Wildlife Conservation

By Soma Pradhan

Topics CoveredWhat is Wildlife and its benefits

Understanding Food Chain

Deforestation and Threat to Wildlife

National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries

Biosphere Diversity

5 Animals Which have Extinct from India

Global Endangered Species

Mass Extinction Underway

Conservation Measures – The Last Chance…

Wildlife is any animal (including aquatic), insects, birds, reptiles, vegetation (including Plants and Shrubs) that are part of the habitat. However, domestic animals (pets) and cultivated plants are not included in the wildlife.

Wildlife help to maintain stability and health of the ecosystem.

Wildlife act as a natural air-condition which when destroyed causes global warming, weather pattern changes, greenhouse effect.

Animals help in natural plantation. Insects and birds help in pollination. Animals like squirrel bury seeds which when left help in germination.

Plants on the other hand provide O2 , provide shelter to many birds and animals.

Plants make the world look beautiful. They help in manufacture of paper and clothes.

They also help in making many medicines to fight diseases

What is Wildlife and its benefits?

Understanding Food Chain

Deforestation & Threat to Wildlife

Deforestation is the process of clearing away forests by cutting them down or burning them

People clear forests to use the wood, or to make way for farming or development

Population growth, Industrialisation, urbanisation, modernisation have all contributed to deforestation

Air, Water, Soil and noise pollution have multiplied by large factor and have caused many habitats to become extinct due to presence of toxic material in the environment clearly misbalancing the ecosystem

Indiscriminate killing and poaching of wild animals is another threat to Wildlife

Many native species have already disappeared and their existence is under threat

National ParksA place were animals and plants of a particular habitat are protected and

preserved in natural surroundings

As of April 2012, India had 102 National Parks

Jim Corbett National Park in Uttarakhand was established as 1st National Park of India in 1936

Out of 17, nearly 10 National Parks have been selected for Tiger projects to protect and preserve the National Animal of the Country

#Top National

Parks

1 Jim Corbett

2 Kaziranga

3 Pench

4 Tadoba

5 Nagarhole

6 Bandipur

7 Kanha

8 Bandhavgarh

9 Gir

10 Ranthambore

11 Sunderban

Wildlife Sanctuary A protected area of land, wetland or even a river or sea to conserve animals,

birds and plants.

o India has about 492 wildlife sanctuaries

o Unfortunately, its only 3% of the total geographical area

o Hunting is not allowed. However people can own the sanctuaries provided they do not interfere the natural habitat of plants and animals

Important Sanctuaries

Keoladeo Bird Santuary

Chilika Lake

Madhumalai

Nagarjuna

Periyar

Biosphere ReservesThey are particular area including costal area where tribal or local people are an integral part. Usually these group of

people who dwell very closely with local animals.

Govt of India has declared 18 biospheres

They are mostly divided into 3 parts :

Core Zone

Buffer Zone

Transition Zone

5 Animals which have Extinct from India

Indian Cheetah mostly found in Rajasthan and Gujarat. It Extinct during Mughal Era due to excessive hunting and sports.

Indian Aurochs once lived in hot and dry areas of India. We can now see Indian Gaur a very similar species which is also endangered now.

Sumatran Rhinoceros used to be the smallest two horn rhinoceros. Now we can find the one horn rhinoceros in Kaziranga only.

Pink-Headed Duck used to be one of the most beautiful bird found throughout India became victim of human hunting.

Sivatherium : Tallest and fastest animal ever found in India.

Yangtze Finless PorpoiseThere are as few as 1,000 of this highly intelligent dolphin from the Chinese river of Yangtz

Cross River GorillaThere are around 200-300 left in the wild.

The Amur LeopardThere are only around 30 left, exclusively in the Russian Far East.

Javan RhinoThe most threatened rhino species - there are as few as 35 in Ujung Kulon National Park in Java, Indonesia.

South China TigerIt is believed to be 'functionally extinct', with none of the species left in the wild.

MASS EXTINCTION UNDERWAY

Earth enters sixth extinction phase with many species including our own –

labelled 'the walking dead'

If present trend continues one half of all species of life on earth will be extinct

in less than 100 years

The rapid disappearance of species was ranked as one of the planet's gravest

environmental worries, surpassing pollution, global warming and the thinning

of the ozone layer.

The research, which cites climate change, pollution and deforestation as

causes for the rapid change, notes that a knock-on effect of the loss of entire

ecosystems could be dire

Conservation MeasuresGovernment is doing its part through National Parks, Sanctuaries and Biospheres

Organisation like World Conservation Union is doing its part to spread awareness among people

Breeding of rare species should be encouraged

Poaching needs to be stopped

The unauthorised cutting of trees should be stopped

Increased awareness of the world’s current wildlife

The most important part is us who can make a difference

Continue the conservations otherwise we can loose each other soon…