SWAP Maharashtra 2021 - 2030 Low Res.

DRAFT
© Maharashtra Forest Department,

Government of Maharashtra – 2021
Materials from this publication may be

used for educational purpose provided
due credit is given. For any other purpose
may be used, only with the permission
from Maharashtra Forest Department,
Govt. of Maharashtra.
Van Bhavan, Ramgiri Road,

Civil Lines Nagpur 440 001
Website: www.mahaforest.gov.in
Cover Pic: Siddharth Damle/The Grasslands Trust

Yellow-footed green pigeon - The state
bird of Maharashtra.
______________________
Design & Layout

Dr. Bilal Habib
Typographical Assistance
Mrs. Pratima Pathade & Abhay Joshi
Printing Assistance
Mr. Kundan Hate
Pic: Dhritiman Mukherjee / Kaas Plateau
Pic: Bilal Habib/Male tiger from TATR
CONTENTS
Preface I
Acknowledgements V
Chapter - 1 01
Conservation of Threatened Species
Chapter - 2 11
Control of Poaching and Illegal Trade in Wildlife
Chapter - 3 23
Mitigation of Human Wildlife Conflict
Chapter - 4 37
Wildlife Health Management
Chapter - 5 47
Conservation of Inland Aquatic Systems
Chapter - 6 59
Conservation of Coastal and Marine Ecosystems
Chapter - 7 73
Management of Tourism in Wildlife Areas
Chapter - 8 85
Conservation Awareness and Outreach
Chapter - 9 95
People’s Participation in Wildlife Conservation
Chapter - 10 105
Strengthening Research and Monitoring
Chapter - 11 117
Ensuring Sustained Funding for the Wildlife
Sector and Integrating the State Wildlife Action
Plan with other Sectoral Programmes
Chapter - 12 129
Strengthening and Enhancing Protected Area
Network in Maharashtra State
Annexures 143
List of abbreviations 159
Bibliography 163
Pratik Chorge/Talawe Wetland - Mumbai

ARTEMIA SWARM
The mystery behind pink water
Brine shrimp artemia salina – or sea monkeys – are often
found in large swarms that span for metres. Do they do it
for safety or mating? No, they do it because they are
infected by tapeworms. The parasite changes their colour,
makes them live longer, and makes them congregate in
groups. Change in colour is caused by an increase in
carotenoids, a type of pigmented chemical. The parasites
also increase the ability of the brine shrimp to survive
waters laced with toxic arsenic. Those large, visible
swarms make them easy prey for the flamingo, the final
host of the tapeworm. That is the mystery behind the
artemia swarm – the pink coloured water. It is not safety
in numbers, it is the exact opposite – the complex
interconnected NATURE.
One of the themes of this Action Plan is to develop sectoral

coordination for long-term and sustainable conservation
and management of wildlife in the State of Maharashtra.
PREFACE In the 16th meeting of the State
Board for Wildlife (SBWL) held on
the 4th December 2020, a few
members of the board suggested
that there should be a State Wildlife
Policy for giving a long term
direction to wildlife conservation in
the State. One of the objectives of
the National Forest Policy, 1988 is,
“Conserving the natural heritage of
the country by preserving the
remaining natural forests with the
vast variety of flora and fauna,
which represent the remarkable
biological diversity and genetic
resources of the country”. The
policy document indicates the
guiding principles and priorities that
must be translated in action-
oriented projects for conservation of
wildlife. Hence, it was thought that
since the broad principles for
conservation of flora, fauna and
biodiversity are already laid out, it
would be more appropriate to have
a State Wildlife Action Plan (2021-
2030) (SWAP), which can be in
consonance with the National
Wildlife Action Plan (NWAP)
(2017-2030) and the two earlier
NWAPs issued by the Ministry of
Environment, Forest and Climate
Change, Government of India with
specific issues and actions relevant
to Maharashtra.
The existing National Wildlife

Action Plan 2017-2030 (NWAP), in
each of its chapters, gives a broad
overview of the issues and past and
present works that have been taken
up in the country related to that
Chapter. This broad overview also
underlines the objectives for the
plan period. The action points for
each chapter are then drawn from
these objectives and priority
projects to achieve these objectives
are identified along with a time
frame in which these priority
projects are to be completed.
(I)
Pic: Dhritiman Mukherjee / Displaying GIB

Male
It was, therefore, decided that the same pattern would be adopted while drafting the
SWAP by the inclusion of issues pertaining specifically to Maharashtra so that we can
then focus on the specific priority actions required for the conservation of Wildlife in
Maharashtra.
This idea was discussed with the non-official members of the SBWL on 5th March 2021
and the idea was welcomed by everyone. It was agreed that such an approach would
give a big impetus for wildlife conservation in the State as specific time-bound projects
would be readily identified and formulated for priority action and can then be proposed
for funding. It was decided that the SWAP would be submitted to the State
Government and it would be discussed in the next meeting of the SBWL, which is
chaired by none other than the Chief Minister of the State, and a formal approval
would be taken from the SBWL. This would pave the way for the submission of
proposals to the State Government for the sanction of individual action points and the
priority projects mentioned therein, to achieve these action points. In short, it will be
a guiding document for action related to wildlife conservation in the State for the next
decade (2021 to 2030).
Since this idea was accepted, the first virtual meeting of the non-official members of
the SBWL was organized on 15th March 2021, and the plan for the preparation of the
SWAP was brought to the notice of the State Government on 18th March 2021.
Various chapters for the SWAP were finalized taking a cue from the NWAP and the
requirements of the State. To have a wider perspective, members for writing the first
draft were drawn from serving senior forest officers who had gained expertise on a
certain subject during their career as well as some youngsters from whom new ideas or
solutions could be expected especially to do some out of the box thinking. A few retired
officers who had a distinguished work record, well known non-official experts in the
field, researchers, scientists from national organizations and nominated SBWL
members were involved in giving inputs for various chapters. A committee of 4 to 5
members was constituted for each of the twelve chapters. The committee was given
the freedom to co-opt any other expert member for their subject to prepare the first
draft.
To ensure a participatory approach and to encourage the exchange of ideas on various

chapters, members of a committee assigned to a certain chapter were given the freedom
to offer their comments on other chapters through the coordinator of the respective
committee. This ensured that all members could offer their views on any of the topics
even if not assigned to them directly. The meetings of the members of the committees
were conducted by the respective coordinator, who was a forest officer. The draft of
each chapter was prepared to have three major components i.e. firstly, an overview of
the work done in the past and issues to be addressed on priority in the State in next
decade; secondly, the action required and thirdly the priority projects giving a broad
time frame and assigning specific responsibilities. The different committees were
requested to submit their drafts by the 31st March 2021. The deadline was adhered to
by most of the committees.
A drafting committee was constituted for compiling, editing and preparing the draft
SWAP for submission to the Government by scrutinizing the draft chapters submitted
by various committees mentioned above. The drafting committee examined the
existing legal provisions, the present status of the various issues, work done in the State
in the recent past and the feasibility of the proposed projects. The next important task
was to bring all the Chapters in a similar format, aligning them with the NWAP and
priorities of the State etc. These chapters were then shared with the drafting committee
for further deliberations and refinement. The twelve chapters were:
01 Conservation of Threatened Species
02 Control of Poaching and Illegal Wildlife Trade
03 Mitigation of Human-Wildlife Conflict & Rescue
04 Wildlife Health Management
05 Conservation of Inland Aquatic Systems
06 Conservation of Coastal and Marine Ecosystems
07 Management of Tourism in Wildlife Areas
08 Conservation Awareness and Outreach
09 People’s Participation in Wildlife Conservation
10 Strengthening Research and Monitoring
Ensuring Sustained Funding for the Wildlife Sector &

11 Integrating the State Wildlife Action Plan with other
Sectoral Programmes
Strengthening and Enhancing the Protected Area
12 Network in Maharashtra State
The next step was to bring these chapters on a similar footing and to do this meetings
of the drafting committee along with subject-specific experts were held. It was
proposed that the draft submitted by the various committees is scrutinized by the
drafting committee by the 30th April 2021. Accordingly, the members of the drafting
committee took up one or two chapters based on their choice and expertise. A What’s
App group was constituted for sharing important updates and faster communication
amongst the members of the drafting committee.
Later, between the 22nd April 2021 and 7th May 2021, each chapter was discussed by
the Chief Wildlife Warden on a daily basis with the individual drafting committee
member, the member secretary of the drafting committee and the other interested
members of the drafting committee. Subject matter specialists were also invited to
participate in these discussions and their inputs were noted. The contents of each
chapter were discussed threadbare for arriving at a second draft. After this, each
chapter was corrected and modified by the individual drafting committee member.
This was then finally scrutinized for examining the legal and doable aspects by the
Chief Wildlife Warden and approved before sharing each chapter with all members of
the drafting committee.
Shri G. Sai Prakash IFS, PCCF (HoFF) was kind enough to go through the Plan and
suggest certain additions and modifications which have been incorporated in this draft.
Lastly, the assistance of Dr. Bilal Habib from Wildlife Institute of India was sought for
designing and giving this document its present form.
What has been a rigorous process, involving many experts and officers, has now
assumed a final shape for submission to the State government.
Chief Wildlife Warden

Govt. of Maharashtra
Pic: Nayan Khanolkar - Leopard in the city of Mumbai

Critically Endangered –
Konkan Tiger Toad
(Beduka amboli syn.
Xanthophryne tigerinus).
A species that evolved
with unique lateritic
plateau habitats of
Maharashtra.
Pic: Dr. Abhijit Das
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
As I present the final draft of the State Wildlife Action Plan, I am aware that an
important document for planning and long-term wildlife conservation in
Maharashtra has been put together with the invaluable contributions of many
forest officials, subject experts and members of the State Board for Wildlife.
Many individuals have contributed in framing action points and proposed
priority projects along with the time frame required for the conservation of
wildlife in the State in the next decade.
First and foremost, the committee members of all the twelve chapters have
done an excellent job in preparing the first draft of the SWAP deserve a mention.
COVID 19 had its impact on conducting even virtual meetings, for discussing
various dimensions of the issues. Despite these challenges, the meetings were
conducted within a short time and it was possible to adhere to the deadlines set.
I would like to put on record my sincere appreciation for the efforts put in by the
committee members for their deliberations and also for inviting experts to share
their considered views on various t o p i c s and for the first draft of the allotted
chapter. In all, there were 63 committee members and 9 members in the drafting
committee including co-opted members. The constitution of the committee
for each thematic chapter is given below:
(V)
Dr. Anish Andheria, WCT, SBWL Member
Shri Jayant Kulkarni, WRCS, Pune
Conservation of
01
Representative of ZSI - SBWL Member
Representative of BSI - SBWL Member
Dr. Bivash Pandav, Director BNHS
Threatened Species Dr. Ankur Patwardhan, Garware College, Pune
Dr. Madhukar Bachulkar, Taxanomist
Shri S. Ramesh, CFWL Pune - Coordinator
Shri Bandu Dhotre, Eco – Pro, SBWL Member
Control of Poaching and
02
Shri Nitin Desai, WPSI
Shri Girish Vashisht, Retd. Forest Officer
Shri S.L. Zure Retd. Forest Officer
Illegal Wildlife Trade Shri Rohan Bhate, HWLW Satara
Shri Vishal Mali, DFO Wildlife Kolhapur - Coordinator
Shri S.V. Rama Rao CCF (T) Yavatmal
Mitigation of Human-
03
Dr. Swapnil Sonone
Dr. Bilal Ali, TTC, Nagpur
Wildlife Conflict & Rescue Smt. Neha Panchamiya, RESQ - Pune
Shri Arvind Mundhe DCF - Coordinator
Dr. Parag Nigam, Scientist WII
Wildlife Health
04
Dr. Shirish Upadhyay Prof. MAFSU
Dr. Bilal Ali TTC, Nagpur
Management Dr. Jitendra Ramgaokar, CF&FD TATR - Coordinator
Dr. Varad Giri, BNHS
Conservation of Inland
05
Shri Dilip Yardi, Aurangabad
Shri Anil Mahajan, Jalgaon
Aquatic Systems Dr. Manish Rajankar, Bhandara
Shri Bharat Shinde ACF, Nasik - Coordinator
Shri Bhau Katdare, SBWL Member
Conservation of Coastal
06
Dr. Deepak Apte
Dr. Manas Manjrekar Mangrove Foundation
and Marine Ecosystems Shri Virendra Tiwari, APCCF Mangrove Cell – Coordinator
Shri B.S. Hooda, APCCF WL East - Nagpur
Management of Tourism in
07
Shri Anuj Khare Member SBWL
Smt. Poonam Dhanawatey - Member SBWL
Wildlife Areas Shri Raman Kulkarni, HW L W Kolhapur
Shri Guruprasad, DCF TATR Buffer - Coordinator
Shri Bittu Sahgal, Member, SBWL
Conservation Awareness
08 and Outreach
Shri Suhas Vaingankar, Member SBWL
Shri Amol Sawant, Akola
Smt. Piyusha Jagtap, DCF MTR - Coordinator
Shri Yadav Tarte Patil, SBWL Member
People’s Participation in
09 Wildlife Conservation
Shri Abhay Ujagare,
Shri Sanjay Karkare, BNHS
Shri Uttam Sawant, Dy. Director STR – Coordinator
Dr. Bilal Habib, Scientist – WII, SBWL Member
Dr. Satish Pande, Ela Foundation, HWLW Pune
Dr. Ravikiran Govekar CCF & FD PTR
Strengthening Research
10 and Monitoring
Dr. Vidya Athreya WCS
Dr. Jayant Wadatkar, HWLW Amravati
Dr. Prachi Mehta, WRCS Pune
Shri Ravindra Wankhade CCF, Research & Training, Pune –
Coordinator
Ensuring Sustained
Funding for the Wildlife Shri Kishor Rithe, Member SBWL
Shri Kundan Hate Member SBWL
Sector & Integrating the
11
Shri Debi Goenka, Hon. Secretary BNHS
Shri M. S. Reddy, APCCF & FD MTR
State Wildlife Action Plan Shri G. Mallikarjun, CFWL SGNP - Coordinator
with other Sectoral

