{"id":45204,"date":"2025-03-04T11:34:33","date_gmt":"2025-03-04T06:04:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/?p=45204"},"modified":"2025-05-06T18:10:44","modified_gmt":"2025-05-06T12:40:44","slug":"india-strengthens-wildlife-conservation-pm-modis-key-announcements","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/india-strengthens-wildlife-conservation-pm-modis-key-announcements\/","title":{"rendered":"India Strengthens Wildlife Conservation: PM Modi\u2019s Key Announcements"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>What\u2019s in Today\u2019s Article?<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>National Board for Wildlife Latest News<\/li>\n<li>Introduction<\/li>\n<li>Major Announcements in Wildlife Conservation<\/li>\n<li>Leveraging Technology for Conservation<\/li>\n<li>Role of Local Communities in Conservation<\/li>\n<li>Conclusion<\/li>\n<li>India\u2019s Wildlife Conservation FAQs<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>National Board for Wildlife Latest News<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his visit to Gir National Park in Gujarat, chaired the 7th meeting of the National Board for Wildlife and unveiled a series of key wildlife initiatives.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Introduction<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>India continues to enhance its wildlife conservation efforts with a series of new initiatives announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to Gir National Park, Gujarat.<\/li>\n<li>Chairing the 7th meeting of the <strong>National Board for Wildlife<\/strong>, PM Modi introduced several landmark measures aimed at protecting endangered species, improving wildlife habitats, and leveraging technology for conservation.<\/li>\n<li>Key highlights of the announcements include the first-ever riverine dolphin estimation report, the expansion of India\u2019s cheetah reintroduction program, and the initiation of a National Great Indian Bustard Conservation Action Plan.<\/li>\n<li>Additionally, a Centre of Excellence for human-wildlife conflict mitigation and a National Referral Centre for Wildlife were also announced.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Major Announcements in Wildlife Conservation<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>First-Ever Riverine Dolphin Estimation<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>PM Modi released India\u2019s first comprehensive report on riverine dolphins, estimating a total of <strong>6,327 dolphins<\/strong> across 28 rivers in eight states.<\/li>\n<li>The survey, covering <strong>8,500 kilometers<\/strong>, revealed Uttar Pradesh as having the highest population, followed by Bihar, West Bengal, and Assam.<\/li>\n<li>The Prime Minister emphasized <strong>community participation in dolphin conservation<\/strong>, proposing exposure visits for school children to create awareness about their habitat and ecological importance.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Strengthening Asiatic Lion Conservation<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>The <strong>16th Asiatic Lion Population Estimation<\/strong> will be conducted in <strong>2025<\/strong> to track conservation progress.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Barda Wildlife Sanctuary<\/strong> will receive increased conservation efforts, including <strong>prey augmentation<\/strong> and <strong>habitat enhancement<\/strong> to support natural lion dispersal.<\/li>\n<li>PM Modi highlighted <strong>Gir\u2019s success in lion and leopard conservation<\/strong>, advocating the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and digital documentation to replicate these efforts in other national parks.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Expansion of Cheetah Reintroduction Program<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>India\u2019s ambitious cheetah reintroduction project will expand to <strong>Gandhisagar Sanctuary (Madhya Pradesh) <\/strong>and<strong> Banni Grasslands (Gujarat)<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>The move aims to enhance biodiversity and establish a sustainable cheetah population in India.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>New Wildlife Protection Measures<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>National Referral Centre for Wildlife:<\/strong> The foundation stone for this centre was laid in <strong>Junagadh<\/strong>, aiming to improve wildlife disease management and health monitoring.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Centre of Excellence at SACON, Coimbatore:<\/strong> This will address human-wildlife conflict by equipping Rapid Response Teams with advanced tracking gadgets, AI-driven surveillance systems, and community training programs.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Use of Remote Sensing &amp; AI:<\/strong> The Prime Minister emphasized the deployment of geospatial mapping, AI, and machine learning for detecting and mitigating forest fires and human-animal conflicts.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Strengthening Conservation of Endangered Species<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Gharial Conservation Project:<\/strong> A new initiative has been launched to protect and revive gharial populations, which have been dwindling due to habitat loss.<\/li>\n<li><strong>National Great Indian Bustard Conservation Action Plan:<\/strong> Recognizing the need to scale up efforts, a national plan will be implemented to protect and increase the population of the critically endangered Great Indian Bustard.