and unnatural
causes of death;
5. Research on Elephant management related issues;
6. Public education and awareness programmes;
7. Eco-develoment
8. Veterinary care
Estimation of wild elephant population
The all India enumeration of wild population of elephants in the country is carried out at every five
year interval. The comparative figures as below for the states shows that the estimated population of
wild elephants in the country has increased by more than one thousand compared to the 2002
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At present, the number of wild elephants in India is around 30,000. There was an increase between
2007 and 2012. They usually live in 28 elephant reserves, but they also have passage through human
habitation, known as elephant corridors. Of these elephant corridors, 138 are intra-state, 28 interstate and 17 involve Bangladesh, Bhutan, Mynamar and Nepal and are thus international.
In a single State the highest number was recorded in Kerala ( about 7000 elephants), followed by
Assam (about 5500 elephants)
Elephant Reserves
28 Elephant Reserves (ERs) extending over about 58,000 square kilometres (22,000 sq mi) have been
formally notified by various State Governments till now and consent for establishment of Baitarini ER
& South Odisha in Odisha and Ganga-Jamuna (Shiwalik) ER in U.P has been accorded by MOEF.
Monitoring of Illegal Killing of Elephants (MIKE) Programme
Mandated by COP resolution of CITES, MIKE program started in South Asia in the year 2003 with
following objectives:
1. to measure levels and trends in the illegal hunting of elephants;
2. to determine changes in these trends over time; and
3. to determine the factors causing or associated with such changes, and to try and assess in
particular to what extent observed trends are a result of any decisions taken by the Conference
of the Parties to CITES
Under the programme data are being collected from all sites on monthly basis in specified MIKE
patrol form and submited to Sub Regional Support Office for South Asia Programme located in Delhi
who are assisting Ministry in the implementation of the progremme. CITES (the Convention on
International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) is an international agreement
between governments. Its aim is to ensure that international trade in specimens of wild animals and
plants does not threaten their survival.
MIKE sites in India
1. Chirang Ripu (Assam )
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2. Dhang Patki ( Assam )
3. Eastern Dooars ( WB )
4. Deomali ( Arun Pradesh )
5. Garo Hills ( Meghalaya )
6. Mayurbhanj ( Orissa )
7. Mysore ( Karnataka )
8. Nilgiri ( T N )
9. Shivalik ( Uttarakhand )
10. Wayanad ( Kerala)
Vulture conservation in India
There are nine vulture species found in India, of which particularly the three species are threatened
with extinction. The population of these three, once most common, vulture species viz. Gyps
bengalensis, Gyps indicus and Gyps tenuirostris (White-backed Vulture, Long-billed Vulture and
Slender-billed Vulture, respectively) has declined drastically over last two decades. Compared to
early nineties, the crash in population is over 99%. The average annual mortality rate is about 42% for
White-backed Vulture and 17% for the Long-billed Vulture and Slender-billed Vulture.
Vulture conservation is needed for the fact that hese extremely efficient scavengers can finish off a
carcass of adult cattle, in a matter of about 20 minutes. The vultures were keeping the environment
clean in India in absence of any effective carcass and slaughterhouse waste disposal system and
hereby have prevented outbreak of epidemics by cleaning the carcasses before they could rot and
putrify. A population crash of vulture could cause a dramatic increase in epidemics, as carcass and
waste disposal system has remained more or less unchanged.
The dramatic vulture declines observed across India present a whole range of threats both ecologically
and to human health. The absence of such important scavengers will almost certainly influence the
numbers and distribution of other scavenging species for example as vultures have declined, feral dog
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populations have been reported to have increased massively, with over 1000 observed recently at a
carcass dump in Rajasthan. This could pose many associated disease risk to humans and wildlife, such
as rabies.
India started the Action Plan for Vulture in 2006. The health of vultures in nature is indicative of
the state of the ecosystem.
After years of research, scientists have concluded that the cause for extermination of about 95 per cent
of the estimated populations of vultures in the subcontinent is the painkiller Diclofenac. Diclofenac is
a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug given to cattle to treat pain and inflammation. In India, it is
estimated that the veterinary diclofenac worth about 20 crores is used to treat the animals. The finding
of diclofenac as vulture killer was published in the prestigious scientific journal Nature in January
2004.