Programmes
Strengthening and Shri Sunil Limaye APCCF WL West Mumbai
Enhancing the Protected
12
Dr. Bilal Habib, Scientist – WII, SBWL Member
Shri Kundan Hate, Member SBWL
Area Network in Shri Rajendra Nannaware, Dhule
Shri N.S. Ladkat CF - Coordinator
Maharashtra State
The first draft of each of the twelve chapters was subjected to in-depth scrutiny
and examination by the drafting committee members by thoroughly editing,
modifying the contents and refining the draft into a format as required for the
SWAP to maintain uniformity. A lot of ideas and points to be incorporated were
shared by members of the drafting committee through e-mails and subsequently
on WhatsApp. After the scrutiny by drafting committee member/s, the chapters
were discussed in the drafting committee and based on the discussions the
Chief Wildlife Warden finalized the chapters. While doing so due care has been
taken to avoid repetitions within the chapters, uniformity is maintained and
brevity is ensured.
The drafting committee comprised of the following members:
01
Shri Nitin H. Kakodkar
Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) & Chairman
Chief Wildlife Warden
02
Shri Bittu Sahgal
Member
Member SBWL Maharashtra
03
Shri M. K. Rao
Member
Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (IT & Policy)
04
Shri. N. Vasudevan
Member
Managing Director, FDCM Ltd. Maharashtra
05
Dr. Bilal Habib
Member
Scientist – Wildlife Institute of India
06
Shri. Kishor Rithe
Member
07
Dr. Ravikiran Govekar
Member Secretary
CCF – FD Pench Tiger Reserve
08
Dr. Anish Andheria
Co-opted Member
09
Shri Nitin Desai
Co-opted Member
Wildlife Protection Society of India
This is to put on record the sincere efforts and contribution by Dr. Parag Nigam,
WII, for giving the final shape to the chapter on Wildlife Health Management
based on his vast experience and knowledge in this field. His deliberations
immensely helped the drafting committee in proposing practical action points and
feasible priority projects. Similarly, the contribution of Dr. Milind Sardesai,
Taxonomist and Professor Savitri Bai Phule Pune University in providing major
inputs for the chapter on Conservation of Threatened Species is also
acknowledged.
It has been a rigorous task for the drafting committee members for the in-
depth scrutiny of individual chapter/s and transforming the draft as required by
the decision-makers at various levels to understand the issues quickly,
appreciate the planned action and enable them to take a considered decision for
the approval of the proposed projects. The expertise of the members of the
drafting committee and their collective wisdom has resulted in ensuring that the
proposed priority projects are feasible, financially viable and suit the specific
requirements of the State. I cannot thank them enough for their efforts in putting
together the draft of the State Wildlife Action Plan for wildlife conservation
in the State for the next decade.
I am also thankful to Shri G. Sai Prakash IFS PCCF, HoFF for his guidance
and contribution from time to time in enriching this document. Special thanks are
also due to Dr. Ravikiran Govekar IFS, CCF who was instrumental in framing
the structure and aligning the contents of SWAP in the desired format, apart
from constant follow up for the drafts as a member secretary of the drafting
committee. I thank him for his continued efforts and support during the journey
for the preparation of the SWAP.
Appreciation and gratitude are also due to Shri Yuvaraj S. CF (Wildlife) and Shri
Sunil Banubakode Retired Forest Officer for their untiring efforts and inputs in
virtually all the chapters.
I thank all those individuals who have contributed their photographs for SWAP.
I must admit that it has been one of the most satisfying works, involving so many
forest officials and experts for the noble cause of wildlife conservation in the
next decade, more so, as it has taken final shape towards the fag end of my
career. This was an enriching experience for me to get exposed to many original
ideas. I am extremely happy to express my satisfaction in completing this draft of
the State Wildlife Action Plan (2021-2030). It is a matter of pride for the State as
such a State Wildlife Action Plan is probably the first of its kind in the country.
(Nitin H. Kakodkar)
Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife)
& Chief Wildlife Warden, Maharashtra
Pic: Dhritiman Mukherjee
Dry – deciduous forest in the
State of Maharashtra
STATE WILDLIFE ACTION PLAN (2021 – 2030)
Pic: Dr. Abhijit Das

Amboli Bush Frog – Critically Endangered
OVERVIEW AND OBJECTIVES
1. At the global level, the IUCN prepares a Red list of species under various categories
depending on the level of threat to the species of flora and fauna. Also, the ‘RET
(Rare, Endangered and Threatened) species’ is the common terminology used to
indicate the threat status. The term ‘threatened’ used in this chapter is a generic
term that includes ‘Critically endangered, Endangered & Vulnerable’ species found
in Maharashtra which face various threats; the species which are endemic to
Maharashtra and having restricted distribution and also other poorly studied species
which may face greater risk in the absence of proper study and adequate data.
2. The diverse physical, bio-climatic & edaphic factors in Maharashtra have resulted in
varied habitats like forests, mountains, semi-arid areas, wetlands, and coastal &
marine ecosystems, falling broadly under 3 different Biogeographic zones. The
forest types and their sub-types have helped enriching the terrestrial bio-diversity.
Large number of inland aquatic habitats and a 720 km long estuarine and marine
habitat, contribute to the diversity of aquatic life. Altitudinal variation from below
mean sea level to over 1600 m above msl, temperature variation from about 4 0 C to
over 480 C, annual rainfall variation from as low as 450 mm to over 6000 mm, and
the great diversity of edaphic & geological factors are mainly responsible for the
diverse life forms that occur in Maharashtra. The Sahyadri range is also a part of the
“the Western Ghats’, which is a global biodiversity hot spot. Some of these life forms
are endemic to Maharashtra, and many fall under the Rare, Endangered &
Threatened (RET) category.
3. Floristic diversity of Maharashtra has been well documented since 1837. Forest
working plans & management plans have documented species diversity since the
mid nineteenth century. Singh & Karthikeyan (2000) have described 3134
Angiosperm species from Maharashtra, of which, about 2500 are found in the
Sahyadri ranges. ‘Flora of Maharashtra’ by Almeida (1996-2003), and by Botanical
Survey of India (1996-2001) and ‘Grasses of Maharashtra’ by Potdar et al (2010)
have described plant species diversity, including threatened species for the entire
state. Jagtap (1998) has reported 8952 species of plants including algae and fungi
occurring in Northern Western Ghats of Maharashtra. Pande (2005) has compiled a
list of 2123 species of various flowering plants, algae, grasses, herbs, shrubs,
climbers, orchids, etc. occurring in Protected Areas (PAs) of Maharashtra.
4. 212 taxa of endemic and threatened plants of Maharashtra have been documented
by the Botanical survey of India in the book, ‘Endemic & threatened flowering plants
of Maharashtra (Mishra & Singh, 2001). A list of 383 commonly traded and exported
plant taxa, some of which may face the threat of over-exploitation and illegal
collection is also provided in the book. Tetali et al (2000), Yadav (1997), Gaikwad et
al (2014) and many other publications have thereafter described several endemic
and threatened species from the State. Shigwan et al (2020) has documented the
latest distribution and threat status of 181 endemic taxa of flowering plants in the
State. However, systematic documentation of threat status of the lower plants such
as Pteridophytes, Bryophytes etc. has not been done adequately. Botanical Survey 2
of India’s ENVIS center also maintains a database on the endangered & threatened
taxa/ red-listed plant species, of Maharashtra.
(http://bsienvis.nic.in/Database/E_3942.aspx#divMaharashtra).
5. Various faunal groups from Maharashtra or as a part of the Deccan Plateau have
been reported from time to time between 1890 to 1960's. District gazetteers have
described the fauna of respective districts. In 1974, a consolidated Fauna Gazetteer
of Maharashtra was published (Kunte,1974). Pande (2005) has compiled about
1331 species under 18 faunal groups associated with the PAs of Maharashtra.
Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) has published ‘Fauna of Maharashtra’ (2012) in
which 5640 species have been recorded under 62 different faunal groups. ZSI has
listed the faunal diversity of Western Ghats (2020). ENVIS center of ZSI also
provides the list of threatened faunal species. ZSI has completed faunal surveys of
some of the PAs in Maharashtra. Further, Islam & Rahmani (2004) have identified
20 Important Bird Areas (IBA) from the state.
6. There are several recent publications that have reported various animal species
from Maharashtra, especially the Western Ghats part. They largely belong to class
reptilia, amphibia, insecta etc. Few of them are new records to world fauna. Many
of them fall under the endemic and RET category. Over 95 percent of all such
endemic and threatened species of the state are confined to the Western Ghats part
of Maharashtra due to its unique bioclimatic and ecological features. Despite all
these efforts, updation and the process for further authentication of information on
the status of threatened fauna of Maharashtra would have to continue.
7. Efforts taken for the conservation of some of the threatened species and their
habitats in Maharashtra include:
a. Notifying Sanctuaries (50), National Parks (6), Tiger Reserves (6), and Conservation
Reserves under the Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972 to help in conserving a wide array
of habitats along with the floristic and other faunal elements occurring in such areas
and ensuring their conservation through systematic management planning.
b. Carrying out scientific research, monitoring and status surveys for threatened or
endangered species and documentation with the help of research institutes like WII,
BSI, ZSI, Universities, BNHS and other NGOs.
c. Invoking legal provisions and anti-poaching measures to safeguard the threatened
species.
d. Promoting in-situ--ex-situ linkage and augmenting wild populations of threatened
species, through joint action of the forest department and Universities. Ex: plant
species like Abutulon ranadei, Ceropegia species.
e. Carrying out sensitization and awareness programmes, promotion of conservation
education, setting up of Botanical gardens ex. Visapur near Chandrapur, setting up
of biodiversity parks, and establishment of lead botanical garden in the Shivaji
University, Kolhapur, and developing nature interpretation centers.
f. Notifying certain areas of conservation importance, such as the Myristica swamp in
Bombarde in Sindhudurg, and ‘Glory of Allapalli’ in Gadchiroli as Heritage Sites
3 under the Biological Diversity Act, 2002.
g. In 2001, the Maharashtra Forest Department had organized a CAMP (Conservation
Assessment & Management Prioritization) workshop in coordination with FRLHT,
Bangalore for the assessment of conservation status of Medicinal Plants and about
35 species of conservation importance were identified.
h. The Maharashtra State Biodiversity Board (MSBB), has prepared a list of 39 Plant
species, including a mangrove species of conservation importance to be notified
under section 38 of the Biological Diversity Act, 2002. Similar listing has been done
for animals as well.
i. A cluster of 39 sites spread over 7,953.15 sq.km in the Western Ghats has been
included in the list of World Heritage Sites covering various States including
Maharashtra. The Kas plateau, Koyna WLS, Chandoli NP and Radhanagri WLS in
the Sahyadri ranges of the Western Ghats have been included in the serial
nominations from Maharashtra.
8. However, the consolidated information on the population & distribution status of the
threatened species is not readily available for most of the taxa, especially the lesser
known faunal and floral species. Several critical areas or habitats and species are
under various anthropogenic threats, such as overexploitation of the resources and
illegal collection & trade, habitat loss, degradation of habitat quality due to various
reasons, unsustainable tourism activities, encroachment, diversions of the areas
and the developmental activities such as mining, solar energy projects,
constructions activities, dams and linear development projects etc. Poor
understanding of regeneration and reproduction status; population going below
threshold level; relatively inadequate management attention towards lesser-known
species and their special habitats, poor knowledge about the processed plant and
animal parts that are exported and the threat of overexploitation and poaching etc.
are some of the areas which need further attention. Narrow endemics and critically
endangered species face higher risks of extinction and their conservation is a real
challenge. Approaches like conservation breeding and applying ex-situ techniques
for augmenting in-situ populations of threatened species have largely remained
unexplored in the state so far.
9. Considering the conservation initiatives undertaken so far and the perceived threats
to the species, the state needs to work further in areas like:
• documenting conservation status of various species of flora and fauna

• identifying the species that may go extinct in the near future
• identifying critical species and habitats of conservation concern
• working on their recovery
• define & develop a strategy and prepare a roadmap for the protection of threatened
species in the state
Note: An indicative list of species of the flora and fauna which are of conservation
importance is given in Annexure I & II. A list available with BSI-ENVIS at
http://bsienvis.nic.in/Database/E_3942.aspx#divMaharashtra may also be
referred to while selecting priority species for conservation.
4
ACTIONS REQUIRED
01
Undertake status surveys and prepare distribution maps for the
threatened/RET species & their habitats.
02
Address specific conservation issues for species of conservation
importance depending on the specific requirements of that species.
Organize regular workshops of subject experts for the threatened taxon

03 for updating the knowledge base and for suggesting action plans for the
conservation of the threatened/Endemic species.
Strengthen the institutional capacity for recording & maintaining the

04 database on the threatened species and for compiling research
literature.
Identify the communities living in the vicinity of the habitat of the
05
threatened species, whose activities may have detrimental effects on
the threatened species and involve them in the conservation of such
species.
Take up urgent measures to safeguard the habitat of threatened

06 species, where habitat loss is the primary factor responsible for decline
of the species.
07
Involve various stakeholders including research institutes, for the
conservation of the threatened species.
Pic: Sironcha Forest Division

Endangered Wild Buffalo in Kolamarka CR
PRIORITY PROJECTS - FAUNA
Undertake status surveys for the Great Indian Bustard (GIB), Lesser
Florican, Wild buffalo, Slender Loris, Pangolin, Mouse deer, Otter
species, lesser cats (Rusty spotted, fishing and leopard cat) and
1.1
Mahseer for estimating their population, distribution mapping, habitat
and threat status.
Time frame: By December, 2025.
Responsibility: Forest Department, Research institutes, WII, ZSI,
BNHS, Universities
Prepare and implement a systematic monitoring and recovery plan for

the GIB.
2.1 Time frame: Plan preparation by December, 2023 and implementation

by December, 2027.
Responsibility: Forest Department, WII, BNHS.
Initiate an in-situ conservation breeding program for the wild buffalo for
augmenting the local population and for possible re-introduction to
2.2
areas such as Nawegaon National Park. Also initiate in-vivo
reproduction techniques for the wild buffalo at WRTC.
Responsibility: Forest Department, WRTC, MZA, NDDB, Karnal
Initiate a Vulture conservation project on the lines of the one in Pinjore
2.3
for the ex-situ- in-situ conservation approach.
Responsibility: Forest Department, BNHS
Prepare a long term conservation action plan for the threatened and
endemic amphibian, reptilian and aquatic species identified after the
2.4 status and distribution surveys.
Time frame: By December, 2026
Responsibility: Forest Department
Organize periodic workshops such as CAMP workshops, training

programs and technical sessions for compiling, collating and updating
3.1
the scientific information /ecological database of the threatened faunal
species and their status.
Time frame: Throughout the Plan period.
Responsibility: Forest Department.
Create a State level Wildlife Data Repository at the Chandrapur Forest

4.1
6
Academy manned by Researchers/Taxonomists. This set up would be
responsible for wildlife monitoring and research.

