Understand the objectives and methods of Project Tiger, Project Elephant, and other key conservation initiatives in India.
Comprehend the roles of tiger reserves, their structure, and the involvement of the National Tiger Conservation Authority.
Identify the international cooperation efforts and innovations in tiger conservation.
Recognize the critical role of elephant corridors and threats to their existence.
Explore measures and strategies for conserving species like vultures, rhinos, and snow leopards.
Gain insight into captive breeding and species recovery programs.
Project Tiger
The Indian Tiger (Panthera tigris) serves as an important example of conservation efforts for endangered species. From around 40,000 tigers in 1900, the population drastically fell to about 1,800 in 1972, prompting the launch of Project Tiger in 1973 with two primary objectives:
Maintenance of Tiger Populations: To ensure the survival of India’s tiger population for their scientific, economic, cultural, and ecological value.
Preservation of Heritage Areas: To safeguard regions of biological importance as national heritage sites for public benefit.
Tiger Reserves
Tiger Reserves are designated areas governed by Project Tiger aimed at protecting the tiger and its prey. Initially covering 9 reserves, they have now expanded to 42 across 17 states. Features include:
Core Zone: Critical tiger habitats identified through scientific criteria, kept inviolate for conservation purposes without affecting tribal rights. Designated by state governments in consultation with an Expert Committee.
Buffer Zone: Peripheral areas surrounding core zones, promoting coexistence between wildlife and humans while protecting critical tiger habitats. Boundaries determined through scientific criteria and consultations with local bodies and expert committees.
Key Provisions:
Boundary changes to tiger reserves require recommendations from the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) and approval from the National Board for Wild Life.
De-notification of reserves is restricted to public interest cases with approvals from both the NTCA and the National Board for Wild Life.
National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA)
Established under the 2006 amendment act, the NTCA’s functions include:
Approval of Conservation Plans: Evaluation of state-prepared tiger conservation plans.
Sustainable Ecology: Disallowing unsustainable land use within tiger reserves.
Tourism Norms: Setting standards for tourism activities and compliance.
Data Management: Providing protection measures, population estimates, and habitat status.
Area Integrity: Ensuring tiger reserves and connecting areas are not diverted for non-sustainable uses without due approval.
Support for Management: Facilitating biodiversity conservation through eco-development and legal support.
Capacity Building: Implementing ongoing skill development programs for reserve staff.
Estimation of Tiger Populations
Tiger Census provides insights into tiger numbers, density, and changes in population trends. Traditional methods like the Pugmark Census Technique have been replaced by modern techniques such as camera trapping and DNA fingerprinting.
2010 Assessment Methodology
The All India Tiger Estimation utilizes a three-phase approach:
Phase 1: Field data collection at patrolling unit levels using standardized protocols.
Phase 2: Analysis of habitat status using satellite data.
Phase 3: Camera trapping to identify individual tigers based on stripe patterns.
Phase IV involved intensive annual monitoring of tiger populations using camera traps, initiated in November 2011. It provided a yearly status report critical for managing and conserving tiger populations.
Important Note: The Royal Bengal Tiger is classified as endangered by the IUCN, with fewer than 2,500 individuals in the wild.
Innovations in the 2010 National Tiger Assessment
The 2010 assessment incorporated:
Partnerships with civil society.
Community involvement in data collection.
Genetic analysis of tiger populations using fecal samples.
Assessment of tiger landscapes, co-predators, and prey.
Estimation of tiger populations in challenging areas like the Sunderbans.
Tiger Population Estimates: A comparison of the methods used in 2006 and 2010 revealed an increase from 1,411 tigers in 2006 to 1,706 in 2010, reflecting successful conservation efforts.
International Cooperation
India’s international collaborations include:
Memorandums with Nepal: Addressing transboundary illegal trade and tiger conservation.
Protocols with China: Ongoing development of agreements with Bangladesh, Bhutan, and Myanmar.
Global Tiger Forum: A platform for addressing international tiger conservation concerns.
Asian Ministerial Conference: The New Delhi Resolution emphasized habitat recovery, poaching prevention, local participation, and ecosystem services promotion.
Project Elephant
Launched in 1992, Project Elephant aims to assist states with free-ranging elephant populations. The project provides financial and technical support and addresses conflicts between humans and elephants.
Objectives
Protection of Elephants: Safeguarding habitats and migratory routes.
Man-Animal Conflict: Reducing conflicts through habitat management.
Conservation Measures: Implementing scientific management and anti-poaching initiatives.
Elephant Corridors
Elephant Corridors are vital land strips connecting larger habitats, promoting species survival. India has 88 identified corridors.
Habitat Fragmentation: Severe in regions like northern West Bengal and northwestern India, leading to high-priority conservation needs.
Protection: Involvement of communities in voluntarily relocating from conflict zones to preserve continuous habitats for tigers, elephants, and other species.
Threats to Corridors
Habitat Loss: Due to developmental activities, mining, and electric fencing.
Conflict: Habitat fragmentation leads to increased human-elephant encounters.
Mitigation Measures: Fusion of corridors with protected areas and ecologically sensitive zones, combined with community sensitization and voluntary relocation initiatives.
Vulture Conservation
India’s nine vulture species have faced significant declines, primarily due to the veterinary drug diclofenac, causing renal failure in vultures feeding on treated carcasses.
Diclofenac Sodium as the Probable Cause
Impact: Vultures suffer from kidney failure when ingesting carcasses containing diclofenac.
Consequences: Decline in species like the White-backed, Slender-billed, and Long-billed vultures, leading to ecological imbalance.
Meloxicam as an Alternative
Replacement: Meloxicam, a safer NSAID, has been introduced to mitigate the adverse effects of diclofenac.
Challenges: Despite the ban, the use of diclofenac persists due to its availability and lower cost compared to meloxicam.
Vulture Safety Zones (VSZ)
VSZs are established within a 150 km radius of vulture colonies to provide safe, uncontaminated food sources. Zones have been identified across states like Uttarakhand, Assam, and Chhattisgarh.
Vulture Restaurants
Vulture Restaurants serve diclofenac-free carcasses, promoting vulture conservation and community participation. Sites include Kathlore in Punjab and Gadchiroli in Maharashtra.
Indian Rhino Vision 2020
This program aims to increase the one-horned rhino population in Assam from 2,000 to 3,000 by 2020. Rhinos are translocated to viable habitats, like Manas National Park, reducing the risk of calamities in single protected areas.
Project Snow Leopard
India’s snow leopards face threats due to habitat degradation, competition with livestock, and poaching. Project Snow Leopard promotes conservation through community involvement.
Location: Biologically significant landscapes in the Himalayan regions.
Conservation Goals: Enhancing knowledge-based frameworks for conservation and involving locals in preserving snow leopard habitats.
Important Note: India hosts around 10% of the global snow leopard population in less than 5% of its global range.
Government Measures to Prevent Wildlife-Human Conflicts
Financial Assistance: Support for forest improvement and food availability to curb animal migration.
Barriers: Construction of boundary walls and electric fences around sensitive areas.
Relocation: Capture, tranquilization, and relocation of problematic animals.
Public Awareness: Sensitizing communities about proper conduct during wildlife encounters.
Eco-development Activities: Involving communities in the management of protected areas.
Concept: India’s adoption of the South Asia Wildlife Enforcement Network (SAWEN) facilitates regional cooperation in combating trans-boundary wildlife crimes.