India has a lot of different conservation schemes going on all of the time. It is home to fascinating and incredible species so it is very important for the country to have these conservation schemes in place for wildlife.
This article will explore 5 of the most important wildlife conservation schemes that India is taking part in right now. Read on for more information!
Project Elephant
Project Elephant was set up by the Ministry of Environment and Forests in the Government of India. This was launched in 1992 in order to project the wild Asian elephants that are free-ranging in the country.
This project focuses on the need to protect the elephants, their habitats and the migration habits of these elephants so that it can survive in the long-term in the country.
Why Is Project Elephant Needed?
This project is very important in India. This is because of the following reasons:
- In order to safeguard these animals and their habitats
- Address the problem of human-animal conflict
- Protect elephants that are being held in captivity
- Protect elephants from having injuries occur to their tusks
Project Tiger
Project Tiger is a very long running tiger conservation project in India. It was initially introduced by the Indian government in April 1973.
This was brought into effect by Indira Gandhi, the Prime Minister at the time.
The tiger is India’s most sacred animal. It is the national animal of India and it is very important that this animal is conserved.
Over the years, Project Tiger has grown, and it now covers 51 different tiger reserves.
These reserves are all found in the 18 different states in which tigers are found which is double the number of states that were covered when it first came about.
Project Tiger is so important in India, as it seeks to protect and maintain the population of Bengal tigers, keeping them in their native habitats.
This project looks to protect the species from becoming extinct and protect the food chain that is affected by their existence.
The tiger is a legacy in India, and it reflects the amazing diversity that the ecosystem in the country reflects.
This project not only protects the Bengal tigers that are already out there, but it also suggests focusing on the tiger reserves as places where the animals could breed and then disperse into the local forests.
This project has a large focus on rehabilitation and protection of the habitat, and a lot of money was raised for the cause, meaning they had the means to carry out the task at hand.
This project used the core and buffer strategy in order to create the appropriate tiger reserves.
The project looks to put tigers at the center of importance, while also ensuring that there is a people oriented aspect to the project too.
Why Is Project Tiger Needed?
Project Tiger is a very important project. It is needed in order to:
- Protect Bengal tigers from becoming extinct
- Maintain the population of tigers in their habitats
- Preserve the ecosystems found in the tiger reserves throughout the country
- Reduce the conflicts that occur between humans and animals
- Compensate farmers whose cattle are killed due to tiger reserves
Project Snow Leopard
The snow leopard is a very important animal in India and it is very important that they are preserved and protected in the country.
Project Snow Leopard was developed by the Ministry of Environment in 2009 at the same time as it introduced some other conservation projects for other endangered species in the country.
The Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park has a program which helps with the conservation and breeding of Snow Leopards in India.
Why Is Project Snow Leopard Needed?
This is a very important conservation project in India. It is needed to:
- Have a landscape-level approach to conserving wildlife
- Improve the management of the area
- Support conservation and protection for the snow leopard and its prey
- Wildlife protection and law enforcement
- Promote an understanding of the conflicts between humans and animals and improve education
Project Crocodile
The crocodile and gharial conservation project in India began in 1974. Lots of the different species of crocodile were thought to be at risk of extinction which is why this project came (see also: How Australia’s Eastern Barred Bandicoot Came Back From Extinction)about.
There are 11 crocodile sanctuaries in the country now, and 16 rehabilitation centers. In these centers, there have been 493 muggers, 879 gharials and 190 estuarine crocodiles raised and then later released into the wild.
As well as this, there have been breeding projects set out in the wild in order to maintain the species.
As this conservation effort is fairly tricky, it is very important that the workers are well-trained in order to prevent injuries when dealing with crocodiles.
This is why the Crocodile Breeding and Management Training Institute was started in 1980 where lots of the managers and workers were trained.
Why Is Project Crocodile Needed?
Project crocodile is a very important conservation project.
- Before it was implemented, crocodiles were in danger. There were a lot of people hunting crocodiles, and their habitats were also in danger
- Certain species of crocodile such as the mugger and the gharial were at risk of extinction in the 1970s
- Humans were using the rivers which was destroying the habitats in the area
Project Hangul
The Hangul conservation project is another very important scheme that India is using. This project was set up in 1970 and it was set up to protect Hangul and its habitat.
This project was set up to protect the Kashmir Stag which was critically endangered at this time. Only 340 remained, which prompted this scheme to be set up.
However, this scheme has not been as successful as it was hoped.
This is because the habitat of Hangul has been damaged by a large number of factors.
The metallic road that occurs between lower Dachigam to upper Dachingham has impacted the area, and the fish and sheep farms that are on this route have not helped.
The water supplies have been interrupted by these things. As well as this, there have been lots of agricultural activities taking place which means that the Hangal habitat has been affected.
Although this conservation scheme was set up to help the species, it has not been as successful as they first hoped.
Why Is Project Hangul Needed?
The Kashmir Stag is a very endangered animal, and the numbers of this animal have declined since Indian Independence(see also: Animals That Are Independent). This project hoped to help the population, however it is feared that it may be too late.
In 2004, there were 197 Hanguls. This number declined to 153 in 2006. There are now plans to breed this animal in captivity in order to save the species.
Final Thoughts
India has an incredible array of amazing animals in the country.
They have put in a large number of wildlife conservation schemes in order to ensure that these animals remain safe, and are not in danger of becoming extinct.
In most cases, this has been very successful, however Project Hangul has not seen the same success. Attempts to protect the Kashmir Stag are still occurring, though, so there is still hope for the species yet!
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