Responsibility: Forest Department (Chandrapur Forest Academy).
Develop a mechanism for involving local people for co-management of

certain habitats of threatened species such as the Olive Ridley Turtle,
GIB, Forest Owlet, Wild buffalo, Sarus crane, Lesser Florican, Otter and
5.1
Pangolin, among others. Take up alternative livelihood activities and
skill development trainings that can wean away the locals from activities
detrimental to the habitat of these threatened species.
Responsibility: Forest Department, EDCs/JFMCs.
Identify and suitably notify certain high conservation value areas for
threatened species and narrow endemics, especially from the Western
6.1
Ghats, under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 and Biological Diversity
Act, 2002.
Responsibility: Forest Department, State Biodiversity Board.
Actively involve the existing local bodies like the Biodiversity

management committees, JFMCs/EDC, Village Forest Committees;
7.1
NGOs and individuals, in the conservation efforts of the threatened
species.
Responsibility: Forest Department, State Biodiversity Board.
Pic: Hemant Ogale

Blue Mormon – State butterfly of Maharashtra
PRIORITY PROJECTS - FLORA
Conduct status surveys and prepare distribution maps for the
threatened plants so as to identify the threat concerns and their
conservation status.
1.1 Time frame: Initiate by March, 2022, complete by December, 2025
Responsibility: Forest Department/NGO/ BSI/ BNHS/Research
Institutes.
Conduct intensive habitat surveys of critical habitats / locations (e.g.

lateritic plateaus, Myristica swamps, Sacred Groves, Tropical Dry
Evergreen Forests (TDEF)
1.2 Time frame: Complete by December, 2024.
Responsibility: Forest Department, Universities, NGO, Research
Institutes.
Take up systematic management planning for the endemic/threatened

species from special habitats like lateritic plateau, Myristica swamp,
2.1
sacred groves, TDEF and other special habitats.
Time frame: Initiate by December, 2021. Complete by 2026.

Responsibility: Forest Department, Universities, Research Institutes.
Organize periodic workshops such as CAMP workshops, training

programs and technical sessions for compiling, collating and updating
the scientific information /ecological database of the threatened plant
3.1
species.
Time frame: Initiate by December, 2022.

Responsibility: Forest Department in association with Research
institutes.
Collect and collate the scientific and other information on threatened

plant species and build up a database at the Wildlife Repository to be
4.1
set up at the Chandrapur Forest Academy.

Responsibility: Forest Department (Chandrapur Forest Academy).
Develop a mechanism for involving local people and co-management

of certain habitats like sacred groves, or habitats where species have
5.1
been overexploited. Take up initiatives to reduce their dependence on
such species or habitats.
8
Time frame: Initiate by December, 2022. Continue Throughout the
Plan period.
Responsibility: Forest Department, BNHS, NGOs.
Prepare a long-term conservation plan for the highly endangered and

threatened species, which should include minimizing the threats,
augmenting the population through in-situ- ex-situ tie up, restocking &
6.1
rewilding.
Time frame: Initiate by December, 2023. Implement Throughout the

Plan period.
Revisit the Medicinal Plants Conservation Areas (MPCA) and the

Biodiversity Monitoring plots and further strengthen them for
6.2
conservation of threatened plants.

Enter into a formal tie up with ex-situ species recovery

centers/Universities such as the Lead Botanical Garden, Shivaji
University, Kolhapur, and undertake systematic species recovery
7.1 programmes for critically endangered species

Responsibility: Forest Department, Universities.
Pic: Dr. S. R. Yadav

Crinum brachynema - Critically Endangered
Narrow range of distribution and extremely rare
Aponogeton bruggenii -

Extremely localized, Critically
Endangered, narrow endemic
species, which is spread at
less than 0.4 sq. km area at
type locality, and disappearing
rapidly due to construction
activities & de-weeding.
10

11
Pic: Pallavi Ghaskadbi

Tiger being treated for snare injury by MFD & WII.
1. International trade in wildlife and its derivatives is an organized and established
global criminal activity with hubs and trade routes almost all over the world and
hence is one of the most serious threats to wildlife. Wildlife trade continues to be
one of the top five illicit economic activities, globally valued at billions of dollars
annually. Maharashtra has also been on the radar of criminal gangs active in illegal
wildlife trade. Responding to this threat Maharashtra has proactively demonstrated
its concern for conservation of wildlife and biodiversity and, enforcement of Wildlife
laws in the state has been a priority. The State is committed to undertake necessary
steps to prevent illegal trade in wildlife articles which are regulated under various
appendices of CITES and curb poaching and wildlife trade, both local and organised.
This can be seen from the fact that the State has as many as 6 tiger reserves and 4
of the six Tiger Reserves have Special Tiger Protection Force Units. It also has an
efficiently functioning Cyber Crime Cell at Amravati in the office of the Melghat Tiger
Reserve which now also provides Call Data Record Analysis of wildlife offence
cases referred to it from elsewhere in the State.
2. Some of the other important initiatives taken in Maharashtra include:
2.1 Provision of secret fund for strengthening intelligence network, preventing wildlife
offences and also in apprehending offenders.
2.2 MSTRiPES, an android and GPS based smart patrolling system operative in all the
tiger reserves and some protected areas in Maharashtra, whereby daily foot and
vehicle patrolling is recorded along with the distances travelled, wildlife sightings
and recording of illegal activities and other important events.
2.3 A Legal counsel has been appointed at each territorial circle level, on contractual
basis who assists in dealing with forest and wildlife crimes.
2.4 Extensive interstate operations were carried out against organized tiger poachers
belonging to the Bahelia, Bavaria, Pardhi and other communities during 2013-15 by
the Maharashtra Forest Department which led to the arrest of about 50 poachers,
leading to their imprisonment for 5-7 years. This has made a big impact on the
control of organized tiger poaching in Maharashtra.
2.5 Coordination at all levels through the formation of a committee to address the issue
of death of wild animals due to electrocution.
2.6 An offence database is maintained by the WCCB and periodic species-specific

operations such as ‘operation lesknow’, ‘operation cleanart’, operation ‘thunderbird’
are regularly conducted in association with WCCB.
3. Organized criminals deal in a wide array of wild animals and parts as well as
derivatives of wildlife like skins and bones of tigers and leopards, scales of
pangolins, ivory, rare turtles, snakes, birds, butterflies, spiders and marine animals. 12
Poaching and illegal wildlife trade cases in Maharashtra in the past two decades
have clearly shown the presence of organised poaching gangs from outside
Maharashtra operating in the state as well as poaching and wildlife trade cases led
by locals. Both the target groups operate for different purposes and have a different
modus operandi. Gangs of local poachers are involved in the locally thriving trade in
wild meat or supply of animal parts to satisfy local superstitions. They mostly use
crude yet effective methods like snaring, netting, trapping, crude bombs, crude
firearms, predation by trained dogs and above all electrocution to trap and kill wild
animals. The ever-escalating prices of poultry and goat meat are driving more and
more people towards wild meat, as local poachers offer it cheap. The increase in
the tiger population in Vidarbha, as also the leopard population across the State and
a spurt in herbivore numbers has led to increased incidents of negative human-wild
animal interactions in forested tracts as well as in the fringe areas of PAs. If not
addressed in time with suitable measures, these negative interactions lead to
conflicts which results in retaliatory killings of such wild animals not for trade but to
reduce the financial losses caused by such conflicts. The locals poison the carcass
and thereby kill Leopards/Tigers. Some of these cases have at times also exposed
links with poachers and traders operating regionally, nationally and internationally.
Few city-based wildlife criminals use modern technology to conduct trade in wildlife
contraband. The threat of online trade and supply of contraband, trade of snakes for
occult as well as for illegal extraction of venom, poaching of tigers for occult, illegal
trade in plants such as red sanders, sandalwood, Nothapodytes (narkya) also needs
to be addressed.
4. The whole gamut of diverse criminal activities calls for an urgent and widespread
revamping of anti-poaching and anti-wildlife trade measures, within and outside the
PAs and in the wildlife corridors. Timely online payments for loss of life of humans
or cattle or damage to property and crops should be complemented by putting in
place other measures like closer monitoring of animal movements in conflict prone
areas through the use of technology. Another aspect that needs to be addressed is
the increasing reports of trade of marine products as also the increasing use of
exotic animals to cater to the pet trade. The MoEF&CC has recently issued an order
to register the CITES species held by private persons and organisations through a
voluntary disclosure mode up to the 15th March 2021. Monitoring this would also
become an important activity in the coming years.
5. The sequence of wildlife enforcement includes – Prevention- Detection-

Investigation-Documentation -Prosecution. Strong and smart preventive measures
would result in saving all the labour and hard work required subsequently to address
this issue and save wildlife. Towards this end, certain corrective measures need to
be devised and put in place urgently to make anti-poaching efforts/patrolling more
effective. The capacity of frontline forest staff and officers charged with the
responsibility to investigate wildlife crime needs major improvements by way of
organizing capacity building trainings in various aspects of prevention, detection,
investigation and documentation of wildlife related offences. Since technologies
such as internet and mobiles are being used effectively by crime syndicates, the
wildlife crime investigators also need to be equipped with matching skills, to carry
out technology-based investigations leading to busting of networks behind these
crimes. There is also a need to upgrade the forensic capabilities of the Forest
13
Department.
6. Wildlife crime often happens at secluded places and there are no eye witnesses to
report the crime, leading to lower detection which needs to be increased. The Secret
Fund available to various levels of enforcement officers should be increased and
rules need to be amended so that reward payment to informants is made faceless
to ensure the safety of informants. The Tollfree number 1926 and the systems
related to it needs to be revamped so that people are encouraged to report wildlife
crime. The State has a system of Tiger Cells at the District, Regional and the State
level to improve coordination with the Police department. However, regular meetings
seldom take place and the situation needs to improve drastically since this is an
excellent forum available all over the State for better coordination and exchange of
inputs for both the Departments to tackle wildlife as well as forest related crimes.
7. A review of offence cases between 2000 to 2020, reveals that poaching by wire
snares (locals)/steel traps (outsiders) is the most preferred technique by poachers,
followed by poisoning and electrocution (district wise speciality) and use of dogs to
chase down herbivores and hunting by guns. The preventive mechanism thus needs
to be designed to tackle these issues.
Wildlife Conservation Trust has also recently worked on 511 Judgements passed by
the District Courts in various parts of Maharashtra related to Wildlife crime. Two
important points need to be noted from this analysis:
i) The rate of conviction is only 9.6 per cent. Although in 496 cases witnesses were
produced, in 33 per cent of these cases they turned hostile.
ii) Moreover, in 88 per cent of the cases the evidence provided was found to be
insufficient.
It is therefore necessary to address these points while proposing the Action Plan.
8. WCCB has excelled in monitoring wildlife trade through customs check points and
their efforts are worth appreciation in tracking and unearthing inland illegal wildlife
trade. However, protecting wild animals in the forests from poachers would always
be the sole responsibility of the state forest department. Assistance from other
agencies like the WCCB, Police, Customs, MSEDCL and other agencies can always
be sought depending on the crime. The RFO mobile squad and DFO vigilance at
the district level can bring synergy along with the field level forest administration.
Wildlife investigators rely mostly on the evidences narrated by the witnesses (panch)
and seldom the focus is on collecting material evidence. Forensic interface in wildlife
case investigations is limited to identification of the species involved and not in
connecting the criminals to the crime scene, which needs to be addressed. Some of
the city based wildlife traders are well conversant with technology. However, at the
ground level wildlife criminals are mostly illiterate but street-smart people. Getting
CDR analyzed or any other technological input can certainly be a part of evidence.
Moreover, there are several other aspects of evidence collection like digital
photography of the crime scene, use of forensics along with proper collection,
collation and presentation of all other physical evidences that connect the criminals 14
to the crime scene. Systematic and frequent trainings covering all these aspects
from intelligence gathering, conducting raids, gathering evidences to regular follow
up in the courts can improve the existing system.
9. Despite the best practices in the field, the conviction rate in wildlife court cases is
quite low as illustrated above in para 7, resulting in habitual offenders getting
involved in wildlife crime. Proper enforcement of wildlife laws along with better
documentation of court cases would strengthen the prosecution and constant follow
up should increase the conviction rate which would indeed be a strong deterrent to
the wildlife criminals.
10. The whole gamut of the anti-poaching strategy, or rather all activities connected with
wildlife protection and management is intricately connected with the human
resource, that works at the ground-level. In pursuit of focusing on various other
strategies for effective anti-poaching or protection measures, we often tend to
undermine the importance of having a strong, motivated and competent frontline
staff. This can be taken care of by adopting proper recruitment, deployment and
posting policies in the wildlife sector. Competency can be improved by taking up
regular capacity building and training sessions. However, the motivation for working
under the most disadvantageous circumstances and hostile conditions is something
that needs to be addressed timely and properly. Providing adequate facilities,
incentives and rewards for the frontline staff and adequate provisions for their
families is a key to keep this force motivated, active and ready to take up all the
challenges related to the protection of wildlife. Women staff working in remote and
inaccessible wildlife areas such as the core area of tiger reserves/PAs often face
many problems due to the nature of the work which entails night halts in anti-
poaching camps, stringent foot patrolling etc. There is a need to pay proper attention
to their problems as well. Staff of Special Tiger Protection Force should also be
strengthened and motivated further.
Electrocution is
emerging as one of
the biggest threats
to the wildlife
outside protected
areas.
15
Pic: Bhandu Dhotre

ACTIONS REQUIRED
Ensure Capacity Building of the frontline staff and officers for effective
01
detection, handling, investigation of wildlife crimes, proper
documentation and filing of complaint cases and subsequent follow up
of court procedures.
02
Conduct trainings and Capacity building programs for the stakeholders
other than the forest frontline staff.
03
Develop a smart protection protocol for the effective and focused anti-
poaching actions.
04
Collate and Organize wildlife crime data on a digital platform so as to
facilitate the speedy retrieval and analysis for the future use.
Set up a Wildlife Crime Control Cell for better inter-agency coordination,

05 better support to the field formation and effective monitoring of the
wildlife crime related issues.
Assess the anti-Poaching measures taken by each forest division

06 annually for improving the performance and plug the loopholes in anti-
poaching strategy.
07 Set up Armories for proper housing and maintenance of the arms.
08
Establish and strengthen special purpose cells to support the field
formations.
Take up various measures to motivate the frontline forest staff involved
09
in wildlife protection and management. Also ensure that adequate
number of staff is provided in PAs to carry out wildlife protection
activities effectively.
16
Pic: Zehidul Hussian

Pangolin in Natural Habitat, Maharashtra
PRIORITY PROJECTS
Prepare a calendar for wildlife-crime related trainings at each Circle
level and customize such trainings as per requirements of the area.
Ensure that all cadres of the field formation, including STPF members
and officers are invariably covered in the trainings related to their
1.1 current job profile.

