adverse effect on wildlife and its habitat. (v) Hunting was taken up as a sport by the elite and hundreds of wild animals were killed in a single hunt. Now commercial poaching is rampant. (vi) Incidence of forest fire.
It is being felt that conservation of wildlife is of great significance to the national as well as the world heritage along with the promotion of ecotourism. What steps have been initiated by the government in this direction? W ILDLIFE C ONSERVATION IN I NDIA The protection of wildlife has a long tradition in India. Many stories of Panchtantra and Jungle Books , etc.
have stood the test of time relating to the love for wildlife. These have a profound impact on young minds. In , a comprehensive Wildlife Act was enacted, which provides the main legal framework for conservation and protection of wildlife in India. The two main objectives of the Act are; to provide protection to the endangered species listed in the schedule of the Act and to provide legal support to the conservation areas of the country classified as National parks, sanctuaries and closed areas.
This Act has been comprehensively amended in , making punishments more stringent and has also made provisions for the protection of specified plant species and conservation of endangered species of wild animals. There are National parks and wildlife sanctuaries covering an area of . million hectares in the country. Wildlife conservation has a very large ambit with unbounded potential for the well-being of humankind.
However, this can be achieved only when every individual understands its significance and contributes his bit. For the purpose of effective conservation of flora and fauna, special steps have been initiated by the Government of India in collaboration with UNESCO’s ‘Man and Biosphere Programme’. Special schemes like Project Tiger ( ) and Project Elephant ( ) have been launched to conserve these species and their habitat in a sustainable manner. Project Tiger has been implemented since .
The main objective of the scheme is to ensure maintenance of viable population of tigers in India for scientific, aesthetic, cultural and