7th meeting of the National Board for Wildlife:
The Prime Minister chaired the 7th meeting of the National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) at the Gir National Park (Junagadh, Gujarat) on the occasion of the World Wildlife Day (3rd March) and announced several initiatives for wildlife conservation.
- World Wildlife Day is observed annually on 3rd March (adopted CITES in 1973) to highlight the urgent need to protect biodiversity amid the triple planetary crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution.
- It was established by the UN General Assembly (UNGA) in December 2013.
- Theme 2025: Wildlife Conservation Finance: Investing in People and Planet.
- It emphasizes the importance of financial investment in wildlife conservation to ensure a sustainable future.
New Initiatives:
- Great Indian Bustard Conservation: A National Great Indian Bustard Conservation Plan was announced to address the declining population of this critically endangered species.
- Gharial Conservation: A new Gharial conservation initiative was launched to arrest the dwindling population of gharials.
- Centre for Human-Wildlife Conflict: The Centre for Excellence in Human-Wildlife Conflict Management was announced and it will be located at the Wildlife Institute of India’s Coimbatore campus.
- It will equip rapid response teams with advanced tracking and surveillance, deploy detection systems in conflict zones, and train field staff and communities in mitigation.
- PM emphasized using AI, ML, remote sensing, and geospatial mapping to tackle forest fires and human-animal conflicts.
- WII and Bhaskaracharya National Institute for Space Applications and Geo-informatics (BISAG-N) will collaborate to tackle human-wildlife conflict.
- National Referral Centre for Wildlife: PM laid the foundation stone for the National Referral Centre for Wildlife in Junagadh, a hub for wildlife health and disease management.
- New Task Forces: New task forces were formed for the conservation of Indian Sloth Bear, Gharials, and Great Indian Bustard.
- Expansion of Project Cheetah: The government announced Project Cheetah’s expansion to Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary (Madhya Pradesh) and Banni Grasslands (Gujarat).
- Strengthening Project Lion: The government extended the Project Lion for 10 years to expand Asiatic Lions’ range across Gujarat’s Saurashtra region.
- The 16th Asiatic Lion population estimation will be conducted in May 2024 that is conducted every five years (last done in 2020).
- Riverine Dolphin Estimation: India’s 1st Riverine Dolphin Estimation Report was released that revealed 6,327 dolphins in the Ganga, Brahmaputra, and Indus river basins.
- Traditional Knowledge in Wildlife Conservation: Modi urged NBWL and the ministry to collect traditional knowledge and manuscripts on forest and wildlife conservation for research and development.
- Community Participation: He emphasized community involvement in wildlife conservation, forest fire management, and sustainable coexistence