Feeding on carcasses of cattle that had been administered the drug proved fatal to the birds.
The Ministry has already responded positively to this finding by coming up with a multi-pronged
strategy.
1. Banning veterinary formulations of diclofenac,
2. Popularising the drug Meloxicam to eliminate the threat to vultures from contaminated
carcasses, and
3. Opening breeding centres.
The results have been encouraging. There is a declining trend in the use of the toxic drug. The
breeding centres at Pinjore in Haryana, Rajabhat Khawa in West Bengal, and the Rani range in Assam
now host a good number of birds. Yet, given the scale of the ecological disaster that has struck
vultures, much more needs to be done.
Snow Leopard conservation
About the animal
As a great mountain climber, the strikingly beautiful snow leopard (Panthera uncia or Uncia uncia)
remains one of the most mysterious cats in the world. They are found in high altitute ranges of the
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Himalayas and also in Cenral Asia, usually above 3000 metres. Their global populationis estimated
at about 4000. Their exquisite smoky-grey fur is an excellent camouflage against the rocky slopes
they live in. Despite their charismatic appeal, the snow leopard is one of the least studied large wild
cats.
The snow leopard is distributed from the west of Lake Baikal through southern Siberia, in the Kunlun
Mountains, in the Russian Altai mountains, Sayan and Tannu-Ola Mountains, in the Tian Shan, across
Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan to the Hindu Kush in eastern Afghanistan,
Karakoram in northern Pakistan, in the Pamir Mountains, and in the high altitudes of the Himalayas
in India, Nepal, and Bhutan, and the Tibetan Plateau. In Mongolia, it is found in the Mongolian
and Gobi Altai Mountains and the Khangai Mountains. In Tibet, it is found up to the Altyn-Tagh in
the north.
Snow leopard habitat in the Indian Himalayas is estimated at less than 90,000 km2 in the states
of Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim, and Arunachal Pradesh, of
which about 34,000 km2 is considered good habitat. There are nearly 750 snow leopards in the
country.
Why are snow leopards important?
The snow leopard is at the apex of the mountain ecosystem and is also an indicator species for high
altitudes. By protecting the snow leopard, we ensure the conservation of our fragile mountain
landscapes that are one of the largest sources of freshwater for the Indian subcontinent.
Threats to snow leopards
The snow leopards are in real danger and there is a need to observe, study and develop ways to
conserve this rare and endangered species, according to a leading conservation organisation - WWFIndia. The following factors pose challenge to snow leopard population in the country.
1. Snow leopards are poached for their pelts while their bones and other body parts are also in
demand for use in traditional Asian medicines.
2. Retaliatory killing of snow leopards is also a major threat faced by the species since they
often attack livestock, causing economic loss to local communities.
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3. Snow leopards also face habitat and prey loss with climate change induced melting of glaciers
and also due to the increase of human settlements and developmental activities in their
territories.
Conservation efforts
Project Snow Leopard
In January 2009, the Government of India launched ‘Project Snow Leopard’ to safeguard and
conserve India’s unique natural heritage of high-altitude wildlife populations and their habitats by
promoting conservation through participatory policies and actions.
The Project Snow Leopard is an initiative for strengthening wildlife conservation in the Himalayan
high altitudes, covering 5 states.
1. Jammu and Kashmir
2. Himachal Pradesh
3. Uttarakhand
4. Arunachal Pradesh
5. Sikkim
It aims at promoting a knowledge-based and adaptive conservation framework that fully involves the
local communities, who share the snow leopard’s range, in conservation efforts.
Snow leopard has also been included in the list of species under Recovery Programme to be funded
through the umbrella scheme of Integrated Development of Wildlife Habitats.
With nearly 750 snow leopards in the country, the project will facilitate a landscape-level approach
to wildlife conservation by developing scientific frameworks for comprehensive surveys,
rationalising the existing protected area network and improving protected area management. It will
develop a framework for wildlife conservation outside protected areas and promote ecologically
responsible development.