Responsibility: Forest Department (CCF Education and Training in
association with the Chandrapur and Kundal Forest Academy).
Develop and implement a mechanism for sensitizing and exposing the

other agencies like Police, Narcotics Cell, Postal Department, Customs,
for issues related to wildlife trade and crime at the local & national level,
2.1
and the need for inter-agency coordination.

Responsibility: Forest Department, NGOs,WCCB, Chandrapur and
Kundal Forest Academy, Maharashtra Intelligence Academy, Pune.
Organize workshops for the Judicial Officers at various levels to expose

them to the various facets of wildlife trade and crime and also to
highlight issues faced by the Forest Department at the field level and
the constraints faced by the field functionaries in dealing with wildlife
2.2 crime and its documentation.

Responsibility: Forest Department, Judicial Officers Training Institute
Nagpur/ Maharashtra Judicial Academy, Uttan, Thane
Build up, and update beat-wise crime history for ten years and maintain
a range level database of wildlife crime/ wildlife criminals and wildlife
court cases on the lines of police stations, which would also be a part of
the charge note and charge list during transfers of the concerned
3.1 officials.
Time frame: Initiate by March, 2022 and continue Throughout the Plan
period.
Map all the crime spots where poaching or attempts to poaching were
detected, all the 11 kV power lines passing through PA/forest,
vulnerable crime spots for installing wire snares & steel traps, areas
17
3.2 known for use of dogs for chasing down wild animals and the vulnerable
interstate borders. Integrate all this information in the normal as well as
MSTRiPES patrolling protocol.
Time frame: By June, 2022.
Responsibility: Forest Department, MSEDCL, Honorary Wildlife
Wardens.
Set up a digital platform at each division level for hosting the entire
wildlife crime related data, which will aid in finding out repeat offenders
and the history of wildlife crime in the area including the locational
4.1 analysis of crime.

Responsibility: Forest Department (IT Wing).
Set up two Wildlife Crime Control Cells (WCCC), one each in Nagpur
and Mumbai which would monitor and maintain a database on major
intra-state and interstate wildlife cases, crimes & criminals; categorise
species wise data for regularly traded or species commonly poached
5.1
and share the same with the field functionaries on a digital platform.
Keep an active watch on online trade in wild species of flora and fauna.
Time frame: by December, 2021.

Responsibility: APCCF Wildlife East, Nagpur and APCCF Wildlife
West Mumbai, Honorary Wildlife Wardens.
Hold interstate meetings across all vulnerable and sensitive borders so

that planning of interstate patrolling and exchange of wildlife crime
5.2
information takes place.

Review all the pending wildlife court cases at division/circle level

through the WCCC. Audit all the wildlife PORs issued to ensure that
they either filed in courts, compounded or are finally disposed of.
5.3 Time frame: First review by December, 2021. Then quarterly during the
plan period.
Responsibility: Both WCC Cells.
Carry out annual security audit of each forest Division /PA /Tiger
Reserve against the set parameters
6.1 Time frame: Initiate by January, 2022.

Responsibility: Respective field managers and monitoring by both
WCC Cells.
Review and make adequate provision for the secret fund.
6.2 Time frame: Annually Throughout the Plan period. 18

Responsibility: State Government and CWLW.
Set up armories ideally one at each Division with dedicated staff for the
safe storage and maintenance of the weapons and ammunition.
7.1 Time frame: By December, 2025.
Responsibility: Forest Department (PCCF BPD, APCCF Protection).
Strengthen the Cyber Cell set up in Melghat Tiger Reserve

headquartered in Amravati with assistance from the WCC Cells.
8.1 Time frame: By June, 2022.
Responsibility: Forest Department (CWLW, FD MTR).
Empower the Regional Forensic Laboratories to conduct forensics

including DNA analysis in wildlife cases.
Responsibility: Forest Department/Home Department.
Set up a Forensic Cell under the APCCF Wildlife East (at the
Chandrapur Forest Academy) and APCCF Wildlife West at the SGNP
for Wildlife Crime related analysis and for DNA analysis from
Tiger/Leopard scats and the swabs from human kills to facilitate
8.3 decision making after identification of the problem animals.
Time frame: By March, 2022.

Responsibility: APCCF (Wildlife) East, Nagpur and APCCF (Wildlife)
West Mumbai.
Revitalize the Tiger Cells at all three levels and ensure that through the
district level tiger cell, the village Police Patils and Honorary Wildlife
Wardens are actively engaged in suspicious movements related to
8.4
wildlife crimes.
Time frame: By December, 2021 and Throughout the Plan period.

Responsibility: APCCF Wildlife East, Nagpur and APCCF Wildlife
West Mumbai, Honorary Wildlife Wardens.
Strengthen the Dog squads in the Tiger Reserves/Forest divisions,

through specialized training in sniffing and tracking the absconding
8.5
offenders/suspects.

Responsibility: APCCF (Wildlife) East, Nagpur.
Develop proper housing; provide adequate facilities, equipment, field
9.1
gear, vehicles/boats and ensure connectivity for the frontline staff at the
19 place of their duty.
Time frame: By March, 2023. Maintain Throughout the Plan period

Responsibility: PCCF & HoFF, PCCF (Wildlife), PCCF BPD, CEO-
CAMPA, APCCF (ASC), NTCA, PA managers.
Provide special incentives to the staff working in wildlife areas. The

incentives may include free ration supply, special duty allowance,
9.2
enhanced salary, provision of free health insurance, reward system etc.
Time frame: Identify and initiate by March, 2022.

Responsibility: PCCF & HoFF, PCCF (Wildlife), APCCF (ASC), NTCA.
Construct accommodation/hostels in nearby towns for the

families/wards of the frontline staff serving in remote areas (such as
tiger reserves and other Protected Areas).
9.3 Time frame: By March, 2024. Maintain Throughout the Plan period.
Responsibility: PCCF & HoFF, PCCF (Wildlife), PCCF BPD, CEO
CAMPA, NTCA.
Devise a policy for deployment of the women staff, to ensure minimum

hardship to them, especially during odd hours and critical times such as
9.4
medical exigencies.

Responsibility: PCCF & HoFF, PCCF (Wildlife), APCCF (ASC).
Ensure proper camping facility at the protection huts for the front line
staff with due consideration to the needs of female employees.
9.5 Time frame: By March, 2022. Redeploy or enhance staff by 2025.

Responsibility: PCCF & HoFF, PCCF (Wildlife), PA Managers APCCF
(ASC)
Take a review of workload on the existing staff and the difficulties faced
in effective wildlife protection and management due to shortage of the
staff. Ensure additional workforce if so required.
9.6 Time frame: Review by March, 2022.Redeploy or enhance staff by

2025.
Responsibility: State Government, PCCF & HoFF, PCCF (Wildlife),
APCCF (ASC)
Conduct workshops for the frontline staff for developing inter-personal

relationships, gender issues, ethics of work, emotional quotient etc.
9.7 Time Frame: Throughout the Plan period.

Responsibility: APCCF (ASC), CCF Education, Forest Academy,
Chandrapur/Kundal and various Forest Training Institutes.
20
21
Pic: Bhandu Dhotre

Tiger in jaw trap. This threat
has been considerably
brought down in the State of
Maharashtra.
22
23
Pic: Nayan Khanolkar

Leopard – most common predator around human settlements
1. Human-wildlife conflict (HWC) can be defined as any interaction that results in
negative effects on social, economic, or cultural life of humans and on wildlife
conservation or on the environment. Humans and wild animals have shared the
planet for hundreds of years. The historic forms of conflict started with predation on
ancestors of prehistoric man, followed by crop and livestock depredation. These
interactions are however, becoming more frequent, serious, and widespread and
thus pose a significant wildlife management challenge.
2. The increase in HWC has been attributed to several factors, such as the expansion
of human activities into wildlife habitats, recovery, and expansion of a few wild
animal populations, and large-scale environmental and land-use changes. A total of
88 species from nine taxonomic groups are involved in HWC in India. With 20.13
per cent of the total geographical area of the State classified as forest area, the
incidences of HWC are on the rise due to various hyperlocal (concerning a small
community or geographical area) factors like the shift in agricultural patterns, ever-
expanding urban spaces, habitat fragmentation, isolation of wildlife populations,
increasing dependence on forest resources, compromised connectivity due to lack
of mitigation structures especially in case of linear projects, depletion of wild prey,
invasive species, infrastructure development, etc.
3. Human-wildlife conflicts are complex and defy easy analysis and solutions.
Considering the nature of its complexity, the State Government has implemented
multipronged, holistic, and interdisciplinary strategies to reduce or minimize negative
human-wildlife interactions. Maharashtra has the highest rate of ex gratia payment
in India for human death/injury by wild animals, compensation of crop damage, cattle
depredation and has implemented schemes such as the Dr. Shyamaprasad
Mukherjee Jan Van Vikas Yojana (SMJVVY) to reduce human-wildlife conflict. The
extent of ex gratia and the compensation paid in the last few years is about Rs 70
crores annually. The State has also signed an MoU with the WII to develop long-
term solutions by understanding ecological, social and landscape correlates of
HWC. Recently, the State of Maharashtra has constituted two technical study
groups to suggest mitigation plans to reduce human-tiger conflict in Chandrapur
district and suggest solutions to the issue of human-leopard conflict.
4. Setting up Rapid Rescue Units (RRUs) has been done in some territorial and Wildlife
Divisions in the state and these are proving to be very effective. This system has to
be strengthened and formalised to get the best output. This can be done through
strengthening these RRUs and improving their capabilities to handle varied rescue
operations and also by establishing more such RRUs. In providing safe passage to
an animal in distress, the act of effective wildlife rescue translates into improving
public sensitivity to wildlife, as well as ensuring that wildlife remains protected and
accepted in the landscape.
5. Since HWC is largely a human-induced phenomenon interlinked to species-specific

traits and external environmental factors, all conflict mitigation measures should be 24
developed on the basic premise of meaningful engagement with and the
participation of all primary stakeholders, especially local communities,
understanding species ecology and environmental correlates. By working with

people, having compensation schemes for conflict mitigation, and participatory
monitoring; action plans and projects planned should aim to meet the goals of wildlife
protection and a change in the attitude of people towards wildlife conservation.
6. HWC mitigation strategies should include not only the scenarios of conflict with large
carnivores but also the large ungulates responsible for crop depredation. This will
significantly alter local communities’ perception of HWC and wildlife in general.
7. To address the HWC and to oversee smooth functioning between all the
stakeholders, a HWC Mitigation Coordination Committee at the district level as well
as a Co-ordination committee at the State level has been constituted in May, 2021
(Annexure III) based on the advisory dt. 6th February, 2021 issued by the MoEF &
CC, Government of India.
25
Pic: Rahul Kuchankar

Sloth Bear has and human interface
ACTIONS REQUIRED
Activate the Human-Wildlife Conflict Mitigation Committee: Since the
01
District and State Level HWC Mitigation committees have been
constituted the role and function of these committees would be as
follows:
The District level Human-Wildlife Conflict Mitigation Coordination

Committee (DLHWCMCC) will function under the Chairmanship of the
1.1
District Collector. The State-level Human-Wildlife Conflict Mitigation
Coordination Committee (SLHWCMCC) will function under the
Chairmanship of the Chief Secretary and the Chief Wildlife Warden
would be the member secretary of this committee.
Role of these Committees: The District level Committee will coordinate

with all the concerned departments at the district-level to prevent HWC
through planning and management of mitigation measures in the
district. In cases of wildlife poaching, injury to wild animals, use of
explosives, use of electric current, laying of traps and snares to illegally
kill/trap/capture the wild animals, poisoning etc. the concerned
department will render appropriate assistance for prevention of such
cases by proactive preventive measures. This Committee will also
coordinate for the timely compensation of the loss to the local people
due to wild animals as per existing policy/rules/guidelines etc. and to
implement appropriate HWC mitigation measures.
Concerned departments will also try to accommodate the existing
schemes of their departments and implement them in conflict-prone
1.2 areas on priority to extend the benefits of the schemes to reduce the
conflict. The mitigation measures on existing and proposed projects
especially in case of linear projects should be monitored by this
interdepartmental conflict mitigation committee.
The State Level Coordination Committee shall issue appropriate
directives to respective departments to take appropriate steps/
implement schemes to reduce the HWC in the State as applicable to the
concerned department. It will also function to expedite the
administrative roadblocks and coordination issues in implementing the
HWC related mitigation measures etc. It would give appropriate
directions to the concerned department for financial and administrative
inputs for enhancing the effectiveness of the mitigation measures and
will share good practices followed elsewhere as applicable in similar
circumstances.
Identify landscapes of Human-Wildlife negative interaction: Identify and
02
document efficiently the range of human-wildlife interactions based on
wildlife occupancy, human-wildlife incidents, perception of the local 26
community. The human-dominated landscape in Maharashtra ranges
from areas with good contiguous forest cover to sparsely vegetated,
fragmented landscape with numerous villages to a completely urban

setting with no natural forest area. This complex situation demands a
differential management approach on different types of habitats without
which swift and proactive management of the conflict situations cannot
be carried out effectively. To achieve this the State can be categorized
into 3 different zones. They include a) Critical core wildlife habitats –
where wildlife has priority over humans; b) Coexistence areas – where
there is a possibility of coexistence between humans and wildlife based
on certain criteria and c) Conflict areas – where humans have priority
over wildlife.
Develop comprehensive conflict mitigation plans: Draw up scientific and

comprehensive species-specific and landscape-specific conflict
mitigation plans to prevent HWC incidents causing loss of life,
livelihood, or health. Plans made should consider changing land-use
patterns and practices that play a role in urban, peri-urban, rural, and
protected forest ecosystems. Forest personnel, wildlife and social
scientists, community leaders, and experts from the field should be
encouraged to participate in drafting these plans. Population
management of wild animal species in high conflict areas, includes
selective translocation, evaluation of animal birth control methods,
03
grassland protection, identification, and development of wildlife corridors
based on carefully evaluated landscapes of HWC. Selection of
methodology for species-specific population management would be
based on the conflict mitigation plan.
A research-based scientific approach has to be planned to identify
steps/methods before framing action plans policies for the problematic
species.
While assessing the magnitude of HWC, ecological aspects and
scientific evidence will have to be considered to develop tools for
controlling the population of the problematic species like translocation or
biological control.
Establish Transit Treatment Centres (TTC) and in-situ enclosures: The

