The Conservation of Wild Life in India : PART – ONE

INTRODUCTION

The term Wild Life was coined by William Hornady in 1913 in his book “Our vanishing Wild Life”. Wild Life is meant by all biotic elements on the Earth including all species of plants and animals and microbes of the world excluding man, domestic animals and cultivated plants. Therefore the wild life means the total natural biodiversity ranging from tiny microbes to mighty mammals. Wild life is considered as a renewable resource, and it’s conservation is necessary because it controls the ecological balance, maintains food chains/webs, bio-geo-chemical cycles, and it is the principal source of gene bank.

India is one of the 12 megadiversity countries. Though India contains only 2.4 % of the global space, but it has 7.31 % of global biodiversity.

Ashoka was the first ruler in Indian history to set up the wild life sanctuary, and the first national park in India is Corbett national park formerly known as Hailey national park and was established in 1935.

CAUSES OF DEPLETION OF WILD LIFE IN INDIA

1. Destruction of natural habitat due to green revolution, urbanization and industrialization.
2. Poaching by man for meat, skin, sport etc. This picture was worsened when modern hunting instruments, guns were invented
3. Overgrazing by domestic animals.
4. Change of migratory route.
5. Introduction of exotic species and export of some species.
6. Exploitation of natural products.

THE TYPES OF CONSERVATION

Wild life conservation can be done in Ex situ and In situ manners. Ex situ conservation means protection is maintained outside the natural habitat. This type of conservation was applied to cultivated plants and domestic animals but nowadays it is used for wild lives. Some common examples of Ex situ conservation are Botanical garden and Zoological gardens. Some other aspects of Ex situ conservation are Seed bank, Sperm bank, gene pool bank, captive breeding program, tissue culture, genetic engineering specially cloning etc. In situ conservation means protection is maintained inside the natural habitat. The establishment and working of different protected areas like Sanctuary, National park, Biosphere reserve etc. are the different aspects of In situ conservation.

THE TYPES OF PROTECTED AREAS IN INDIA

1. SANCTUARY :

a) Sanctuaries have lowest legal status.

b) It is species oriented protected area and set up to conserve one or more threatened species.

c) Size of a sanctuary is smallest compared to other protected areas.(except Great Indian Bustard sanctuary)

d) Boundary is not fixed and may be altered.

e) Limited grazing is allowed and tourism is permitted.

2. NATIONAL PARK :

a) National parks have higher legal status than sanctuaries.

b) It is habitat oriented protected area and set up to conserve the habitat of one or more threatened species.

c) Size of a national park is bigger compared to sanctuaries.

d) Boundary is fixed and follows strictly.

e) Grazing is not allowed and tourism is permitted only in the Buffer zone

f) The world’s first national national park was Yellow Stone national park.

3. BIOSPHERE RESERVE :

a) Biosphere reserves have highest legal status.

b) It is ecosystem oriented protected area and set up to conserve the ecosystem of one or more threatened species.

c) Size of a biosphere reserve is largest compared to other protected areas.

d) Boundary is strictly follwed.

e) No human activity is permitted in the core zone and always needs a proper permission.

f) First biosphere reserve of India is at Nilgiri and was established in 1986.

g) A biosphere reserve is basically divided into following zones : Core Zone, Buffer Zone, Manipulative Zone and Restoration Zone.

SOME FAMOUS PROTECTED AREAS IN INDIA

1. The largest tiger reserve in India is Nargarjuna sagar, at Hyderabad.
2. Asian Lion is only found in Gir forest in Gujarat.
3. Keoladeo Ghana National Park, at Bharatpur of Rajasthan, is India’s best bird sanctuary.
4. Salim Ali centre for Ornithology and Natural Hiatory is present at Coimbatore.
5. Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary in Orissa conservation of breeding site of Turtles.
6. Dachigam national park of Kashmir is famous for the conservation of Kashmir Stag.
7. Indian Rhinoceros is conserved in Kaziranga national park at Assam, and in West Bengal Jaldapara sanctuary is famous for the conservation of Rhinoceros unicornis.
8. In Chilika lake of Orissa Flamingoes are conserved
9. Kanha national park is situated in Madhya Pradesh.
10. Periyar biospherev reserve is situated in Kerala.
11. Gorumara biosphere resrve and Sundarban is situated in West Bengal.
12. The famous snake garden of India is situated in Chennai.