World Wildlife Day

In News: World Wildlife Day 2021 is being celebrated on 3rd March with the theme ‘Forests and Livelihoods: Sustaining People and Planet‘.

Background

• The day was chosen as World Wildlife day by the UN General Assembly (UNGA) on 20 December 2013 at its 68th session.
  • The aim was to celebrate and raise awareness about animals and plants.
• The reason this date was selected for the occasion was that the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) was signed on 3 March, 1973.

Significance of The Day

• Spreads awareness about wildlife & related crimes: Multiple leaders and stars tweet and common man discusses the wildlife, flora, fauna.
• Celebrates symbiotic relationship between humans & forests.: According to the UN, approximately 200-350 million people live within or adjacent to forested areas around the world.
  • Humans rely on multiple ecosystem services provided by forest and forest species.
• Increases discussions about ecosystem services:There are 4 types of Ecosystem Services viz Supporting services; Provisioning services; Regulating services; Cultural services.

Source: EarthWiseAware

• Pays tribute to Tribal culture: The indigenous people currently manage around 28 percent of the forest land.
• Promotes ecotourism: Various National Parks and their flora and fauna get the limelight and hence it helps people to realise the tourism potential.

World Wildlife Day 2021 celebration

• Forest wildlife management models and practices were released by the UN.
• Forest based livelihood that can help in sustainable development, including traditional practices and knowledge were also promoted and publicised.
• Community Engagement through different multilingual activities and posters
  • Interested people can also download the ‘social media kit’ for World Wildlife Day 2021.

Steps Taken by India

• Wildlife Protection Act 1972: Protected Areas like National Parks, Biodiversity Reserves, etc. were created
  • Project Tiger: Initiated in 1972
    • It helped in the conservation of both tigers and the entire ecosystem.
    • This project is sponsored by the Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Change.
    • There are about 47 tiger reserves situated in more than 17 regions.
    • Tiger Task Force conducts assessments of the number of tigers, their habitat, hunting habits.
    • Success: Increase in the population of the tigers in the reserve areas.
      • From a scanty 268 in 9 reserves in 1972, tiger population rose to above 1000 in 28 reserves in 2006 and to 2000+ tigers in 2016.
  • Project Elephant: Initiated in 1992 with the aim of conserving elephants and their habitat and of migratory routes by developing scientific and planned management measures. Following are also features of project:
    • Welfare of the domestic elephants.
    • Mitigation of human-elephant conflict.
    • Measures for protection of elephants against poachers and unnatural death.
  • Crocodile Conservation Project: The main objectives of the crocodile project is
    • to protect the remaining population of crocodiles and their natural habitat by establishing sanctuaries;
    • to promote captive breeding;
    • to improve management; and to involve the local people in the project intimately.
    • Success: With the initiation of Crocodile Conservation Project, 4000 gharial/alligator, 1800 mugger/crocodile and 1500 saltwater crocodiles have been restocked.
• UNDP Sea Turtle Project
  • Objective: to conserve the Olive Ridley Turtles
  • Initiated by Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun as the Implementing Agency in 1999.
  • The project is for 10 coastal states especially Odisha
  • Contributions of the Program:
    • Preparation of a map of breeding sites of Sea Turtles.
    • Identification of breeding places and habitats along the coast line.
    • Migratory routes taken by Sea Turtles.
    • Development of guidelines to safeguard the turtle mortality rate and for tourism in sea turtle areas.
    • Demonstration of use of Satellite Telemetry to locate the migratory route of sea turtles in the sea.
• Cheetah Reintroduction Programme in Kuno Palpur sanctuary in Madhya Pradesh from Namibia.
  • Cheetah went extinct in India in 1952.
• Vulture Conservation: National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) has cleared a plan for conserving vultures.
  • The drugs that are used to treat cattle and known to poison vultures like Diclofenac are banned by the Drugs Controller General of India
• India Rhino Vision (IRV) 2020: The goal of IRV2020 was to increase the rhino population in Assam to 3,000 by establishing populations in new areas.
  • Translocation of two rhinos earlier in 2020 to Manas National Park in Assam was also proposed .
• Wetland (Conservation and Management) Rules 2010 have been drafted to protect wetlands in India.
• Related Organisations: Wildlife Crime Control Bureau, Central Zoo Authority, National Tiger Conservation Authority, Wildlife SOS, Wildlife Trust of India, Wildlife Institute of India, Aaranyak, Nature Conservation Foundation, etc.
• Citizens’ participation: The Prime Minister called for active participation of people in conservation efforts.

Source: TimesNow