State has seen a surge in human-wildlife conflict incidents. In many
cases, the animals captured in such incidents need to be taken for
temporary treatment or rehabilitation. To ensure the safety and welfare
of the animals rescued it is proposed to have a TTC at each forest
04 division level in the State. In some cases, the wild animals captured
from the conflict area need to be rehabilitated. Under such
circumstances, there is a need to have permanent in-situ enclosures.
Each TTC would have one Veterinary officer on permanent basis along
with two Animal Rescue Experts, Two Forest Guards, and provision for
4 temporary workers.
Establish and strengthen Rapid Response Units (RRUs): On-ground

05
27
teams (RRUs) based on the intensity of the HWC should be present at
each forest division level. These RRUs shall be regularly trained and
deployed for the prompt rescue of wild animals and tackle HWC
scenarios. Initially such units would be set up in 20 Divisions which
have witnessed a surge in HWC. In subsequent years teams in the
remaining divisions could be set up. The TTC can play an overarching
role for the RRU. Each team should have one dedicated vehicle along
with all necessary equipment and manpower. Include the handling of
HWC as well as the equipment used to handle conflict situations, as a
specialized subject in the syllabus of the induction course of forest
guards, foresters and RFOs. Include this subject in the refresher
trainings also. Issue authorization to certify the handling of the
equipment.
Strengthen the mechanism for compensation in HWC Cases: There is

a need to strengthen the existing mechanisms to make them more
06
effective. The system of drawing funds under the Negative BDS needs
to be restored in the budget head related to compensation to facilitate
speedy payment of compensation. Other necessary changes in the
existing Government Resolutions should be done.
Incentivise cropping patterns around wildlife-rich areas: One of the

major issues of conflict is crop-depredation by wild ungulates.
Considering very small land-holdings in the State, these damages can
07 be detrimental to society and are also very difficult to mitigate. One way
to mitigate this conflict is to incentivize cropping patterns around PAs or
high conflict areas. Promotion of crops that are not prone to damage by
the wild animals should be incentivized across such areas.
Minimise human presence in wildlife areas: Design strategies to

minimize the presence of people and livestock in wildlife areas.
Rehabilitation of villages has proved to be a win-win solution for
08 humans as well as for wildlife. Measures such as awareness regarding
animal behavior and precautions needed while entering the forest will
go a long way in reducing human-carnivore interaction viz., going in a
group rather than alone for collecting mahua flowers, tendu leaves etc.
Strengthen community engagement and outreach: Formulate and

implement extensive outreach and awareness programs to reduce the
growing animosity among people towards wild animals involved in
09 conflict situations. Identify, enlist and empower local community
members ex. Setting up Primary Response Teams (PRTs), Honorary
Wildlife Wardens to serve as influencers and voluntary managers in
preventing conflict and assisting RRUs during mitigation of conflict.
Implement various strategies to reduce human-wildlife conflict: With the

change in landscape, the response of the animals also changes, and
animals learn over time. Humans also start adapting to conflict
10 situations and their response to such situations changes with time. It is
therefore, important that the conflict mitigation strategies should also 28
evolve with time which would be possible through experimenting with
various strategies to reduce/mitigate HWC.
PRIORITY PROJECTS
Ensure that the Human-Wildlife Conflict Mitigation Committee at District
and State Level meet regularly so that the issues of HWC are
1.1
addressed both at the District and the State level.

Responsibility: CWLW and District Collectors.
Develop a long-term research plan to monitor human-wildlife conflict

across the state to identify priority areas for mitigation.
2.1 Time frame: Throughout the Plan period.
Responsibility: Forest Department, WII
2.2 Develop an online – interactive web-based system to monitor the

change in conflict cases over time and space for effective mitigation.
Time frame: Develop the system by June, 2022 and implement
Throughout the Plan period.
Responsibility: WII, Forest Department.
2.3 Develop database for wild animals involved in HWC to document

frequencies of conflict, the quantum of damage to human life and
property, and wildlife deaths due to conflict.
Responsibility: Forest Department, WII.
2.4 Develop database for estimation of population of wild species and their
behavior in various landscapes of conflict.
Time frame: Throughout the Plan period at an interval of every three
years (by 2023, by 2026 & by 2029).
Responsibility: Forest Department, WII.
2.5 Conduct surveys annually to assess changes in the landscapes of

human-wildlife conflict.
Time frame: Throughout the Plan period annually.

Responsibility: Forest Department, WII, NGO.
Based on existing data available, the first conflict mitigation plan for five
years would be prepared and revised after five years based on the new
3.1
information generated and learnings from the field. The State level
HWCC Coordination Committee will approve this Plan.
29 Time frame: By June, 2022 (First Plan).
Responsibility: CWLW, WII.
Identify 20 divisions that have witnessed a surge in human-wildlife
conflict and set up TTCs. Subsequently other forest divisions would be
covered in a phased manner. It is recommended to have In-situ
enclosures in all the tiger reserves of the State. This would be a state-
4.1
of-art facility in each tiger reserve with appropriate support.
Time frame: By December, 2022(20 TTCs); By December, 2024(15
TTCs,) and the By December, 2030(15 TTCs); In-Situ Enclosures in all
Tiger Reserves by June, 2023.
Responsibility: Govt. of Maharashtra, Forest Department, Field
Directors (TR).
The time scale and the mechanism for the establishment of RRU would
be synchronized with the TTC establishment in the concerned division.
All RRUs would have all terrain vehicles to access difficult areas.
5.1 Time frame: By December, 2022 (20 RRUs); By December,2024 (15
RRUs), and By December, 2030 (15 RRUs).
Responsibility: Govt. of Maharashtra and Forest Department
Conduct trainings on species-specific HWC, SoPs as well as wildlife

Laws, rules and regulations regularly depending on the intensity of
HWC incidences.
5.2 Time frame: SoP for RRUs by December, 2021. Training and Capacity
building on a regular basis Throughout the Plan period.
Responsibility: Forest Department, NGOs.
Develop special syllabus for handling HWC and for the equipment used
in the forest guard, forester and RFO induction and refresher training
5.3
courses.
Responsibility: Directorate of Forest Education, PCCF (WL), APCCF
(RET).
Develop an efficient ex gratia relief system using a web-based solution,

e-App to streamline the process and determine the extent of crop
6.1
damage. Restore the negative BDS facility.

Responsibility: State Government, Forest Department (IT wing)
Provide for payment of compensation to the injured person for the

duration of stay in the hospital: Cash compensation to the extent of a
maximum of Rs 50000/- to be given in cases where the injured person
6.2 is hospitalized, to compensate for the trauma and to take care of
expenses of the accompanying person. An advance to the maximum 30
extent of Rs 25000/- in case of a grievously injured person to be given.
A dedicated reimbursable contingency fund would be kept at the
disposal of the DCF so that the compensation is not delayed.

Responsibility: Govt. of Maharashtra, Forest Department.
Develop programs under various schemes to incentivize cropping

patterns around protected areas or in high conflict zones.
7.1 Time frame: By December, 2021 and Throughout the Plan period.
Responsibility: Forest Department, NGOs, Agriculture Department and
Local Agriculture Universities, District Planning Committee (DPC).
Identify and develop safe grazing lands in areas adjoining villages,

agricultural land or conflict-prone areas (preferably on community lands)
to reduce Human-Wildlife Interaction. Encourage stall feeding.

Responsibility: Forest Department, Revenue Department, Agriculture
Department, Animal Husbandry Department and Local Agriculture
Universities.
Provide nets for Mahua flower collection and take other preventive
measures to ensure the safety of villagers during the collection of NTFP
in forest.
Responsibility: Forest Department, Tribal Development Department,
DPC.
Promote usage of LPG and cover all families residing in forest fringe
villages by a subsidized LPG scheme.

Social Welfare Department, DPC.
Take up bamboo plantations, with adequate subsidies, on agriculture

lands and community lands through agriculture and social forestry
8.4
departments as a source of livelihood generation.

Responsibility: Forest Department (Social Forestry), Agriculture Dept.
Take up bamboo plantation in degraded areas, especially after removal

of invasive weeds for making available fodder for wild animals and to
8.5
act as year-round cover.

31 Responsibility: Forest Department, FDCM.
Distribute water-heating systems to reduce forest degradation as well
as human-carnivore interactions.
Responsibility: Forest Department, Tribal Development Department.
Design and conduct outreach and awareness programs and material for
children present in areas of conflict, with the larger goal of building
wildlife conservation sensitive communities in association with Honorary
Wildlife Wardens. Set up primary response teams (PRTs) in areas of
9.1
high HWC to act as a link between the villagers and the forest
department.

Responsibility: Forest Department (CCF Education), Tribal
Development Department, NGOs Honorary Wildlife Wardens.
Engage professional media agencies/mass media communicators for

developing community education content.

Responsibility: Forest Department, (CCF, Education and Publicity
wing), NGOs.
Identify and immediately remove animals in conflict, which have been

declared dangerous to human life. Set up Rescue centres in Nasik,
10.1
Pune, Chandrapur and Yavatmal circle.

Assess potential sites for future tiger relocation such as large

contiguous forest patches in Gadchiroli, PAs like Painganga, Pranhita,
Nagzira-Navegaon, Sahyadri Tiger Reserve by conducting baseline
surveys on prey base, presence of other co-predators, and
10.2
anthropogenic pressures in a scientific manner. Carry out a plan for
prey augmentation, continued monitoring of the wildlife, habitat
improvement, and a program for local acceptance.
Time frame: Assessment by December, 2023. Other activities to be
done Throughout the Plan period.
Responsibility: Forest Department, WII, BNHS, WCT.
Construct raised parapets to wells, covers to siphon wells, livestock

protection sheds to avoid conflict and accidental deaths of wild animals.
10.3 Time frame: By June, 2022 and throughout the Plan period.
Responsibility: Forest Department, Tribal Development Dept, Zilla 32
Parishad, Animal Husbandry Department, Irrigation Department.
Conduct R&D into equipment and tools used in handling wildlife rescue
and HWC situations. Execute an MoU or formal tie-up with technical
10.4
institutes such as NITs/IITs etc.

Responsibility: Govt. of Maharashtra, Forest Department, IIT, WII
Conduct wide publicity campaign and awareness creation on HWC

among local villages periodically.

Responsibility: Forest Department, Hon. Wildlife Wardens, NGOs,
Schools, Colleges, Media professionals etc.
Mob often impedes

smooth rescue
operation and its
management is a key
to successful
operation.
33
Pic: Dipesh Malhotra, DCF Bramhapuri FD

Leopard rescue from deep

open wells in the State of
Maharashtra is one of the
most common rescue
works being carried by the 34
State Forest Department.
Pic: Akash Dolas

35
Pic: Nikhil Tanbekar

Tiger in human dominated landscape
36
37
Pic: Dr. Ravikiran Govekar

Management of minor injuries in field
1. The COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated the vulnerability of humans and animals
to emerging diseases and has thus highlighted the need for addressing wildlife
health issues besides proper surveillance and monitoring across the world. The
deep interconnectedness between humans, other species, and the environment has
become apparent as individual, organisational, and societal behaviors change in
reaction to the COVID-19 pandemic. Biodiversity is diminishing at a faster point in
human history than ever before and habitat degradation/depletion/fragmentation is
causing wildlife to move closer to human habitations. Wildlife health management
has become one of the critical priorities of governments. COVID-19 is one of the
emerging infectious disease as a result of human behaviour and provides
transmission opportunities from animals into humans. Other examples include Zika,
Hendra, Ebola virus disease, SARS, Middle East respiratory syndrome, and avian
influenza.
2. Wild animals that evolved to have generalist diets and opportunistic habits have
increased in abundance and distribution around human settlements and have
become habituated to anthropogenic environments. Select examples include wild
pig, blackbuck and nilgai in agricultural environments and small carnivores around
village settlements or livestock pastures. When vulnerable species are in the
proximity of humans and wildlife, they also face the risk of extinction due to emerging
and re-emerging diseases, that have been increasingly reported as a cause of death
and population decline of free-living wild animals. This can be illustrated by an
example of the impact of canine distemper on the Asiatic lion population in Gir
National Park and Sanctuary, the epizootic leading to considerable mortalities in the
lion population. The role of canids in the transmission of viruses such as rabies,
parvovirus, and canine distemper has been well documented.
3. The traditional grazing lands (Gairan lands) have diminished over the years in the
non-forest areas and have resulted in the livestock being herded into the protected
areas in search of adequate grazing areas. This creates competitive grazing and
close contact between domestic and wild animals resulting in dual damage to the
wild ecosystem in the form of inadequate nutrition as also disease transmission.
This, linked with the presence of large number of unproductive cattle venturing into
the nearby forests is also a serious issue, considering not only the heavy depletion
of the forage but also the greater threat of disease transmission.
4. Wildlife health programmes are also an essential component of the early warning
systems aimed at protecting the health of domestic animals, wildlife, and humans.
The World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) strongly encourages its members
to put an efficient monitoring system in place and notify outbreaks of diseases in
wild, feral, or partially domesticated animals, as practiced for other (domesticated)
animals. The OIE has stated that surveillance of wildlife diseases must be
considered equally important. Maharashtra has witnessed the outbreak of diseases
like avian influenza, FMD etc. where wild animal & bird species have succumbed to
death. There is thus a need to initiate effective surveillance in the domestic as well 38
as vulnerable wild species in the state.
5. Presently, the wildlife health management in the state of Maharashtra is addressed

through various instruments like:
• Provision of prophylactic immunization to the livestock within a 5 km radius from the

