Conservation of tigers:

Project Tiger is a wildlife conservation movement initiated in India in 1972 to protect

the Bengal Tigers. The project aims at tiger conservation in specially constituted tiger
reserves representative of various biogeographical regions throughout India. It strives
to maintain a viable population of this conservation reliant species in their natural
environment.

In 2008, there were more than 40 Project Tiger Tiger Reserves of India covering an
area over 37,761 km². Project Tiger helped increase the population of these tigers
from 1,200 in the 1970s to 3,500 in 1990s. However, a 2008 census held by
Government of India revealed that the tiger population had dropped to 1,411. Since
then the government has pledged US$153 million to further fund the project, set-up a
Tiger Protection Force to combat poachers, and fund the relocation of up to 200,000
villagers to minimize human-tiger interaction

Tiger activists and environmentalists like Valmik Thapar and Belinda Wright have
demanded that the Prime Minister establish an independent census to determine the
actual number of the tigers in India. ( Initially, 9 tiger reserves were established in
different States during the period 1973-74, by pooling the resources available with the
Central and State Governments. These nine reserves covered an area of about
13,017 km² -- viz Manas (Assam), Palamau (Bihar), Similipal (Orissa), Corbett (U.P.),
Kanha (M.P.), Melghat (Maharashtra), Bandipur (Karnataka), Ranthambhore
(Rajasthan) and Sunderbans (West Bengal). The World Wildlife Fund For Nature has
given Project Tiger assistance in the form of equipment, expertise and literature worth
US $ 1 million. There are 28 tiger reserves in India. Project Tiger was a pet project of
Smt.Indira Gandhi, the then Prime Minister of India. The main achievements of this
project are excellent recovery of the habitat and consequent increase in the tiger
population in the reserve areas, from a mere 268 in 9 reserves in 1972 to above one
thousand in 28 reserves in 2006. Tigers, being at the apex of the food chain, can be
considered as the indicator of the integrity of the ecosystem. Thus, 'Project Tiger' is
basically the conservation of the entire ecosystem and apart from tigers, all other wild
animals' population have also increased in the project areas.

Tigers now need a "preservationist" approach. Regional planning is important around

Tiger Reserves to foster ecological connectivity between protected areas through
restorative inputs with integrated landuse planning. The management plan of a Tiger
Reserve, therefore, needs to be integrated in larger regional management plans.
Conservation of water:
Our ancient religious texts and epics give a good insight into the water storage and
conservation systems that prevailed in those days.

Over the years rising populations, growing industrialization, and expanding agriculture
have pushed up the demand for water. Efforts have been made to collect water by
building dams and reservoirs and digging wells; some countries have also tried to
recycle and desalinate (remove salts) water. Water conservation has become the need
of the day. The idea of ground water recharging by harvesting rainwater is gaining
importance in many cities.

In the forests, water seeps gently into the ground as vegetation breaks the fall. This
groundwater in turn feeds wells, lakes, and rivers. Protecting forests means protecting
water 'catchments'. In ancient India, people believed that forests were the 'mothers' of
rivers and worshipped the sources of these water bodies.

The most important step in the direction of finding solutions to issues of water and
environmental conservation is to change people's attitudes and habits¾this includes
each one of us. Conserve water because it is the right thing to do. We can follow some
of the simple things that have been listed below and contribute to water conservation.

• Try to do one thing each day that will result in saving water. Don't worry if the
savings are minimal¾every drop counts! You can make a difference.
• Remember to use only the amount you actually need.
• Form a group of water-conscious people and encourage your friends and
neighbours to be part of this group. Promote water conservation in community
newsletters and on bulletin boards. Encourage your friends, neighbours and co-
workers to also contribute.
• Encourage your family to keep looking for new ways to conserve water in and
around your home.
• Make sure that your home is leak-free. Many homes have leaking pipes that go
unnoticed.
• Do not leave the tap running while you are brushing your teeth or soaping your
face.
• See that there are no leaks in the toilet tank. You can check this by adding
colour to the tank. If there is a leak, colour will appear in the toilet bowl within 30
minutes. (Flush as soon as the test is done, since food colouring may stain the
tank.)
• Avoid flushing the toilet unnecessarily. Put a brick or any other device that
occupies space to cut down on the amount of water needed for each flush.
• When washing the car, use water from a bucket and not a hosepipe.
• Do not throw away water that has been used for washing vegetables, rice or
dals¾use it to water plants or to clean the floors, etc
• You can store water in a variety of ways. A simple method is to place a drum on
a raised platform directly under the rainwater collection source. You can also
collect water in a bucket during the rainy season.
QUIT PLAYING GAMES:

Even in my heart I see

You're not being true to me
Deep within my soul I feel
Nothing's like it used to be
Sometimes I wish I could turn back time
Impossible as it may seem
But I wish I could so bad baby
Quit playing games with my heart

Chorus

Quit playing games with my heart

Before you tear us apart
I should've known from the start
Before you got in my heart

I live my life the way

To keep you comin' back to me
Everything I do is for you
So what is it that you can't see
Sometimes I wish I could
Turn back time, impossible as it may seem
But I wish I could so bad
You better quit playing games with my heart

Chorus

Quit playing games

Baby, baby the love that we had was so strong
Don't leave me hanging here forever
Oh baby, baby this is not a lie, let's stop this tonight
Baby, quit playing games

Sometimes I wish I could

Turn back time, impossible as it may seem
But I wish I could so bad, baby

Quit playing games with my heart