A Compendium of Best Practices for Conservation of Wildlife in India
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A Compendium of Best Practices for Conservation of Wildlife in India A Compendium of Best Practices for Conservation of Wildlife in India © UNDP 2019 All rights reserved. Published in India. Graphic Design: P.Govind Sivan Disclaimer: The designation of geographical entities in this book, and the presentation of the material, do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) or Government of India concerning the legal status of any country, territory, or area, or its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. The views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect those of do not necessarily represent those of the United Nations, including UNDP or the UN Member States, nor do citing of trade names or commercial processes constitute an endorsement. UNDP must be acknowledged as the source when content is extracted from this publication. Claudia Sobrevila (1954-2019) This publication is dedicated to the fond memory of our friend and colleague Claudia Sobrevila. She was a fierce champion of women in conservation and fought tirelessly to conserve wildlife. As manager of the Global Wildlife Program, Claudia cared deeply for ensuring that wildlife and communities around the world live in peace and harmony. She will be missed dearly. Acknowledgement This document has been prepared based on information received from a large number of institutions and individuals, including representatives of state and local governments, NGOs and Academic Institutions. We would like to gratefully acknowledge the contributions of all those who have enriched this document. The institutions that supported the publication by providing information are Coromandel International Limited, East Godavari River Estuarine Ecosystem (EGREE) Foundation, Gandhamardan Surakshya Action Committee, Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) Foundation India, The Godrej & Boyce Mfg Co Ltd (G&B), Nature Conservation Foundation (NCF), Kanha Tiger Reserve, Nagaland State Biodiversity Board, Regional Center for Development Cooperation (RCDC), Joint Forest Management Committee (JFMC), formed in Old Jalukie, Pir Jahania Jungle Suraksha Committee, Participatory Learning Action Network and Training (PLANT), Mangrove Foundation, Maharashtra, Singchung Bugun Village Community Reserve Management Committee, The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), The Trust for Environment Education, Conservation and Community Development, (TREE Foundation), Meghalaya Forest Department, Gujarat Forest Department, Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) and Tata Chemicals Limited (TCL). We apologise for any omissions, which in no way belittles their contributions. We would also like to thank Shri Manmohan Singh Negi, Additional Director General of Forests (Wildlife) and Shri Soumitra Dasgupta, Inspector General of Forests (Wildlife) for their support and guidance towards preparation of this document. The publication has been conceptualized by Dr. Ruchi Pant, Head (Biodiversity and Natural Resource Management) UNDP, who has provided valuable guidance in terms of selection and documentation of the case studies. She was supported by her members of her team Mr.Vedant Rastogi, Mr. Parth Joshi and Mr.Auro Shashwat (UNDP Consultant) in the process. We recognize the contribution of Ms. Vibhupriya Singh (UNDP consultant) for writing the best practices, filing information gaps in the case studies by gathering additional information from key informants, and conducting secondary research. We would also like to thank Ms. Subhashini Balakrinanan, Mr. Siddhant Khanna, Mr. Shashvat Shori, Ms. Bhargavi Hira and Mr. Jaskaran Singh for helping in translation and editing, for bringing out the French version of the publication. Message India’s kaleidoscopic natural heritage comprises myriad landscapes including deserts, high mountains, highlands, tropical and temperate forests, swamplands, plains, grasslands and island archipelagos. Home to 4 of the world’s 36 biodiversity hotspots and one of the 17 megadiverse countries, the country is home to about 7.6% of all mammalian, 12.6% of avian and 6.2% of reptilian species. Conservation of wildlife runs deep in India’s cultural and spiritual ethos. The philosophy of Monism, or Advaitha, acknowledges nature as the basis of man’s existence and deems it as his duty to live in harmony with all other beings without causing any undue harm. However, burgeoning human populations are leading to competition for habitat with wildlife, and illegal trade in animals and animal parts has in recent times emerged as one of the five most lucrative crimes in the world, estimated to be valued between US$ 7-23 billion annually. Many species are directly threatened by illegal trade, and while international and national laws and institutions are in place for their protection, such as the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna & Fauna (CITES), Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB), India and the Wildlife Protection Act of India, 1972, the demand for wildlife products remains and illegal trade is still growing due to inadequate capacities to report crimes and enforce jurisdiction. India has a robust network of Protected Areas that include 104 National Parks, 551 Wildlife Sanctuaries, 127 Community Reserves and 88 Conservation Reserves spanning more than 160,000 km2. However, a large amount of wildlife still resides outside of these areas where we need to adopt participative conservation models to ensure protection of our natural wealth. Community participation and awareness has emerged as one of the key remedial mechanisms to augment capacities of conservation and enforcement agencies, and this publication highlights some of the best practices in this field. I congratulate the team behind the publication and am confident that it will encourage emergence of more innovative conservation models for protecting our natural capital. Prakash Keshav Javadekar Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, India Message It is now universally acknowledged that we have entered the Anthropocene where human activity is having a dominant influence on climate and the environment. As the largest democracy in the world, India’s development challenges are multi-fold, but perhaps none is as critical as the threat to our environment, natural resources and biodiversity, which can have adverse cascading impacts upon the health and livelihoods of millions. We have already started to feel the catastrophic impacts of global warming and climate change both in terms of economic damages as well as loss of lives. However, loss of wildlife due remains an underrated threat that needs to be addressed urgently. Key threats to wildlife include climate change, poaching, and loss of habitat due to unsustainable agriculture, logging, transportation, residential or commercial development, energy production, mining, and fragmentation of rivers and streams and abstraction of water. A recent report by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) draws inextricable links between biodiversity loss and climate change. An estimated 5% of all species would be threatened with extinction by 2°C of warming unless greenhouse-gas emissions are drastically reduced. The planet could lose 16% of its species if the average global temperature rise exceeds 4.3°C. However, while the larger impacts causing the climate crisis are globally acknowledged with increasing pressure on societies and governments to act, Illegal Trade in Wildlife remains a hugely understated threat. Directly killing wild animals for traditional medicines, art or fashion products and meat or maiming them to be sold as exotic pets is one of the most heinous acts that we can commit against mother nature. A recent study published in the Science journal reveals the shocking statistic that at least one in five vertebrate species (or 5,579 of 32,000 species) - animals with a backbone - are bought and sold on the wildlife market. Action need to be taken both on supply and demand sides, and international cooperation for enhanced monitoring of trade. On the supply side, we need to support poor local people engaging in wildlife collection to develop alternative economic opportunities and complement that with better enforcement targeting middlemen who are illegally trading wildlife. There are many emerging narratives where concerted actions by governments and citizens have demonstrated positive impact in a relatively short span of time. This publication highlights some of these stories from India, and I am hopeful that it will inspire communities and institutions to reinforce their commitment towards protecting our precious wildlife. Shoko Noda Resident Representative, UNDP India Abbrevations ACF Additional Conservator of Forest APFD Arunachal Pradesh Forest Department BCRLI Biodiversity Conservation of Rural Livelihood BMC Biodiversity Management Committee BNHS Bombay Natural History Society CCA Community Conservation Areas CCI Community Conservation Initiative CIFT Central Institute of Fisheries Technology CITES Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species CLP Conservation Leadership Program CMS Convention on Migratory Species DBE Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire DFO Divisional Forest Officer EDC Eco-Development Committees EDGE Evolutionary Distinct Globally Endangered EEZ Exclusive Economic Zone EGREE East Godavari River Estuarine Ecosystem EMS Environment Management Systems FAO Food and Agriculture