PA boundary, as mandated under Section 33 of Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972,
which is carried out by the Animal husbandry department;
• Avian Influenza management, set up under the State Animal Husbandry
Department;
• Ear-tagging of livestock and creating database by the Animal Husbandry
Department,
• Implementation of the prescriptions for the wildlife health management as provided
under the theme plans or wildlife health management chapters of the management
plans of PAs and tiger conservation plans of tiger reserves,
• The various wildlife health advisories issued by the MoEF & CC, NTCA, Central Zoo
Authority and ICAR-IVRI,
• Basic toxicological and parasitological studies and analysis are carried out at the
laboratories of Veterinary colleges at various places as and when required. Some of
the samples are also referred to the institutes like IVRI, Bareilly and NIHSAD,
Bhopal.
• The existing institutional set up within the state includes, the setting up of the Wildlife
Research and Training Centre (WRTC) at Gorewada- Nagpur, Transit treatment
centres and rescue centres attached to zoos or otherwise.
• There are two posts of Veterinary officers in the forest department on deputation
basis, and contractual or ad-hoc posts of veterinarians at WRTC, TTCs, rescue
centres, tiger conservation foundations and the Maharashtra Zoo Authority. 6 more
posts of Veterinary Officers have been created for the 6 Tiger Reserves along with
3 Posts of Assistant Animal Husbandry Commissioners and 1 post of Deputy
Commissioner, Animal Husbandry.
6. Understanding the issues of Wildlife Health Management is critical and essential for
overall wildlife management including the well-being of humans on this planet. Also,
disease plays a very important role in the population dynamics of several species of
wildlife. This understanding is vital for the management to make decisions for better
conservation practices especially for rare, threatened and vulnerable species of
wildlife. Similarly barring avian influenza, where we know that disease recurs in the
month of December-February, we do not have adequate knowledge of recurrence
of other diseases and there is a need to strengthen disease forecasting system,
surveillance and monitoring.
7. Although WRTC is in place with 11 positions of Veterinary professionals exclusively

sanctioned for wildlife-related activities, it requires further strengthening so that it
can take up most of the Wildlife Health Management-related research and also act
as a Training and Capacity building Centre for the state. The centre can coordinate
39
with the State animal husbandry department, field offices of the forest department,
higher academic and research institutes, NGOs, and local people. The centre can
act as a two-way communication node for assimilating and disseminating
information about disease outbreaks, standard operating procedures to be followed
in specific cases, and coordinating proper sample collection and testing, etc. This
centre can act as a key collaborator with the National and State level institutions.
The centre can be effectively roped in to oversee the implementation of the State
Wildlife Action Plan in coordination with various stakeholders and the Animal
Husbandry department and research laboratories of the Government of
Maharashtra and Government of India in the form of a centre of excellence.
8. There is a need for having a well-equipped Wildlife health laboratory. This facility will
be helpful in the timely diagnosis of the cause of wild animal mortality and also
generate critical information on the species biology, physiology, disease
susceptibility and threats especially for the lesser-known and least studied species
for their better management. WRTC at Gorewada Nagpur and SGNP, Mumbai can
play an important role and have the advantage in terms of location and ease of
coordination with higher academic and research institutions.
9. The State does not have a state level wildlife health advisory committee having an
overarching role to advise the state Govt. on various aspects of Wildlife health
management and to advise the wildlife disease centres from time to time.
Constituting such a committee under the chairmanship of the Principal Secretary
Forests and other members like PCCF WL, Commissioner Animal Husbandry,
Representatives of WII, IVRI, CCMB, NIHSAD, WRTC Gorewada, MAFSU, NGOs
working in the field and other eminent persons can provide a great impetus and
regular inputs in the field of wildlife health management in the state.
10. There are several animals other than rare and endangered species that need
treatment and intensive care. Few animals need to be permanently housed as they
are not in a position to be rehabilitated. Some such centres are operated by NGOs
in the state. There is a need to bring them under a single network, facilitated by an
online platform specifically designed for the purpose. The Forest Department can
evaluate such centres from time to time and also support them as and when
required.
11. Key objectives which are considered while developing an effective Wildlife Health
Management Program for the State of Maharashtra are summarized as:
• Strengthening the existing wildlife health management infrastructure in the state.

• Identifying threats to wild animals from infectious and non-infectious diseases.
• Developing an effective surveillance and monitoring system for wild animal diseases
in collaboration with and by leveraging joint capabilities of the animal husbandry
department, forest department, and academic/research institutions.
• Evolving an efficient disease forecasting system and developing a disease
forecasting model. Following a more proactive role, rather than a reactive health
management mechanism, such as developing a protocol for regular health
assessment of wild animals for long-term conservation and developing state-specific 40
SOPs for dealing with disease threats.
• Identifying emerging infectious diseases in the state including susceptible wildlife

species, suggesting general measures for their control and building up a database
of the prevalent diseases in the state.
• Strengthening management of wild animals in distress including those in conflict and
those critically injured, which would also entail the health screening of animals to be
released back into their natural habitat.
• Addressing concerns in the area of legal and illegal wildlife trade regarding the
movement of exotic species and wild pets and developing a policy & guidelines.
• Managing locally over-abundant wild animal populations considering the local
conflict and the risk of spread of disease.
41
Pic: Dr. Shirish Upadhyay

Wildlife Research and Training Centre, Gorewada
ACTIONS REQUIRED
Strengthen the institutional, organizational and administrative set up of
01 the state wildlife health management system for ensuring more effective
wildlife health management.
02
Initiate and strengthen the field level disease surveillance, monitoring
and disease forecasting mechanism as part of a proactive strategy.
03
Revisit, revamp the existing prophylactic measures for ensuring better
efficacy and outcome and develop a mechanism for their evaluation.
04
Initiate measures for managing the population of feral/unproductive
livestock and managing the spread of the disease in the wild population.
Ensure proper capacity building of the frontline staff & the health
05 professionals for dealing with the wildlife health management issues
more professionally.
06 Minimise the human-livestock to wild animal interface.
42
Pic: TTC Nagpur

Treating the injured tiger in treatment cage at TTC.
PRIORITY PROJECTS
Establish the ‘Maharashtra Wildlife - Health Centre’ by notifying and
developing WRTC, Gorewada as a Wildlife Health Management Centre
using the existing infrastructure and human resources.
Responsibility: Govt. of Maharashtra, Forest and Animal Husbandry
Department, PCCF WL, MAFSU.
Establish a well-equipped disease diagnostic laboratory for the analysis

of the wild animal samples, with a state-of-the-art facility to cater to the
1.2
emerging challenges being faced by wild animals.

Responsibility: Forest Department, MAFSU, Director, SGNP.
Establish a centre of excellence on wildlife disease at WRTC,

Gorewada in collaboration with MAFSU, Nagpur and under the overall
supervision & monitoring of the PCCF WL.
Responsibility: Government of Maharashtra, Forest Department,
MAFSU, WII.
Develop and maintain a repository of samples from the wild, preferably

at WRTC Gorewada, with a proper storage and retrieval system for
understanding the long term disease dynamics through the study of the
1.4
collected samples of wild animals and other species.

Responsibility: Government of Maharashtra, Forest Department,
MAFSU, WII
Develop a network of hospitals and rescue centres working in the field

of wildlife disease/health management and ensure greater exchange of
1.5
data and expertise.

Responsibility: PCCF WL, CCF Territorial.
Constitute a State level Wildlife Health Advisory Committee under the

chairmanship of Principal Secretary, Forests.

43 Responsibility: Govt. of Maharashtra, Forest Department, Animal
Husbandry Department.
Identify and authorize a nodal officer at the state level for standardising
& procuring the drugs and equipment used in wildlife health
1.7
management and rescue operations.

Responsibility: PCCF WL.
Create a regular cadre of wildlife veterinarians in the forest department

at the district level, which can be a part of the TTC and RRU’s to be
established in each district of the state.
Responsibility: Government of Maharashtra, Forest Department &
Animal Husbandry Department.
Identify the interface areas (zone of interaction between wildlife,

domestic livestock and humans) in the state and establish effective and
long-term disease surveillance & monitoring system for common
2.1
diseases. Prioritize diseases and species to be monitored within and
outside protected areas.

Responsibility: Forest Department, WII, MAFSU, Commissioner, AHD.
Develop a site-specific SOP for the disease threat. Develop a protocol

for regular health assessment of wild animals for long-term
2.2
conservation.

Responsibility: Forest Department, WII, MAFSU.
Develop a disease forecasting model/system at the state level so as to

address the potential threat more proactively by incorporating data of
various epidemic diseases and the real-time reporting of emerging and
2.3
re-emerging diseases from the field.

Responsibility: Forest Department, WII, MAFSU, Animal Husbandry
Department.
Take up wildlife health related research projects of different durations,

both under ex-situ and in-situ conditions for better understanding of
2.4
various aspects of wildlife diseases and wild animal health.

44
3.1 Identify select wildlife diseases for developing effective preventive

strategies. Also evaluate the existing livestock vaccination programs for
its effectiveness by conducting post vaccination evaluation and

monitoring.

Responsibility: Forest Department, WII, MAFSU, IVRI.
Initiate population management measures for stray cattle, dogs, and

livestock in and around PA’s and sensitive habitats on a priority basis.

Responsibility: Forest Department, Animal Husbandry Department,
NGO’s and Local LDOs.
Develop a wildlife health management plan that would address

strategies for the population management of domestic animals and feral
animals near wilderness areas. Develop policies and framework to
4.2
encourage local germplasm.

Responsibility: Forest Department, Animal Husbandry Department,
NGOs and Local LDOs.
Develop and implement a protocol for stringent checking of pet

markets, illegal wildlife trade centres and also proper screening and
release protocol in areas like rescue centres, zoos, and wilderness etc.
4.3
to avoid possible contamination with the wild population.

Responsibility: Forest Department, MZA, Animal Husbandry
Department, NGO’s and Local LDOs.
Design and implement the programs for capacity building of the frontline
staff with respect to health assessment of wild animals, identification of
disease and infirmity, rescue and rehabilitation, field procedures for
5.1 treatment, animal handling, biological sampling etc.

Organize Capacity building sessions for veterinarians working with the

state animal husbandry department in managing wild animal health
issues. Also prepare and continuously update the database of
5.2
veterinarians who have gained capacities to handle wildlife health
issues.

45 Responsibility: Forest Department, WII, MAFSU.
Encourage the Agriculture and Animal Husbandry department to grow
more forage crops and ensure adequate availability of forage in non-
forest areas.
Responsibility: Animal Husbandry Department, Agriculture
Department, Forest Department.
Avoid frequent interaction of wild animals and other domestic species

on waterholes and other mutually shared resources. Take strict
measures to avoid cattle and other domestic animals encroaching into
6.2 the wild.

46
Pic: TTC, Nagpur

There are wide variety if wildlife including birds, reptiles etc., which are rescued and treated.
47
Lonar lake, which is now a Ramsar site

and Wildlife Sanctuary is a unique geo-
heritage site in the State of
Maharashtra.
Pic: Vinit Arora

1. Wetlands occupy about 3 per cent of the geographical area of the State and
contribute significantly to its economy through water supply, agriculture, fisheries,
forestry and tourism. They perform a wide range of ecosystem services like water
storage, water purification, flood mitigation, erosion control, aquifer recharge,
microclimate regulation and a host of cultural and recreational services. Wetlands
are home to a wide range of biodiversity, which includes many threatened species.
Some of the major inland wetlands in the State are Lonar (Buldhana), Nandur
Madhmeswar (Nashik), Jaikwadi (Aurangabad), Ujani (Pune), Yeldari (Parbhani),
Navegaon (Gondia), Hatnur (Jalgaon), and Irai (Chandrapur).
2. The Wetland (Conservation and Management) Rules, 2010, enacted by

Government of India under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 came into force
on 4th December 2010. It was subsequently replaced by the Wetland (Conservation
and Management) Rules, 2017. These rules define wetland as “an area of marsh,
peatland or water; natural or artificial, permanent or temporary, with water that is
static or flowing, fresh, brackish or salt, including areas of marine water, the depth
of which at low tide does not exceed six meters and includes all inland and coastal
waters such as lakes, reservoirs, tanks, backwaters, lagoons, creeks, estuaries and
manmade wetlands, but does not include river channels and paddy fields”.
3. Maharashtra Wetland Atlas, prepared as a part of the project on National Wetland