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Conservation Scheme for Tigers Outside Reserves:<\/strong> A special initiative was announced to support tiger conservation beyond protected reserves, addressing human-wildlife conflicts in buffer zones and adjacent areas.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Leveraging Technology for Conservation<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>PM Modi underscored the importance of technology in modern conservation strategies:\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Remote sensing and AI<\/strong> will be used to <strong>track wildlife movements<\/strong> and improve conflict management.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Forest Survey of India (FSI) and BISAG-N collaboration<\/strong> will enhance forest fire detection and prevention using <strong>space technology<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Traditional conservation knowledge<\/strong> will be documented using <strong>AI-driven tools<\/strong>, ensuring that valuable ecological practices are preserved for future generations.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Role of Local Communities in Conservation<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>PM Modi <strong>praised the involvement of local communities<\/strong> in conservation, noting a <strong>sixfold increase in community reserves<\/strong> over the past decade. He emphasized expanding this model to empower tribal and rural populations in protecting wildlife.<\/li>\n<li>Additionally, PM Modi announced <strong>increased eco-tourism infrastructure<\/strong>, ensuring ease of access to <strong>wildlife sanctuaries and protected areas<\/strong>, which will contribute to both conservation and local economic growth.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Conclusion<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>The announcements made by PM Modi mark a significant milestone in India\u2019s wildlife conservation strategy.<\/li>\n<li>With a focus on <strong>species protection, habitat restoration, technology integration, and community participation<\/strong>, these initiatives will strengthen India\u2019s position as a global leader in wildlife conservation.<\/li>\n<li>The government&#8217;s continued commitment to sustainable biodiversity management is expected to yield long-term ecological benefits, ensuring a thriving coexistence between wildlife and human populations.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>India\u2019s Wildlife Conservation FAQs<\/h2>\n<p><strong>Q1.<\/strong> What is the significance of India\u2019s first riverine dolphin estimation report?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Ans.<\/strong> The report estimates 6,327 riverine dolphins across 28 rivers, providing critical data for conservation efforts.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Q2.<\/strong> How is the government enhancing Asiatic lion conservation?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Ans.<\/strong> Measures include the 16th Asiatic Lion Population Estimation (2025) and conservation efforts in Barda Wildlife Sanctuary.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Q3. <\/strong>What new sites are being considered for cheetah reintroduction?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Ans.<\/strong> The program will expand to Gandhisagar Sanctuary (MP) and Banni Grasslands (Gujarat).<\/p>\n<p><strong>Q4. <\/strong>How will technology aid wildlife conservation in India?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Ans.<\/strong> AI, geospatial mapping, and remote sensing will be used for forest fire prevention, human-animal conflict mitigation, and habitat monitoring.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Q5. <\/strong>What steps has India taken to conserve the Great Indian Bustard?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Ans.<\/strong> The government launched a National Great Indian Bustard Conservation Action Plan to restore habitats and increase population numbers.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.newindianexpress.com\/nation\/2025\/Mar\/03\/pm-modi-unveils-major-wildlife-push-dolphin-census-lion-survey-cheetah-expansion\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">IE<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/pib.gov.in\/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2107778\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">PIB<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>PM Modi, during his visit to Gir National Park, launched wildlife conservation initiatives, including dolphin and Asiatic lion estimations, cheetah reintroduction etc.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":45205,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-45204","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-upsc-mains-current-affairs","8":"no-featured-image-padding"},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45204","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=45204"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45204\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/45205"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=45204"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=45204"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=45204"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}