Wildlife conservation

WILDLIFE CONSERVATION

Conservation and management of wildlife have a significant bearing on the survival of every species. Conservation can be defined as the rational use of environment to provide a high quality of living for mankind. Without conservation, human needs cannot be properly replenished. Conservation envisages not only the protection of the existing populations of wildlife and their habitats, but also the breeding and farming of rare animals as well as the establishment of zoos, national parks and gardens.

The phenomenal increase in human population has led to a loss in the productivity of the land and a consequent loss in environmental quality. Ever since the first forestry policies were adopted in India in 1894, the need for conservation has been rigorously enunciated and is indeed highly justified and imperative today. Of paramount importance is the preservation of vanishing and irreplaceable species of birds and animals and other biotic resources. There is an urgent need to make wildlife preservation more than a social fashion. Hence we should not wait now, but act in the right direction to save our remaining wildlife heritage.

Factors responsible for decline in wildlife:-

1) Habitat destruction : Tropical rain forests cover only 7 % of the earth’s land surface, yet they house 40-50 % of all existing wildlife species in the world. Tropical rain forests are disappearing at the rate of 50 Acres/min. Habitat destruction or degradation is the foremost cause of the decline of wildlife in India and other South Asian countries where the majority of animals are forest dwellers. In the last 30 years alone, more than 4.2 million hectares land has been deforested in India. In India, forests occupy 75.3 million hectares or about 23 % of the total land area, of which about 10 million hectares is located in hilly regions. The official policy is that 30 % of the land should be under forest, but very few states have achieved this target. Fast-increasing desertification is also a contributing factor to habitat destruction. Loss of habitat is the main process by which species become extinct.

2) Indiscriminate poaching : Hunting by man is the second major cause contributing to the disappearance of many wildlife species. The Mughal Emperors (13^th-16^th Century) as well as members of the British regime engaged in sporadic hunting pursuits. However, rulers like Ashoka in 250 B.C. and Maharaja Hari Singh in 1910 (who declared the Dagwan valley, now Dachigam National Park, as a game preserve) made significant contributions to the conservation strategy. In India, the post-Independence period saw uninhibited slaughter of wildlife for food, feather, fur and recreation, due to political upheaval as well as the easy availability of firearms.

3) Random use of pesticides : Sprays and dusting of insecticides in open fields expose wildlife to the risk of feeding crops treated with such chemical poisons. It has now been established that insecticides not only contaminate the environment, but also interfere with the body metabolism and accumulate in poisonous levels in the body system (bio-concentration). The deposition of high concentrations of DDT in the adipose tissue of fish precludes survival of fish embryos, and is responsible for the dwindling trout population. DDT inhibits the liberation of carbonic anhydrase in the shell gland of birds, resulting in the thinning of the eggshell, especially in hawks, eagles, owls and vultures.

4) Wildlife disease, pests and predators : A variety of helminthes, protozoa, bacteria, viruses and rickettsiae are responsible for killing large number of wild animals and birds, even in zoos. Most of the outbreaks of such fatal disease, because of surreptitious and sporadic incidence, go undetected in nature. Disease dissemination to man involves hematophagous arthropod vectors and numerous reservoir animals. Competition between wild herbivore mammals and livestock for grazing common grasslands is also an important factor in the extinction of wildlife.

Management of Wildlife Conservation

While formulating a conservation pan, the following considerations should be kept in mind:-

1) Impact of political and economic climate : The National Policy of the Government is the core criterion on which the status of wildlife of a country depends. In India, the Ministry of Environment & Forests, Indian Board of Wildlife, National Committee on Environmental Planning & Coordination (NCEPC) and the Steering Committee on Project Tiger are all trying to ensure that the interest wildlife is not disregarded in our development plans. Due consideration must be given to the environmental impact of all economic projects.

2) Habitat protection : Total habitat protection is the ideal and sure way to conservation. The tiger, which is at the apex of the food pyramid, has been utilized in India as the rallying point for conserving significant and diverse ecosystems in which not only the tiger, but other plant and animal communities live.

Methods of habitat preservation and improvement include:-

§ Artificially manipulating the stocking density of carnivores and herbivores

§ Introduction of superior quality fodder grasses

§ Controlled use of fire causes release of minerals into the soil and increased soil fertility

§ Provision of salt licks and water for drinking and wallowing

§ Soil conservation by reforestation, crop rotation, strip cropping, terracing, contour farming, scientific grazing management, maintenance of soil fertility etc.

3) Game ranching : It is the scientific utilization of free-living wild animals for human needs. The first practical application of ranching was that of reindeer farming (Rangifer tarandas) initiated in Alaska in the early nineteenth century. The Indian species which have been successfully ranched are axis deer, blackbuck and nilgai. Such scientific management of wildlife can turn into an asset for the preservation of threatened species which are of great value to man – primarily for food and secondarily for aesthetic reasons. In game ranching, return on investment is achieved within a short span through the sale of animal products, hunting licences, photography, lodging accommodations, and fishing and horse-back riding. Another economic advantage of game ranching is its co-existence with domestic livestock. eg. The American pronghorn antelope co-exists with domestic cattle, horse and sheep; muskdeer ranching in China.

4) Breeding and farming : The ultimate test of survival of an animal species is its ability to breed. It has now been recognized that wildlife farming is one of the important methods that can be adopted for the proper utilization of wildlife resources in the interest of the rural masses. Captive breeding should be the last resort in attempting to save a species from extinction.

5) Impact of tourism : Tourism has a significant impact on the environment in general, and wildlife resources in particular. Improperly managed tourism practices, clamoring only for immediate and lucrative returns, have a highly deleterious effect on all the natural assets from which the entire tourism industry draws its sustenance.

6) Role of Zoos and National Parks : Nature and wildlife provide release from claustrophobic urbanization. Zoological parks develop community pride and inculcate the need to preserve wild fauna and flora. Zoos not only serve as asylums for the depleted species of our faunal heritage but also awaken public interest in stemming the tide of species destruction. There are currently more than 400 zoos in the world, whereas India has 107 zoos, 49 deer parks, 13 safari parks, 6 snake parks, and 24 nature education and breeding centres. National Parks, Bioreserves and Sanctuaries play a vital role as they not only protect communities, but are also the only strongholds in the world which offer the best and often the only hope for survival of genetic resources.

7) Special Wildlife Projects : These provide an overall management-cum-ecological plan for the conservation of a particular wildlife species. eg. Project Tiger, Muskdeer Project, Project Hangul

8) Legislative measures : The role of legislation in the conservation of natural resources is unmatched. Conservation with no heed paid at the federal level cannot be a success. Strict implementation of the wildlife Acts along with the implementation of international laws on the import and export of wild plants and animals is essential to save the depleted wildlife resources.