Inventory and Assessment, published in May, 2010, mapped 20,219 inland wetlands
in the State on a scale of 1:50,000. Out of this, 3,578 are natural inland wetlands,
constituting an area of 3,09,034 ha, whereas 16,641 are manmade inland wetlands,
constituting an area of 5,77,114 ha. The percentage of inland wetland area to the
total wetland area of the State is 87.35 per cent. The natural inland wetland types in
the State are (i) river/stream, (ii) lakes/ponds, (iii) waterlogged areas, (iv) ox-bow
lakes/cut-off meanders and (v) riverine wetlands, whereas the manmade inland
wetland types are (i) tanks/ponds, (ii) reservoirs/barrages and (iii) waterlogged
areas. In addition to this, 21,668 wetlands, mainly tanks below 2.25 ha. have been
identified, which were far too small to be recognised in the State Atlas. They
constitute 2.14 per cent of the total wetland area of the State. This suggests that the
total inland wetlands comprise about 90 per cent of the total wetland area of the
State.
4. Based on physical features, the State can be divided into three parts viz. the Konkan
or Coastal Strip, the Western Ghats or Sahyadri and the Maharashtra Plateau. Each
part has its own distinct inland aquatic systems. Major wetland types in Konkan are
rivers/streams originating from the Sahyadri mountain ranges, followed by
tanks/ponds and reservoirs/barrages. The river basins in Konkan have a drainage
area of 31,667 km2, which is a little more than10 per cent of the geographical area
of the State. Many east and west flowing rivers in the State originate from the
Sahyadri mountains and thus play a vital role in major drainage systems in the State.
The wetland types in Sahyadri Range are rivers/streams followed by 48
reservoirs/barrages and tanks/ponds. The Maharashtra Plateau forms major part of
the State and the main wetland types in this region are reservoirs/barrages followed
by rivers/streams and tanks/ponds. The Godavari and Krishna River basins are the
major basins in the State, followed by Tapi and Narmada River basins.
5. Many inland wetlands in the State are threatened by reclamation and degradation
through drainage and landfill, pollution (discharge of domestic and industrial
effluents, disposal of solid wastes), infestation by invasive alien species,
hydrological alteration (water withdrawal and changes in inflow and outflow), effects
of draw down cultivation (Galpera), fertilizer and pesticide infiltration, weed-induced
succession changes, eutrophication, introduction of invasive fish species, sand and
boulder mining and over-exploitation of natural resources, resulting in loss of
biodiversity and disruption of ecosystem services.
6. At present, the wetlands in Protected Areas (PA) and territorial forests are mostly
managed by the Forest Department and those outside PA network are managed by
the Irrigation Department, Revenue Department, Urban Development Department,
Rural Development Department and the Environment and Climate Change
Department. Each department is managing the wetlands under its jurisdiction with a
specific set of objectives, often with little regard to the need to preserve their
biodiversity and respect for the ecosystem services they provide. Even wetlands
falling within Protected Areas and territorial forests have seldom been given the
importance they deserve in the Working Plans and Management Plans.
7. As per the provisions of the Wetland (Conservation and Management) Rules, 2017,
Government of Maharashtra has constituted the State Wetland Authority (SWA) on
6th February 2018, with the Hon’ble minister for Environment as the Chairman and
Principal Secretary (Environment) as the Vice Chairman. The members of SWA
include Secretaries of various Departments, the Chief Wildlife Warden and the
Member Secretaries of State Biodiversity Board and Maharashtra Pollution Control
Board. The responsibilities of the SWA include notifying the wetlands to be regulated
under the Wetland Rules, 2017, developing integrated management plan for each
of the notified wetlands, coordinating the implementation of integrated management
plans through various line departments and other concerned agencies and issuing
necessary directions for conservation and sustainable management of wetlands in
the State.
8. The Department of Environment and Climate Change, Government of Maharashtra

is currently implementing a centrally sponsored scheme, the ‘National Plan for
Conservation of Aquatic Eco-systems (NPCA)’ for conservation and management
of wetlands in the State. The scheme covers various activities like interception,
diversion and treatment of wastewater, shoreline protection, lake front development,
in-situ cleaning i.e., de-silting and de-weeding, storm water management, bio-
remediation, catchment area treatment, lake beautification, survey and demarcation,
bio-fencing, fisheries development, weed control, biodiversity conservation,
education and awareness and community participation. This scheme mainly focuses
on a few major lakes and ponds in the State.
49 9. The Forest Department is conserving various wetlands and their biodiversity inside
Protected Areas through various State and Centrally Sponsored Schemes. The
Social Forestry Wing of the Department is also implementing a scheme for a few
wetlands outside these areas. The “Mangrove and Marine Biodiversity Conservation
Foundation of Maharashtra (Mangrove Foundation)” has identified conservation of
wetlands in the State as one of its objectives and will be able to fund a few high
priority projects for conservation of inland as well as coastal wetlands.
10. In the Vidarbha region, Malguzari tanks, built by Gond Kings about 300 years ago,
had been serving the irrigation needs of paddy growers for long. These tanks are
designed in such a manner that the overflow from one tank fills up another one
downstream. Till 1950s the tanks were owned by local landlords (Malguzars) and
hence the name Maji Malguzari talav (Ma.Ma. Talav). Over 6,000 such tanks survive
even today, but a majority of them require rejuvenation by de-silting and
embankment repairs.
11. India is a signatory to the “Convention on Wetlands of International Importance,

especially as Waterfowl Habitats” or the Ramsar Convention. None of the wetlands
in the State were figuring in the list of Ramsar sites until recently, when two
wetlands viz. Nandur Madhameshwar in Nashik district and Lonar Lake in Buldhana
district were so designated. The State is in the process of getting this status
conferred to a few more wetlands, especially those in the Protected Areas.
12. Being a signatory to the UN Convention on “Conservation of Migratory Species of

Wild Animals (CMS)”, India is committed to the conservation of migratory birds and
their habitats to ensure their healthy populations in India and within their range
across the Central Asian Flyway. Accordingly, the “National Action Plan (NAP) for
Conservation of Migratory Birds and their Habitats along Central Asian Flyway
(2018-2023)” has been prepared. This plan has identified three major wetlands in
Maharashtra, namely Jaikwadi, Gangapur Dam, Nandur Madhameshwar and five
wetland clusters, namely, Mahul, Sewri Mudflats, Alibag, Thane Creek and Uran as
priority areas for conservation of migratory birds. The NAP has proposed various
actions at national, state and local levels, involving an array of stakeholders. This
includes inter alia, central government ministries, state government departments,
managers of Protected Areas, communities living in and around migratory bird
habitats, civil society and the private sector.
13. Sustainable conservation and management of these wetlands and its biodiversity
should be given priority through state action. The issues of overlapping jurisdictions,
divergent mandates, multiple regulations, lack of inter-departmental co-ordination,
capacity building of stakeholders and fund flow need to be addressed holistically.
Developing baseline information, rapid assessment of the condition of wetlands,
protection, catchment area treatment, treatment of sewage and pollutants, control
of invasive species, wise use of resources, stakeholder participation, integrated
planning, awareness, scientific research, local/national/international institutional
collaboration, citizen science and sustainable ecotourism are among some of the
activities that need to be strengthened.
50
ACTIONS REQUIRED
Prepare a comprehensive digital inventory of all wetlands. Identify
priority wetlands, prepare their “Brief Documents”, notify them and
designate wetlands of international importance as Ramsar Sites.
01 Conduct rapid assessment of “notified” and other important wetlands
(Use health report card and remote sensing & GIS technologies). For
notified wetlands and their zone of influence, develop a comprehensive
list of regulated and permitted activities.
02
Afforestation with native flora, soil binding grasses and assisted
regeneration works along with soil and moisture conservation works.
Assess water requirements of wetlands and wetland clusters. Dredging

03 of critically silted wetlands based on bathymetric profiles to improve
water availability. Rejuvenate the Malguzari tanks of Vidarbha.
04
Identify polluted stretches of rivers/streams and other wetlands.
Construct Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) of appropriate capacity.
Prepare a comprehensive State Wetland Biodiversity Register. Protect

the wetland habitats and associated biodiversity by strictly enforcing the
05
prescribed regulations on notified wetlands. Assess habitat quality and
species interactions. Conduct periodic population assessment of
species dependent on wetlands. Control invasive species. Conduct
periodic animal disease surveillance in the wetlands.
Formulate and implement ‘Single Species Action Plans’ for threatened

wetland and aquatic species such as the Smooth coated otter, Asian
small-clawed otter, Woolly necked stork, Sarus crane, Deccan mahseer,
06
Deccan barb, Deolali minnow etc. Promote migratory bird conservation
initiatives through local community participation including citizen science
groups. Expand the wetland protected area network. Develop and
effectively implement Integrated Management Plans for the notified
wetlands
Promote sustainable fishery and associated practices. Wetland based

micro-enterprises like ornamental fish culture, vegetable cultivation,
07 Agri-horticulture, medicinal plants cultivation etc. Promote ecotourism
through- Joint Forest Management Committees (JFMCs) and Village
Eco Development Committees (VEDCs). Promote cultural tourism.
Assess site-specific capacity development needs. Develop site and

stakeholder specific training material. Conduct dedicated training
programs for various stakeholders like enforcement officials, PRIs, field
51 08 staff and students. Enhance the capacity of local stakeholders. Create a
network of National Green Corps, Guides and Subject Matter
Specialists.
Monitor the population trends of wetland specific and associated flora
and fauna. Conduct holistic biodiversity studies across various seasons.
Conduct studies on upstream and downstream migration of selected
09 species of fish along rivers and streams and identify suitable
interventions such as fish ladders and other fish passage options to
facilitate such migration. Monitor wetland habitats- and their ecological
character.
Conduct “Management Effectiveness Evaluation’ of priority wetlands.
10
Create a decision support system. Strengthen the “ENVIS:
Maharashtra” website to act as a State Wetland Information Centre.
Publish periodic ‘Wetland Health Cards’
Establish a Wetland Research Centre in the State. Encourage

universities, research institutes, NGOs and researchers to conduct
dedicated, long-term and site-specific research. Seek cooperation from
11
and strengthen collaboration among local, national and international
institutions. Improve and strengthen cooperation between Central and
State Governments, Government Departments, Scientific Institutions,
PRIs and other stakeholders like corporate bodies. Activate the
functioning of the State Wetland Authority.
TABLE 1: CLASSIFICATION OF DIFFERENT ROAD TYPES OF INDIA
52
Pic: Vinit Arora

Small wetlands supporting migratory bird life
PRIORITY PROJECTS
Prepare and update site-specific Integrated Management Plans of
wetlands inside PAs and prioritised wetlands outside PAs in accordance
with the guidelines contained in the “National Plan for Conservation of
Aquatic Systems” and the “National Action Plan for Conservation of
1.1 Migratory Birds and their Habitats along the Central Asian Flyway”
(2018-2023).
Responsibility: Forest Department, Environment & Climate Change
Department.
Designate more wetlands in the State as Ramsar Sites. Examples of

potential Ramsar sites are Thane Creek, Sewri-Mahul mudflats, Ujani
(Pune), Jaikwadi (Aurangabad), Yeldari (Parbhani), Navegaon Dam
1.2 (Gondia), and Hatnur (Jalgaon).
Time frame: Every year from 2021.
Responsibility: State Wetland Authority through Environment and
Climate Change Department and Forest Department.
Afforest with native flora and soil binding grasses, maintain

environmental flows (water and sediments) of rivers and provide
2.1
minimum water levels during critical periods.
Time frame: Every year from 2021.
Responsibility: State Wetland Authority through Revenue, Irrigation
Department and other line departments.
Ensure integrated water management of wetlands and wetland clusters

through wetland restoration, soil & moisture conservation works.
Rejuvenate at least 500 Malguzari tanks in Vidarbha during this Plan
3.1 period.
Responsibility: Forest Department, State Wetland Authority through
Revenue, Irrigation Department and other line departments.
Identify polluted stretches of all Rivers/Streams/Nallas in the State and
4.1
initiate action for their restoration.
Time frame: Initiate by March, 2022 and Throughout the Plan period.
Responsibility: Maharashtra Pollution Control Board.
Prepare State Policy and Action Plan for the control of invasive alien
species for inland aquatic systems and implement it with cross-sectoral
5.1
coordination.
53
Responsibility: State Wetland Authority, Urban Development
Department, Water Resource Department.
Prioritize bio-diverse wetlands outside the PA network, notify and
manage them as per the Wetlands (Conservation and Management)
5.2
Rules, 2017.
Responsibility: State Wetland Authority, State Biodiversity Board and
line departments.
Develop State Wetland Biodiversity Register.

Responsibility: State Wetland Authority, Environment and Climate
Change Department, Forest Department and State Biodiversity Board
Identify bio-diverse wetlands in the State and include them in the PA

network as Community Reserve / Conservation Reserve or Wildlife
Sanctuary, as the case may be. Examine the feasibility of creating a
separate category of Protected Areas for wetlands under the Wildlife
6.1
(Protection) Act, 1972 and to extend the powers of Chief Wildlife
Warden to control, manage and maintain important wetland habitats
outside PAs.
Responsibility: MoEF & CC, Forest Department, State Wetland
Authority.
Develop and implement ‘Single Species Action Plans’ for at least 10

threatened wetland dependent species
Responsibility: Forest Department, Scientific Institutes, BNHS and
Suitable NGOs.
Identify and promote community based restoration and conservation of

wetlands such as sacred groves, fish sanctuaries etc.
7.1 Time frame: Every year from 2021.
Responsibility: State Wetland Authority through various line
departments, local communities, scientific institutes etc.
Promote sustainable ecotourism packages and cultural tourism in inland
wetlands.
7.2 Time frame: Every year from 2021.

Responsibility: State Wetland Authority through Forest Department,
Environment and Climate Change Department and Department of
Tourism and Cultural Affairs.
Promote sustainable inland fisheries using native species.

7.3 Time frame: Throughout the Plan Period.
Responsibility: Fisheries Department and Scientific institutes.
54
Promote wetland based micro-enterprises.

Responsibility: State Wetland Authority through various line
departments, suitable NGOs.
Promote sustainable agriculture and System of Rice Intensification

(SRI), especially in direct zone of influence of wetlands.
Responsibility: State Wetland Authority through Revenue Department,
Agriculture Department.
Capacity building of stakeholders.
8.1
Responsibility: State Wetland Authority through the Forest Department
(for the frontline staff), line departments, Scientific Institutes and
Suitable NGOs.
Conduct ‘Cumulative Impact Assessment’ to align major developmental

projects in rivers/river basins with conservation of wetland biodiversity to
identify suitable interventions such as fish ladders and other fish
9.1
passage options.
Time frame: Before implementation of a major developmental project.
Responsibility: State Wetland Authority, Irrigation Department, Forest
Department, Scientific Institutes, NEERI, Universities and Suitable
NGOs.
Undertake periodic monitoring of water quality and other physico-

chemical parameters of the wetlands in relation to their biodiversity, with
particular emphasis on migratory birds and other threatened species.
9.2 Time frame: Every year during migration season for birds, every year
for major fauna and every five years for other flora and fauna.
Responsibility: Forest Department, Scientific Institutes, Citizen
Science Groups, BNHS, SACON and suitable NGOs.
Strengthen the “ENVIS Centre: Maharashtra” website hosted by
Directorate of Environment to act as the State Wetland Information
10.1
Centre.
Responsibility: Directorate of Environment, Government of
Maharashtra and line departments.
Carry out ‘Management Effectiveness Evaluation’ of all wetlands inside
10.2
PAs and prioritised wetlands outside PAs as per MoEF & CC guidelines
at suitable intervals.
55
Time frame: Every two years from 2021.
Responsibility: State Wetland Authority, Forest Department and
Scientific institutes.
Activate State Wetland Authority and bring all matters related to inland
wetlands under its supervision for uniformity of actions. Approval of the
11.1
Authority must be made mandatory for development projects that may
impact notified wetland areas.
Time frame: By September, 2022.
Responsibility: State Wetland Authority.
Establish a wetland research centre in the state. Identify region/site

specific wetland research needs, carry out problem-oriented research
11.2
and help management to achieve the stated objectives.
Time frame: By December, 2021 and Throughout the Plan period.
Responsibility: State Wetland Authority through line departments,
research institutes and suitable NGOs.
Develop and implement communication and outreach programmes.

