Biodiversity protection : Schemes by Government of India. Highly useful for UPSC exam.

1. Biodiversity Protection : Schemes by Government of India
Compiled by Dr. Anoob Razak
[Check http://www.clearias.com for more!]

2. What’s inside?
Wildlife Protection – different schemes
Integrated Development of Wildlife Habitat.
Project Tiger
Project Elephant.
Other conservation projects.

3. Wildlife Protection
5 schemes
1.Strengthening of Wildlife Divisions
2.Animal Welfare
3.Integrated Development of Wildlife Habitats
4.Project Tiger
5.Project Elephant
Central Sector (CS)
Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS)

6. Integrated Development of Wildlife Habitat (IDWH)
One of the three CSS for protection of wildlife
Assistance for the Development of National Park & Sanctuaries
11th FYP
Integrated Development of Wildlife Habitat

7. Objectives
i.Support to Protected Areas (National Parks, WildLife Sanctuaries, Conservation Reserves & Community Reserves)
ii.Protection of Wildlife outside Protected Areas
iii.Recovery programs for saving critically endangered species & habitats

8. Financial & technical assistance to states to protect threatened species, like
◦Snow Leopard
◦Hangul
◦Dugongs
◦Edible Nest Swiftlets
◦Asian Wild Buffalos
◦Manipur – Brow Antlered Deer
◦Vultures
◦Asiatic Lion

9. National Animal-
◦Royal Bengal Tiger (Panthera tigris)

10. National Bird-
◦Indian Peacock (Pavo cristatus)

11. National Reptile-
◦King Cobra (Ophiophagus hannah)

12. National Aquatic Animal-
◦Ganga River Dolphin (Platanista gangetica)

13. National Heritage Animal-
◦Indian Elephant (Elephas maximus)

14. National Heritage Mammal-
◦Hanuman Langur/ Grey Langur

15. Tiger
‘world’s favourite animal’- Animal Planet Survey
8 subspecies in total (including 3 extinct)
only 1 subspecies in India
◦Bengal Tiger (Panthera tigris tigris)
(most common subspecies)
National Animal of India & Bangladesh

16. Project Tiger
1900 - 20000 – 40000 tigers
1972 - 1800 tigers
“endangered species”
1973- Project Tiger
◦Started as a 100% Centrally Sponsored Scheme in 9 Tiger Reserves across the country

17. Administered by National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA)
◦provided in WildLife Protection (Amendment) Act, 2006
◦Statutory body
◦Minister of Environment & Forest- Chairman of NTCA
State Government shall, on recommendation of NTCA, notify as area as Tiger Reserve

18. Objectives of Project Tiger
◦To ensure maintenance of a viable population of Tigers in India for scientific, economic, aesthetic, cultural & ecological values
◦To preserve, for all times, the areas of such biological importance as a national heritage for the benefit, education & enjoyment of people

19. 43 Tiger Reserves in 17 States

20. 1.Periyar
2.Parambikulam
3.Anamalai
4.Kalakkad Mundanthurai
5.Mudumalai
6.Sathyamangalam
7.Bandipur
8.Bhadra
9.Biligiri-Ranganathan Temple
10.Dandeli-Anshi
11.Nagarhole
Kerala
Tamil Nadu
Karnataka

21. 12.Kawal
13.Nagarjuna Srisailam
14.Melghat
15.Pench
16.Sahyadri
17.Tadoba-Andheri
18.Bandhavgarh
19.Kanha
20.Panna
21.Pench
22.Sanjay-Dubri
23.Satpura
Andhra Pradesh
Maharashtra
Madhya Pradesh

22. 24.Achanakmar
25.Indravati
26.Udanti-Sitanadi
27.Satkosia
28.Simlipal
29.Buxa
30.Sunderbans
31.Kaziranga
32.Manas
33.Nameri
Chhattisgarh
Odisha
West Bengal
Assam