The project will encourage focused conservation and recovery programmes for endangered species,
promote stronger measures for wildlife protection and law enforcement and better understand and
manage human-wildlife conflict. It will reduce existing anthropogenic pressures on natural resources
and promote conservation education.
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WWF – India’s “Save Our Snow Leopards Programme”
In a significant step towards garnering more support and awareness for snow leopard conservation in
India, WWF-India in partnership with Tata Housing Development Company launched Project Save
Our Snow Leopards (SOS) by unveiling the SOS online crowd funding platform on 10th January
2014.
The SOS crowd funding campaign is the first-ever crowd-funded campaign for species conservation
in India, giving individuals a chance to support and directly fund conservation projects.
Through the SOS campaign, WWF-India along with Tata Housing will build awareness about the
conservation issues facing the snow leopard and aim to raise at least Rs. 15, 00,000 through the crowd
funding platform. The funds raised will be utilized to scale up WWF’s snow leopard conservation
projects such as:
•
setting up camera traps to study the exact status and distribution of snow leopards in range
states;
•
support the construction of predator-proof livestock pens for local communities in snow
leopard habitats that will help in managing snow leopard-human conflict.
Gangetic Ghariyal Conservation
About the animal
Gharial (Gavialis gangeticus) is evolutionarily the most unique crocodilian in the world being a
specialized river dwelling fish-eater, but harmless to humans. It lives in deep fast-flowing rivers. The
bulbous ‘ghara’ on the tip of the snout of mature males just above the nostrils, helps in creating a
snorting hiss to advertise the animal’s presence, and dominance. Gharials nest between March and
May. Female gharials excavate egg chambers in sand banks, depositing up to an average of 60 eggs,
which hatch in 90 days. Gharials guard their eggs and young ones as long as they are not unusually
disturbed by humans.
Habitat
Gharials are endemic to the Indian sub-continent. Once found abundantly in all the major river
systems of South Asia, the Gharial is now extinct in Pakistan, Bangladesh, Burma and Bhutan. Nepal
has only a remnant breeding population. In India too, the major breeding populations are confined to
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two rivers only, Girwa and the Chambal. The two rivers run along the borders of Uttar Pradesh,
Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. A few non-breeding populations exist in small pockets in other rivers
in India.
Threats to Gharial
Gharial is listed as ‘Critically Endangered’ in the IUCN Red List of Endangered Species. Between
2007-2008, over 100 Gharials in the Chambal perished in a mystery die-off attributed to a nephrotoxin possibly originating from contaminated fish in the Yamuna.
The Gharial is under increasing pressure for survival due to a combination of factors like:
•
Habitat alteration and destruction: A combination of land-use changes and exploitation
such as sand-mining, riverside agriculture, livestock grazing, and hydrological modifications
such as building of dams for water diversion.
•
Prey depletion: Over harvesting of fish stocks. Construction of dams and barrages
obstructing dispersal and migration of fish.
•
Direct mortality: Drowning of Gharial in fishing nets. Its nest destruction and local eggcollection.
•
Pollution and siltation: Pollution and siltation of rivers damage fish stocks, and are also
believed to be the direct cause of the catastrophic dieoff of 2007-2008 in the Chambal.
•
Hunting: In the past, Gharial was hunted for skin, trophies and use in indigenous medicine.
Conservation efforts
Project Crocodile
By 1976, the population of Gharial had plummeted to less than 200 individuals. Getting alarmed, the
Government of India subsequently accorded the highest level of protection to Gharial by bringing it
under Schedule I of the Wild Life Protection Act, 1972. In 1976, Project Crocodile was initiated with
support from the United Nations Development Programme and Food and Agriculture Organization.
The project included an intensive captive rearing and breeding programme intended to restock
depleted Gharial habitats.
What can further be done
•
Revive and rejuvenate our rivers
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•
Make local communities co-beneficiaries of all conservation initiatives.
•
Secure the National Chambal Sanctuary and other Gharial range areas through coordinated
planning and action by the three states, i.e., Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.
•
Re-evaluate environmentally sensitive schemes of river-linking, and large irrigation projects.
