Ans) Follow Que No. 7(Short Type)

Ans) Reason Why Conservation of Wildlife is Essential – Along with forests, wildlife is also a vital resource for human beings. Wild animals provide us with meat, skin, ivory, etc. Along with the forest, humans also mercilessly destroyed wildlife. It brings the wildlife to the verge of extinction. Substantially, the number of tigers, lions, elephants, rhinos, etc. is decreasing. Even some species of wildlife are in danger of complete extinction in the coming years. It is the duty and belief of every citizen to pass on this natural heritage as it is to future generations. Hence, conservation is essential for growing them naturally in their original form.

Measures to Conserve the Wildlife – The following efforts can be initiated for preserving wildlife:-

1. Control the wildlife without harming their natural habitat.
2. Restricted hunting of wildlife.
3. Establish the biosphere reserves in the forest areas.
4. Set up the national parks, sanctuaries for resettling the endangered species.
5. Honest implementation of wildlife management schemes.
6. Develop education and awareness for bringing change in people’s mentality towards wild animals.

Ans) Discuss in detail:-

1. Conservation strategies are not new in our country because forests in India are also home to some of the tribes.
2. In some areas of India, local communities are struggling to conserve their habitats along with government officials, recognising that only this will secure their own long-term livelihood.
3. In Sariska Tiger Reserve, Rajasthan, villagers are struggling against mining by citing the Wildlife Protection Act.
4. In many areas, villagers themselves are protecting habitats and explicitly rejecting government involvement.
5. The inhabitants of five villages in the Alwar district of Rajasthan have declared 1,200 hectares of forest as the Bhairodev Dakav ‘Sonchuri’, declaring their own set of rules and regulations which do not allow hunting and are protecting the wildlife against any outside encroachments.
6. The famous Chipko movement in the Himalayas has not only successfully resisted deforestation in several areas but has also shown that community afforestation with indigenous species can be enormously successful.
7. In India Joint Forest Management (JFM) programme has thrown a light on the involvement of local communities in the management and restoration of degraded forests. The programme has been in formal existence since 1988, when the state of Odisha passed the first resolution for joint forest management.
8. JFM depends on the formation of local institutions that undertake protection activities mostly on degraded forest land managed by the forest department.

Ans) Good practices towards conserving forests and wildlife:-

1. Certain societies revere a particular tree which they have preserved from time immemorial. The Mundas and the Santhals of the Chhota Nagpur region worship mahua and kadamba trees.
2. The tribals of Odisha and Bihar worship the tamarind and mango trees during weddings.
3. Many of us consider peepal and banyan trees sacred and worship them.
4. Sacred qualities are often ascribed to springs, mountain peaks, plants, and animals which are closely protected.
5. Troops of macaques and langurs are often found around many temples. They are fed daily and treated as a part of the temple devotees.
6. Around Bishnoi villages in Rajasthan, herds of blackbuck (Chinkara), nilgai, and peacocks can be seen as an integral part of the community, and nobody harms them.

Ans) Project Tiger:-

1. “Project Tiger” is one of the well-publicised wildlife campaigns in the world and was launched in 1973.
2. In 1973, the authorities realised that the tiger population had dwindled to 1,827 from an estimated 55,000 at the turn of the century.
3. The major threats to the tiger population are numerous, such as poaching for trade, shrinking habitat, depletion of prey base species, growing human population, etc.
4. The trade of tiger skins and the use of their bones in traditional medicines. especially in the Asian countries left the tiger population is on the verge of extinction.
5. India and Nepal provide habitat to about two-thirds of the surviving tiger population in the world. Thus, these two nations became prime targets for poaching and illegal trading.
6. Tiger conservation has been viewed not only as an effort to save an endangered species, but with equal importance as a means of preserving biotypes of sizeable magnitude.

Ans) Efforts made by the Government for Forest  Conservation:-

In India, the British government adopted the forest policy in 1894, according to which the Forest Department was set up in every state for the development and maintenance of forests. Two major objectives of this policy were revenue collection and the protection of forests.

Following efforts have been made by the government after the Independence:-

1. The government established the Central Forest Board in 1950. New laws were framed concerning forests. Its four major points were (1) increasing the forest area up to 33-3 per cent, (2) planting new forests, (3) protecting forests, and (4) research in the forest concern.
2. On 7 December 1988, the new forest policy was declared of with the major objectives were (1) to bring balance in the environment, (2) to protect the natural heritage of flora and fauna, and (3) to meet the basic needs of people.
3. In 1999, a new 20-year National Forestry Work Scheme was implemented to activate the National Forest Policy of 1988.

The following initiatives have been taken for forest development:-

1. Set up of the Central Forest Commission-The central government had established the Central Forest Commission in 1965. Its major functions are to collect data and information, broadcast technical information, study the market, and coordinate the functions of institutions working for forest development.
2. Indian Forest Survey Organisation It was established in 1971 to find out the resources available in the forests.
3. Protection of Wildlife The central government also declared many other projects for protecting specific animals, which were gravely threatened. These animals include the tiger, the one-horned rhinoceros, the Kashmir stag or hangul, three types of crocodile, freshwater crocodile, saltwater crocodile and the Gharial, the Asiatic lion, and others. Besides, most recently, the Indian elephant, black buck (chinkara), the great Indian bustard (godawan), and the snow leopard, etc. have been given full or partial legal protection against hunting and trade throughout India.