23. 34.Dampa - Mizoram
35.Namdapha
36.Pakke
37.Palamau - Jharkhand
38.Valmiki - Bihar
39.Dudhwa - Uttar Pradesh
40.Corbett - Uttarakhand
41.Ranthambore
42.Sariska
43.Mukundara
Rajasthan
Arunachal Pradesh

25. Core - Buffer strategy (WLPA, 2006)
Core area / Critical Tiger Habitat
Buffer Area / Peripheral Area
◦Core area is kept free of biotic disturbances & forestry operation, where collection of minor forest produce, grazing, human disturbances are not allowed within
◦Buffer Area – lesser protection

26. m STrIPES
Monitoring System for Tigers- Intensive Protection & Ecological Status
software based monitoring system
to assist patrolling & protection
launched by Indian Govt in 2010

27. Tiger Census
All India Tiger Estimation Exercise
Since 2006, this exercise is being undertaken every four years
4 Phases (4th phase added in 2011)
2010 census- 1706 (1571-1875) tigers above 1.5 years of age

29. Phase I: Field data collection at the beat-level (i.e Primary Patrolling Unit), by trained personnel and using a standardised protocol.
Phase II: Analysis of habitat status of tiger forests using satellite data
Phase III: Camera trapping to identify individual tigers from their unique stripe patterns. This information was used to estimate tiger numbers in sampled sites.

30. Phase IV (announced in May 2011) -intensive, annual monitoring of important ‘source’ populations of tigers. (i.e at tiger reserve level) -use statistically sound procedures to estimate numbers of both tigers and their prey. -developed by NTCA & WII, on consultation with experts

31. Civil Service Mains 2011
Q) Phase-IV of the tiger monitoring programme in India
(50 words, 5 marks)

32. National Animal of India from 1952 – 1972
◦Asiatic Lion
Tiger as adopted in its place in a meeting of Indian Board for Wildlife,
i.Worldwide importance of Tiger & its existence over the entire country
ii.Need for its strict protection
iii.Tiger is found in as many as 16 states whereas Lion only in 1 state

33. Canine Distemper Disease (recently in news- March 2014)
◦viral disease that can affect tigers and other felines
◦most commonly affects dogs
◦reservoir- unvaccinated dogs

34. Civil Service Preliminary 2012
 Q) Consider the following protected areas
1.Bandipur
2.Bhitarkanika
3.Manas
4.Sundarbans
Which of the above are declared Tiger Reserves?
a)1 & 2 only
b)1, 3 & 4 only
c)2, 3 & 4 only
d)1, 2, 3 & 4

35. Civil Service Mains 2012
Q) The issue of tourism in core areas of tiger reserve forests in the country is a subject matter of debate. Critically examine various aspects of this issue, keeping in view relevant recent judicial pronouncements.
(250 words, 25 marks)

36. Indian Elephant
Elephas maximus
“Endangered”
25000
declared as National Heritage Animal in 2010

37. Project Elephant
Launched as a CSS in 1992
Objectives
1.to protect Elephants, their habitats & corridors
2.to address issues of man- animal conflict
3.welfare of domesticated animals

38. Elephant Reserves
◦25 ERs in 13 states
◦Wayanad, Nilambur, Anamudi, Periyar in Kerala
financial & technical assistance

42. Elephant Corridors
◦more than 80 identified Elephant corridors
◦many within protected areas or reserve forests
◦Important since the movement helps to enhance species survival & birth rate

44. reasons for decline in elephant population
◦Poaching for elephant ivory
◦Disruption of hanitat & man – elephant conflict
◦Mining activities in Central India

45. MIKE
Monitoring of Illegal Killing of Elephants (MIKE)
Mandated by a resolution of CITES
◦Started in South Asia in 2003
◦Implemented in 10 ERs since 2004
objective- to measure the levels & trends in illegal hunting if elephants