•
Base conservation plans on sound scientific study and monitoring of Gharial.
Conservation issue related to the Great Indian Bustard
About the bird
The great Indian bustard is one of the largest flying bird species found in the world. It was once
widespread in the grasslands of India and Pakistan, but is now extinct from 95 per cent of its former
range and has disappeared from the three wildlife sanctuaries that were once declared for its
protection. Only 300 individuals remain, with a breeding population found only in India. It is also the
state bird of Rajasthan.
Some of the vital facts related to the bird are as follows.
•
Common Name: Great Indian bustard
•
Scientific Name: Ardeotis nigriceps
•
Population: 300 individuals worldwide (A recent survey done in 2014, puts the worldwide
number to 150 only)
•
Height: 100 cms or 1 metre
•
Length: Wingspan of 210-250 cm
•
Status: Listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List
•
Geographical habitat: It is native to India and Pakistan.
•
Range states in India: In India, the bird was historically found in Punjab, Haryana, Uttar
Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Orissa, Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat,
Maharashtra, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. Today the bustard is restricted to isolated pockets in
Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.
•
Protection status: It is listed in Schedule I of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 and
the National Wildlife Action Plan (2002-2016). It is also listed in the CMS Convention and
Appendix I of CITES. It has also been identified as one of the species for the recovery
programme under the Integrated Development of Wildlife Habitats of the Ministry of
Environment and Forests, Government of India.
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Threats to the bird
The biggest threat to this species is hunting, which is still prevalent in Pakistan. This is followed by
occasional poaching outside Protected Areas, collisions with high tension electric wires, fast moving
vehicles and free-ranging dogs in villages.
Other threats include habitat loss and alteration as a result of widespread agricultural expansion and
mechanized farming, infrastructural development such as irrigation, roads, electric poles, as well as
mining and industrialization.
Thar Desert is the only landscape in the world that provides viable breeding population to Great
Indian Bustards, and it was with this in mind that over 3,100 sq km of areas was notified as Protected
Area and declared a sanctuary in the 1980s.While changing lifestyle in the desert, and unregulated
human activities have endangered the species, thousands of windmills around the park are also posing
a serious threat to the Great Indian Bustards.
The number of Great Indian Bustards, the State Bird of Rajasthan, is down to less than 50 according
to the last official census conducted in 2014. The world population of Great Indian Bustards is said to
be 150 with India, particularly Rajasthan, comprising 70 per cent of this species.
Conservation efforts
•
In 2012, the Ministry of Environment and Forests issued guidelines to start a Centrally
sponsored plan called “Project Bustard” in the bustard range States. On the lines of Project
Tiger and Project Elephant, other Great Indian Bustard States such as Rajasthan, Karnataka,
Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Maharashtra were invited to submit species
recovery plans to the Centre to avail of funding and start long-term conservation programmes.
•
With an objective of conservation of the remaining population of critically endangered Great
Indian Bustard, locally called Godawan in Rajasthan, an ambitious conservation program
namely, Project Great Indian Bustard, was launched by Government of Rajasthan in June
2013.
•
As a representative of desert ecosystem, an area of 3162 square kilometers of Thar Desert
spreading in the districts of Jaisalmer and Barmer was notified as Desert National Park
Sanctuary in the year 1980 with an objective of conservation of unique biological diversity
of this desert ecosystem including Great Indian Bustard. Among faunal components, Great
Indian Bustard Ardeotis nigriceps is the flagship species with its population ranging from 35
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to 40 is mainly concentrated in the Sudashri landscape area of DNP Sanctuary, which is the
northern part of the sanctuary. There is another satellite called Naath ji ka tanka- Ramdeora
Closure having a population of 5 to 10 individuals.
•
WWF-India is a partner of the Government of India in developing the ‘Guidelines for the
State Action Plan for Resident Bustard Recovery Programme’. It has played an important role
in raising awareness about the declining populations and highlighting the importance of
implementing a focused bustard conservation programme at the national level.
