changeadminOn the occasion of World Wildlife Day, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi reiterated the commitment to protect and preserve the incredible biodiversity of our planet.
In his social media post, he shared a video with a message, “Every species plays a vital role—let’s safeguard their future for generations to come! We also take pride in India’s contributions towards preserving and protecting wildlife.“
He also shared pictures and a message of his visit to Gir National Park in Gujarat, home to the majestic Asiatic Lion, “Coming to Gir also brings back many memories of the work we collectively did when I was serving as Gujarat CM. In the last many years, collective efforts have ensured that the population of Asiatic Lions is rising steadily. Equally commendable is the role of tribal communities and women from surrounding areas in preserving the habitat of the Asiatic Lion.“
The Prime Minister also remarked that over the last decade, the population of tigers, leopards, and rhinos have risen in India, indicating how deeply we cherish wildlife and are working to build sustainable habitats for animals.
Later he chaired the 7th meeting of the National Board for Wildlife, a statutory body advising the government on wildlife conservation, particularly within Protected Areas.
The National Board for Wildlife reviewed various initiatives undertaken by the Government in wildlife conservation, highlighting achievements in the creation of new protected areas and species-specific flagship programs such as Project Tiger, Project Elephant, Project Snow Leopard, among others.
The Board also discussed conservation efforts for dolphins and Asiatic lions, and the establishment of the International Big Cats Alliance.
During the meeting, the Prime Minister released the report of the first-ever riverine dolphin estimation conducted in the country, which estimated a total of 6,327 dolphins. This pioneering effort involved surveying 28 rivers across eight states, with 3150 mandays dedicated to covering over 8,500 kilometers. Uttar Pradesh recorded the highest numbers, followed by Bihar, West Bengal, and Assam.
The Prime Minister emphasised the importance of awareness on dolphin conservation by involving the local population and villagers in the areas. He also advised organising exposure visits of school children in the dolphin habitat areas.
The Prime Minister also laid the foundation stone of the National Referral Centre for Wildlife at Junagadh, which will function as the hub for coordination and governance of various aspects related to wildlife health and disease management.
Population estimation of Asiatic Lions is carried out once every five years. The last such exercise was carried out in 2020 and the Prime Minister announced the initiation of the 16th cycle of lion estimation to be conducted this year.
Considering that the Asiatic Lions have now made Barda Wildlife Sanctuary their home through natural dispersal, the Prime Minister announced that lion conservation in Barda will be supported through prey augmentation and other habitat improvement efforts.
Underscoring the importance of eco-tourism as a means for development and conservation of wildlife habitats, he emphasised that there should be ease of travelling and connectivity for wildlife tourism.
For effective management of human-wildlife conflict, the Prime Minister announced establishing a Centre of Excellence at the Wildlife Institute of India-Campus in SACON (Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History), Coimbatore.
The centre will also support states and Union Territories in equipping Rapid Response Teams with advanced technology, gadgets for tracking, forewarning, prescribe surveillance and Intrusion Detection Systems in human-wildlife conflict hotspots; and build capacity of field practitioners and community to execute conflict mitigation measures.
The Prime Minister stressed the usage of remote sensing and geospatial mapping, and Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning to combat issues like forest fires and human-animal conflicts. Technology can play a huge role in wildlife conservation and protection.
He suggested engagement of the Wildlife Institute of India with the Bhaskaracharya National Institute for Space Applications and Geo-informatics (BISAG-N) to address the challenge of human-wildlife conflict.
To enhance the monitoring and management of forest fires, particularly in highly sensitive protected areas, focusing on prediction, detection, prevention, and control, the Prime Minister advised for a collaboration between the Forest Survey of India, Dehradun, and BISAG-N through use of space technology.
The Prime Minister also announced that the Cheetah introduction will be expanded to other areas including the Gandhisagar Sanctuary in Madhya Pradesh and the Banni Grasslands in Gujarat.
The Prime Minister announced a scheme focused on tiger conservation outside tiger reserves. The initiative aims to address human-tiger and other co-predator conflicts in areas outside these reserves by ensuring co-existence with local communities.
Recognising the dwindling population of gharials and a view of ensuring Gharials conservation, Prime Minister also announced the initiation of a new Project on Gharials for their conservation.
Prime Minister commended the efforts undertaken towards the conservation of the Great Indian Bustard. Considering the need to upscale the conservation efforts, he announced a National Great Indian Bustard Conservation Action Plan.
In April 2024, the Great Indian Bustard was in the news when the Supreme Court of India recognised the right to protect against the damaging effects of climate change as a distinct fundamental right in the Constitution.
During the review meeting, Prime Minister asked the Board and the Environment Ministry to gather traditional knowledge and manuscripts of various regions of India concerning conservation and management of forests and wildlife for research and development.
Prime Minister chalked out a roadmap for wildlife conservation strategy and future actions for the Ministry and also asked to constitute various task forces to work on Indian Sloth Bear, Ghariyaal and Great Indian Bustard conservation and development.
Prime Minister noted that Gir is a success story of Lion and Leopard conservation. He said that this traditional knowledge should be documented with the help of AI for use at other National Parks and Sanctuaries.
Prime Minister also suggested enhanced cooperation in the Co-ordination unit under the United Nations Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS).
Prime Minister commended the active participation of local communities in conservation, especially through the establishment of Community Reserves. Over the past decade, India has witnessed more than six-fold increase in the number of community reserves. He also emphasized the importance of utilizing advanced technologies, including Artificial Intelligence, in wildlife conservation.
Prime Minister also advised on research and documentation of medicinal plants in forest areas, which can play a crucial role in animal health management. He also mentioned the possibilities of promoting use of plant-based medicine systems for animal health management on a global scale.
After the meeting, the Prime Minister also flagged off motorcycles for enhanced mobility of frontline forest staff. He also interacted with field level functionaries at Gir, which included frontline staff, eco guides and trackers.
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