46. 1.Wayanad (Kerala)
2.Nilgiri (Tamil Nadu)
3.Mysore (Karnataka)
4.Mayurbhanj (Odisha)
5.Eastern Dooars (West Bengal)
6.Deomali (Arunachal Pradesh)
7.Ripu-Chirang (Assam)
8.Dehing-Patkai (Assam)
9.Garo Hills (Meghalaya)
10.Shiwalik (Uttarakhand)

47. Haathi Mere Saathi
MoEF & Wildlife Trust of India
Launched at ‘Elephant-8’ Minsterial Meeting in 2011

48. Objectives
◦to sensitize people on the importance of saving our National Heritage Animal & its impact on the overall biodiversity of the country
◦to sensitize both urban & rural populace on threats to the elephant & its habitat
◦to work with the government, communities & stakeholders on an awareness campaign in order to protect & secure increasingly fragmented & shrinking elephant habitats

51. Snow Leopard
Around 7400 globally
10% in India
across 5 states-
◦Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh

52. objective
◦“to safegauard & conserve India’s uniue natural heritage of high altitude wildlife populations & their habitats by promoting conservation through participatory policies & actions”

53. Red Panda
Musk Deer
Wild yak
Chiru
Tibettan Gazelle
Hangul
Black Necked Crane
Brahminy Ducks
Brown Headed Ducks

55. Hangul
Kashmir Stag- a subspecies of Asian Red Deer
State animal of Jammu & Kashmir
Dachigam National Park near Srinagar
Project Hangul (1975)
◦J&K govt + IUCN + WWF

56. Vulture
9 species of Vultures in India
3 are “critically endangered”
i.White Backed Vulture
ii.Slender Billed Vulture
iii.Long Billed Vulture
Vulture brought under IDWH

58. Priorities of SAVE
◦Advocacy to more effectively remove diclofenac from veterinary use
◦Creation of Vulture Safe Zones
◦Breeding Centre & release programmes

59. Civil Service Preliminary 2012
 Q) Vultures hich used to be very common in Indian countryside some years ago are rarely seen nowadays. This is attributed to
a)The destruction of their nesting sites by new invasive species
b)A drug used by cattle owners for treating their diseased cattle
c)Scarcity of food available to them
d)A widespread, persistent & fatal disease among them

60. Civil Service Mains 2010
Q) The diminishing population of vultures
(50 words, 5 marks)

64. Ganga River Dolphin
National Aquatic Animal
inhabits parts of Ganga-Brahmaputra River system
1 among the 4 obligate freshwater dolphins
said to represent the purity of Ganga as it can thrive only in freshwater
“Susu”, because of its noise

65. main reasons for decline in population
◦poaching for oil
◦habitat degradation due to declining flow
◦heavy siltation, sand mining
◦construction of barrages causing physical barrier
Vikramshila Gangetic Dolphin Sanctaury in Bihar

67. Crocodile
Cold blooded creatures
No alligators in India
Instead 3 species of crocodiles
◦Gharial
◦Mugger
◦Saltwater Crocodile

68. Gharial
◦Gavialis gangeticus
◦found in rivers of North India
◦endemic to Indian Subcontinent (India & Nepal)

69. Project Crocodile
GoI + UNDP + FAO
1975
Crocodile Rehabilitation Centres
Crocodile Sanctuaries
Captive breeding & rearing
◦Chambal Wildlife Sanctuary (Uttar Pradesh)
◦Chitwan National Park (Nepal)

74. Sea Turtle Conservation Project
mainly Olive Ridley Turtles
◦Comes to nest & lay eggs on the eastern coast of India in winter
GoI + UNDP, in 1999
Implemented across 10 states ith special emphasis in Odisha
Gahirmatha Marine Wildlife Sanctuary in Odisha

76. Indian Rhinoceros
One horned Rhino
Around 3000 in the world,
>2000 in Assam, mainly Kaziranga
Indian Rhino Vision 2020
◦to increase Rhino population in Assam to 3000 by 2020, distributed over at least 7 Protected Areas to ensure long term viability

77. Thank you!
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