Some critically endangered animals in India
Critically endangered is the highest risk category assigned by the IUCN (International Union for
Conservation of Nature) red lIst to wild species. There are five quantitative criteria to determine
whether a taxon is threatened. A taxon is critically endangered when the best availabile evidence
indicates that it meets any of the following criteria:
•
Populations have declined or will decrease, by greater than 80% over the last 10 years or
three generations.
•
Have a restricted geographical range.
•
Small population size of less than 250 individuals and continuing decline at 25% in 3 years or
one generation.
•
Very small or restricted population of fewer than 50 mature individuals.
•
High probability of extinction in the wild.
Critically endangered animals in India under a different classification can be grouped as follows.
Critically endangered birds
Critically endangered birds in India under a different classification can be grouped as:
1. Migratory Wetland Species – Baer’s Pochard (Aythya baeri), Siberian Crane (Leucogeranus
leucogeranus), Spoon-billed Sandpiper (Eurynorhynchus pygmeus)
2. Non-migratory Wetland Species – White-bellied Heron (Ardea insignis)
3. Grassland Species – Bengal Florican (Houbaropsis bengalensis), Great Indian Bustard
(Ardeotis nigriceps), Jerdon’s Courser(Rhinoptilus bitorquatus), Sociable Lapwing (Vanellus
gregarius)
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4. Forest Species – Forest Owlet (Heteroglaux blewitti)
5. Scavengers – Indian Vulture (Gyps indicus), Red-headed Vulture (Sarcogyps calvus),
Slender-billed Vulture (Gyps tenuirostris), White-backed Vulture (Gyps bengalensis).
6. Practically extinct – Himalayan Quail (Ophrysia superciliosa), Pink-headed Duck
(Rhodonessa caryophyllacea)
Critically Endangered Reptiles
1. Gharial (Gavialis gangeticus)
2. Hawksbill Turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata)
3. Leatherback Turtle (Dermochelys coriacea)
4. Four-toed River Terrapin or River Terrapin (Batagur baska)
5.
Red-crowned Roofed Turtle or the Bengal Roof Turtle (Batagur kachuga)
6. Sispara day gecko (Cnemaspis sisparensis)
Critically Endangered Amphibians
1. Anamalai Flying Frog (Rhacophorus pseudomalabaricus)
2. Gundia Indian Frog (Indirana gundia)
3. Kerala Indian Frog (Indirana phrynoderma)
4. Charles Darwin’s Frog (Ingerana charlesdarwini)
5. Kottigehar Bubble-nest Frog (Micrixalus kottigeharensis)
6. Amboli Bush Frog (Pseudophilautus amboli)
7. Chalazodes Bubble-Nest Frog (Raorchestes chalazodes)
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8. Small Bush Frog (Raorchestes chotta)
9. Green-eyed Bush Frog (Raorchestes chlorosomma)
10. Griet Bush Frog (Raorchestes griet)
11. Kaikatt’s Bush Frog (Raorchestes kaikatti)
12. Mark’s Bush Frog (Raorchestes marki)
13. Munnar Bush Frog (Raorchestes munnarensis)
14. Large Ponmudi Bush Frog (Raorchestes ponmudi)
15. Resplendent Shrub Frog (Raorchestes resplendens)
16. Sacred Grove Bush frog (Raorchestes sanctisilvaticus)
17. Sushil’s Bush Frog (Raorchestes sushili)
18. Shillong Bubble-nest Frog (Raorchestes shillongensis)
19. Tiger toad (Xanthophryne tigerinus)
Critically Endangered Fishes
1. Pondicherry Shark (Carcharhinus hemiodon)
2. Ganges Shark (Glyphis gangeticus)
3. Knife-tooth Sawfish (Anoxypristis cuspidata)
4. Large-tooth Sawfish (Pristis microdon)
5. Long-comb Sawfish or Narrow-snout Sawfish (Pristis zijsron)
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Critically Endangered Corals
1. Fire corals (Millepora boschmai)
Critically Endangered Spiders
1. Rameshwaram
Ornamental
or
Rameshwaram
Parachute
Spider
(Poecilotheria
hanumavilasumica)
2. Gooty Tarantula, Metallic Tarantula or Peacock Tarantula (Poecilotheria metallica
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