“The Earth is a fine place and worth fighting for” — Ernest Hemingway
We celebrate World Nature Conservation Day on the 28th of July annually. However, we should try to contribute significantly to the preservation of Mother Nature and biodiversity every day.
Introduction to India and Conservation of Biodiversity
Biodiversity is best described as the variety of life on the planet earth. Every living organism surviving in an ecosystem is also part of the biodiversity and the surrounding of the organisms vary.
India, the world’s 7th largest country, is a land of rich floral and faunal diversity. Since time immemorial, the civilizations of the Indian subcontinent made conscious efforts to preserve nature and its habitat. Nonetheless, with the advent of industrialization and an increase in population, cities began to spring up, and the open forested land continued to shrink down, limiting the wildlife to a lesser area than before. Instead of exhausting the resources, we obtain from nature, we should thrive towards conserving biodiversity with the help of sustainable development.
As people began using more natural resources and encroaching forest habitats for their profit, the biodiversity of these forested areas got affected negatively. Animals were shot dead so that humans could make optimum utilization by selling the valuable skin of the species. This illegal poaching and hunting led to a serious depletion of the population of quite a several species. To counter this, the Government of India to launch several Biodiversity conservation projects.
Indian Constitutional Provisions towards Conservation
- 1972- Formation of National Committee on Environmental Planning and Coordination (NCEPC) [First step towards conservation after the UN Conference on Human Environment in Stockholm, Sweden]
- 1977- 42nd Constitutional Amendment Act added some important clauses for the government to take up the duty of maintaining and protecting the environment
- Article 51A (g) [Fundamental Duty]- As per the Indian constitution, each citizen of India must protect and improve the natural environment encompassing forests, lakes, flora, fauna, etc.
- Article 45A [Directive Principles of State Policy]- The constitution has made it a duty for the states to protect, improve, and safeguard the environment and natural habitat of the country.
5 Biodiversity Conservation Projects in India You Must Know
Project Tiger
Launched in April 1973, Project Tiger is a CSS (Centrally Sponsored Scheme) to conserve the Bengal Tiger species from extinction. The tiger population declined by 38,200 in 72 years from 1900 to 1972. A statutory body, the National Tiger Conservation Authority, was established in 1972 as a dedicated tiger conservation body. The project follows a core or buffer strategy. The core area is designated as exclusive and has the legal status of a National Park (NP), wildlife sanctuary, and tiger reserve. The buffer areas are used for numerous activities and incorporate people and follow an inclusive strategy. Due to the preservation efforts, India now houses the highest number of tigers in the world (2967 as per the 2018 survey). Several awareness drives, research, and conservation efforts regularly strengthen the project. As of August 2022, there are 52 dedicated Tiger Reserves in India. The Ramgarh Vishdhari Tiger Reserve, situated in the Bundi district of Rajasthan, is the newest and 52nd Tiger Reserve.
International Tiger Day- 29th July (2022 Theme: Their survival is in our hands)
Project Snow Leopard
This project was launched in January 2009 to intensify the preservation of the Snow Leopard in the high-altitude Himalayan mountains. The Snow Leopard, also known as the ‘Ghost of the Mountain’ due to its texture, is an endangered species found in Central Asian mountains apart from the Himalayas. Found across 5 Himalayan states above a height of 3000 metres, Snow Leopard is on the critically Endangered Species list of the Ministry of Environment Forest & Climate Change (MoEFCC). Snow Leopard can be spotted in the high-alt regions of Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, and Ladakh. It is also the state animal of Himachal Pradesh. On 23rd October 2020, the Government of India launched a community volunteer program called Himal Sanrakshak to strengthen conservation efforts.
International Snow Leopard Day- 23rd October
Ganges River Dolphin
The national aquatic animal of India, the Ganges River Dolphin or Gangetic Dolphin, is an endangered species. It is found in South Asian countries of India, Bangladesh, and Nepal in the river systems of Ganges, Brahmaputra, Meghna, Karnaphuli-Sangu rivers, Sapta Koshi, and Karnali rivers. The Ganges River Dolphin is also the official animal of Guwahati in Assam. Apart from the government of India, organizations like WWF-India (World Wide Fund for Nature-India) and Aaranyak have been working towards conservation, preservation, and awareness-building programs. The Vikramshila Gangetic Dolphin Sanctuary, located in the Bhagalpur district of Bihar, is India’s first Gangetic Dolphin Sanctuary.
World Dolphin Day- 25th October
Sea Turtle Conservation Project
The Sea Turtle Project began in 1999 when the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) joined hands to conserve the Olive Ridley Turtles across 10 coastal states of India. The Indian Institute of Wildlife, Dehradun is in charge of the implementation of the project and this project lays a special focus on the state of Odisha. Apart from the GoI and international agencies, the Yanadi tribe of Andhra Pradesh contributes significantly to the conservation of Olive Ridley turtles by protecting the eggs laid by the sea species. In the Krishna and Guntur districts of Andhra Pradesh, the preservation of turtles has been taken care of in one of the rarest ecoregions of Earth-the Krishna Wildlife Sanctuary.
World Sea Turtle Day- June 16 (2022 Theme: Shellebrate!) The Shellebrate concept asks people to ‘Love and Save Turtles’
SECURE Himalaya
Not just protecting and conserving habitats, the SECURE project’s objective is to secure the livelihoods of the people, without compromising sustainability. The project, launched in 2017 by the MoEFCC in partnership with the UNDP, encompasses the concept of ‘Shared Survival’ and also aims to restore the Himalayan ecosystem in high ranges. The project spans four states/UTs: Uttarakhand, Sikkim, Himachal Pradesh, and Ladakh. Global Environment Facility funds the SECURE Himalaya project, which will conclude by 2024. The focus is to conserve the Guardian of the Mountains or the Snow leopard with other endangered species and their habitats.
Read further: https://securehimalaya.org/secure-himalaya/
A.D. Williams has rightly remarked- “Be kind to every kind, not just mankind.” Earth is home to every being and not just human beings. We should not only be kind to ourselves but also towards animals and contribute our bits towards the conservation of nature, wildlife, and our biodiversity.
