India, particularly Karnataka, has done well with wildlife conservation, especially with regards to controlling poaching. This led to the recovery of wildlife species that were at the brink of extinction including the Asian lion, tiger, one-horned rhinoceros and several other charismatic and lesser-known groups. This was largely possible due to the stringent laws that were brought in during the early 70s against poaching.
Our central law, The Wildlife Protection Act 1972, is perhaps one of the most stringent in support of wildlife conservation in the entire world. Backed by these laws, forest personnel led by dedicated officers ensured we became world leaders in wildlife conservation. People’s tolerance towards wildlife and political support with our late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi championing the cause were all other important factors that contributed to this success.
When many of our Asian neighbours have lost or are on the verge of losing their important wildlife species such as the Javan tiger, Bali tiger, Sumatran rhino and many other species, all largely due to poaching, we successfully held on to our natural heritage.
However, in the recent times with changed economic scenario and shifting cultural priorities, wildlife conservation is facing an uphill task. Today illicit trade in wildlife is estimated to be worth $17 billion a year and ranks fourth on the international crime list. We need to ramp up our protection against poaching, focus on frontline staff welfare and strengthen our border controls against wildlife trade. We also need better outreach to increase the sagging support from political circles and communities.
Wildlife species such as tigers or elephants are icons of our natural and cultural heritage, but these icons are fragile and we need to handle them carefully to see them through our lifetimes and beyond.
The writer is a wildlife biologist.
