Key Points

Biodiversity refers to the rich variety of living organisms, including wildlife and cultivated species, which are closely integrated in an ecological system. Humans depend on this system for essential resources like air, water, and food.

Conservation is essential to preserve ecological diversity, our life support systems like water, air, and soil, and the genetic diversity of plants and animals for better growth and breeding.

This act was implemented in 1972 to provide a legal framework for protecting habitats. It included provisions like banning hunting, giving legal protection to wildlife habitats, and restricting trade in wildlife.

Launched in 1973, Project Tiger is a major wildlife campaign aimed at saving the tiger population, which had drastically declined due to threats like poaching and shrinking habitat.

Some of the important tiger reserves in India are Corbett National Park in Uttarakhand, Sunderbans National Park in West Bengal, and Sariska Wildlife Sanctuary in Rajasthan.

Conservation projects have shifted focus from protecting a few species to preserving overall biodiversity. This now includes smaller creatures like insects, butterflies, and moths in protection plans.

More than half of India's forests are declared Reserved Forests. They are regarded as the most valuable for the conservation of forest and wildlife resources.

Almost one-third of the total forest area is classified as Protected Forest. This forest land is protected from any further depletion.

These are other forests and wastelands that belong to both government and private individuals and communities. A high percentage is found in north-eastern states.

Reserved and Protected forests are also known as permanent forest estates, maintained for timber production and protective purposes. Madhya Pradesh has the largest area under these forests.

In many areas, local communities are actively involved in conservation, sometimes in partnership with the government and sometimes independently, to protect their long-term livelihood.

The famous Chipko movement in the Himalayas successfully resisted deforestation in several areas. It also demonstrated the success of community afforestation with indigenous species.

Movements like the Beej Bachao Andolan in Tehri have shown that adequate levels of diversified crop production are possible and economically viable without using synthetic chemicals.

JFM is a program that involves local communities in managing and restoring degraded forests. In return, community members receive benefits like non-timber forest products.

Sacred Groves are patches of forest left untouched by local people due to religious beliefs that all creations of nature must be protected. These beliefs have preserved many virgin forests.

Many Indian societies have traditional methods of conserving nature. For example, the Mundas and Santhal of the Chota Nagpur region worship mahua and kadamba trees.