Responsibility: Forest Department, other line departments, suitable
institutes, suitable NGOs.
Promote inter-departmental/institutional/organizational coordination and
11.4
cooperation.
Responsibility: State Wetland Authority and line departments.
Identify suitable funding mechanisms to support wetland conservation

programmes. Initial funding to come from State Wetland Authority,
Mangrove Foundation, CAMPA, CSR funds, DPC funds and other
sources. Devise a separate scheme of the State Forest Department for
11.5
conservation of biodiversity-rich wetlands both inside and outside forest
areas.
Responsibility: Forest Department, Environment Department, other
line departments, suitable institutes, suitable NGOs.
56
57
58
59
Mangrove Habitat
Pic: Siddhesh Surve
1. Maharashtra has a long coastline of about 720 km, endowed with diverse habitats
such as sandy shores, rocky shores, mangrove forests and coral reefs. A sizable
population of the State resides close to the coastline and the coastal communities
depend heavily on the coastal and marine ecosystems for their livelihoods.
2. Maharashtra is a pioneer in establishing institutional mechanisms such as

‘Mangrove Cell’, ‘Mangrove and Marine Biodiversity Conservation Foundation’
(Mangrove Foundation) and ‘Mangrove Co-Management Committees’ for
conservation of coastal and marine species and ecosystems.
3. The interim order of the Hon’ble High Court of Bombay in PIL No.87 of 2006 dated
6th October 2005 and the final order dated 17 th September 2018 are watershed
guidelines in the approach to management of mangroves in the State. In the final
order, the High Court observed that the destruction of mangroves offends the
fundamental rights of the citizens under Article 21 of the Constitution of India.
Although these orders led to the declaration of large chunks of mangroves on
government land as forests, the process is yet to be completed, as a few government
agencies are still in possession of such mangrove bearing lands. As far as
mangroves on private lands are concerned, the High Court had directed in the
interim order that they should be declared as “forests”. However, in the final order,
the direction was modified and the State was directed to identify the mangrove lands
which were vested in it by virtue of section 3(1) of the Private Forest (Acquisition)
Act, 1975 and to take appropriate steps for transferring such lands to the Forest
Department. It was also made clear that it would be open for the State Government
to take recourse to Section 21 of the Private Forests (Acquisition) Act 1975 in
appropriate cases. Around 17,000 hectares of mangroves on government land has
been declared as reserved forests in Maharashtra.
4. There are two ‘Coastal and Marine Protected Areas’ in the State, viz. the ‘Thane
Creek Flamingo Sanctuary’ in Mumbai Suburban district, established in 2015 and
the ‘Malvan Marine Sanctuary’ in Sindhudurg district, established in 1987. The
former has dense swathe of mangroves and is rich in avian biodiversity, whereas
the latter is famous for its coral reefs and associated marine biodiversity.
5. Intertidal coral patches are found in all the coastal districts of the State, whereas
sub-tidal coral reefs are mainly found off the coast of the Sindhudurg district in
Southern Maharashtra. Coral reefs are critical to fisheries and protect coasts from
wave action and erosion. However, they are undergoing rapid destruction due to a
number of factors including destructive fishing techniques, siltation and
sedimentation, marine pollution, sewage and solid waste disposal and unregulated
tourism activities related to SCUBA Diving and Snorkeling. Additionally, climate
change and the consequent global warming are posing severe threat to the already
stressed coral reefs.
6. The mangrove forest cover in the State has registered a substantial increase in 60
recent years, rising from 186 sq.km. in 2013 to 320 sq.km. in 2019. This healthy
growth is attributable to effective protection measures, extensive mangrove
plantation programmes, enhanced natural regeneration and a general increase in

public awareness about the importance of mangrove ecosystems. Mangroves are
effective barriers against cyclones and storm surges and their high carbon
sequestration potential, gives them a special place in combating climate change.
They provide habitat to a number of threatened species of birds and other animals
and are critical to the sustenance of coastal fisheries. However, notwithstanding the
recent surge in mangrove cover, ongoing activities like diversion of mangrove land
for development and other land uses, expansion of urban slums, exploitation for fuel
wood, changes in fresh water flow due to natural and manmade causes etc. continue
to pose a serious threat to the mangroves of Maharashtra.
7. Sporadic nesting of Olive Ridley turtles are observed in the districts of Raigad,
Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg. The Forest Department of Maharashtra has been
implementing several conservation programmes for these sea turtles in association
with the local communities and regional NGOs. However, the sea turtle conservation
programme faces several challenges such as developmental activities on beaches,
unsustainable beach tourism practices and changes in the geomorphology of
beaches, all of which shrink the beach space available for nesting. These problems
are further compounded by climate change and associated issues such as global
warming, sea level rise etc.
8. Sand dunes are threatened due to a variety of reasons such as clearing for illegal
infrastructure, unsustainable tourism activities, incidental planting of green belts,
sand mining etc.
9. Coastal wetlands in Maharashtra are an important habitat for many migratory water
birds, which visit the State during the winter season. These wetlands form a vital
component of the Central Asian Flyway, which is used by millions of birds during
their to-and-fro migration from Central Asian region to the Indian Subcontinent.
These coastal wetlands are also threatened due to developmental activities and
unsustainable tourism practices. Shrinking of Thane Creek due to heavy silt load
and loss of mudflats due to invasion of mangroves are also areas of major concern.
10. The ‘Mangrove Cell’ and ‘Mangrove Foundation’ have introduced several
sustainable livelihood activities in the coastal villages, primarily aquaculture-based
programmes and ecotourism initiatives, to secure the participation of local
communities in coastal and marine biodiversity conservation. There is tremendous
scope to expand the coverage of these activities to more coastal villages, adopt
better technologies to improve the productivity of these aquaculture-based
programmes and to usher in novel cutting edge technologies suitable for
Maharashtra coast.
11. Conservation efforts in the marine environment have so far been restricted to
territorial waters of the State and the country, while the vast range of ecosystems in
the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of the country have received little attention.
Angria Bank is a submerged bank in the Arabian Sea, situated about 100 km. off the
coast of Maharashtra, but falling within the EEZ of the Country. It is a marine
61
biodiversity hotspot with stunning coral diversity and an assemblage of associated
fauna. The ‘Mangrove Cell’ had initiated some exploratory surveys of this site in
collaboration with other partner institutions. It is imperative that this site gets
appropriate legal protection and the periodic monitoring of the biodiversity of this site
becomes an important activity in future. Sustainable tourism potential of this site also
needs to be explored seriously.
12. The ‘Mangrove Cell’ and the ‘Mangrove Foundation’ have carried out several studies
regarding the status, distribution and population assessment of some coastal and
marine species in the State, such as corals, near-shore cetaceans, otters, sea
snakes, coastal avifauna, etc. The scope and coverage of such research studies
need to be expanded.
13. Coastal ecosystems are extremely vulnerable to climate change and the spread of
invasive species. It is therefore imperative to investigate, quantify and monitor the
impacts of climate change on marine biodiversity and its possible relationship with
invasive species.
14. A plethora of institutions and agencies work in the coastal zone with overlapping and
sometimes conflicting objectives. A conscious effort to bring cross sectoral
coordination between all such organizations and to mainstream biodiversity goals
into their working, to the extent possible, is the need of the hour.
15. Coastal zones are the hub of many economic activities, but the impact of such
activities on coastal and marine biodiversity seldom gets the attention it deserves.
Often, well-meaning programmes result in unintended negative environmental
consequences. Construction of sea walls altering the beach geomorphology,
plantations of Casuarina spp. impacting turtle nesting sites, coastal dredging
disturbing the benthic fauna and construction of Kharland bunds affecting
mangroves are some such examples. Many developmental activities planned along
the coastal region also could have similar adverse impacts in future, especially on
ecologically sensitive habitats.
16. The international trade in endangered species of marine animals and their products
such as sea cucumber, sea horse, shark fin, sea shells etc. is increasing alarmingly.
A concerted strategy to combat marine wildlife trafficking needs to be put in place.
17. The Mangrove Cell has established a “Coastal and Marine Biodiversity Centre” at
Airoli, Navi Mumbai, which sensitizes the visitors towards coastal and marine
biodiversity conservation.
18. Some areas of high conservation value in Maharashtra are Ansure Creek, Aare-
ware, Jaigad and Kille Nivati (rich mangrove areas); rocky shores of Undi, Kasheli,
Ambolgadh, Ganeshgule; satellite wetlands such as TS Chanakya, NRI Complex
(Sea Woods), Belpada, Bhendkhal and Panje (important roosting sites for birds from
Thane Creek Flamingo Sanctuary). The Mangrove Foundation had commissioned
a study to Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) in which high conservation value
sites with respect to migratory water birds in coastal Maharashtra have been
identified. Apart from these, the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) and the BNHS have
identified some high conservation value areas in coastal Maharashtra.
62
ACTIONS REQUIRED
Strengthen the Coastal and Marine Protected Area (CMPA) network
01 and its management in the State with active participation of
stakeholders, both in governance and decision making.
Develop a ‘Climate Action Plan for the Coastal Region of Maharashtra”,
02
in sync with the “State Climate Change Action Plan”, with special
emphasis on ‘Climate Change Adaptation’ (CCA) and ‘Disaster Risk
Reduction’ (DDR).
Undertake ‘Coastal and Marine Habitats Restoration Programme’,

03 especially for mangroves, coral reefs, turtle nesting sites, intertidal
zone, sand dunes, etc.
Initiate programmes for long term studies and monitoring of threatened

04 coastal and marine species, mitigation of human-marine species
conflicts as well as rescue and rehabilitation of marine species.
05
Prepare guidelines for management of marine invasive species in
Maharashtra.
Expand the scope of management interventions and ensure protection

06 to biodiversity-rich areas outside the territorial waters, but falling within
the EEZ of India.
Establish a special Centre for strengthening the knowledge
07
management system of coastal and marine biodiversity and their
conservation in the State and the country, in coordination with a network
of related organizations.
Encourage the local communities to implement sustainable livelihood
08
activities such as sustainable aquaculture activities, viz. mud crab
farming, fish cage culture, bivalve farming, ornamental fish culture and
sustainable coastal and marine ecotourism.
Ensure capacity building of the Forest department staff and other line
09
department officials and also conduct regular awareness and outreach
programmes for the officials and general public regarding conservation
of coastal and marine biodiversity in the State.
10 Provide stronger legal backing for the mangrove conservation.
63
PRIORITY PROJECTS
Initiate actions for conserving identified important areas, rationalize PA
1.1 boundaries, transfer important areas to mangrove cell & improve inter-
agency coordination.
Make priority listing of all the areas of conservation importance and

1.2 consider them for inclusion in the PA network as ‘Conservation’ or
‘Community Reserves’.
Make efforts to declare the only marine sacred grove of mangroves
1.3
having population of Heritiera littoralis, found at Dangobachi Rai, Kille
Nivati in Sindhudurg district as community reserve or “Biodiversity
Heritage Site”.
Make efforts to get the ‘Blue Flag’ designation to some of the pristine
beaches in Maharashtra like Achra (Sindhudurg), Guhagar (Ratnagiri),
and Dive Agar (Raigad).
Responsibility: Forest Department, NGOs, scientific institutions/
organisations.
Transfer mangrove areas under the possession of organisations such

as MMRDA, MHADA, CIDCO etc., to the Forest Dept. and declare such
areas as reserved forests. Similarly, consider for transfer identified
private lands bearing significant mangrove cover to the Forest
Department by taking recourse to either Section 3(1) or section 21 of
1.5 Private Forests (Acquisition) Act, 1975 as applicable.

Responsibility: Forest Department, Urban Development Department,
Revenue Department and other relevant State government
departments.
Share the approved Management Plans for Thane Creek Flamingo
1.6
Sanctuary and Malvan Marine Sanctuary with MoEF&CC so that they
are incorporated in the Integrated Management Plan for all CMPAs in
the Country.
Rationalize the boundaries of the Malvan Marine Sanctuary (MMS), as

suggested in the Management Effectiveness Evaluation Report taking
1.7
into consideration the concerns of the local community with respect to
their livelihood activities. Complete the study (WII) regarding the areas
to be included and excluded from the sanctuary. Revise the
Management Plan accordingly. 64
Time frame: Complete the study by December 2021 and rationalize

sanctuary by December, 2023.
Responsibility: Forest Department, WII, MoEF&CC.
Develop a ‘Climate Action Plan for the Coastal Region of Maharashtra,’

in sync with the “State Climate Change Action Plan”, with special
emphasis on ‘Climate Change Adaptation’ (CCA) and ‘Disaster Risk
2.1
Reduction’ (DDR).

Responsibility: Environment and Climate Change Department, NGOs,
scientific institutions/organisations.
Develop and implement ‘Coastal and Marine Habitats Restoration

3.1 Plans’, especially for mangroves, coral reefs, intertidal zones, sand
dunes and sea turtle nesting sites.
Prepare a Mangrove Atlas of the State to identify ‘Critical Mangrove
3.2
Areas’ and areas suitable for restoration through artificial regeneration
as well as ‘Assisted Natural Regeneration’ and take up plantation/
natural regeneration on such sites every year.
Implement stringent tourism regulation for the Coral reefs of Malvan.

There is a risk of major destruction of corals due to boat anchoring and
3.3
tourists trampling on coral boulders. A few floating buoys for boat
anchor will help avoid reef damage. Work out guidelines for tour
operators in collaboration with District Administration of Sindhudurg and
enforce them.
3.4
Take up coral transplantation works in Malvan, Vijaydurg and other
suitable sites to partially restore the lost coral cover of the State.
3.5
Evaluate the impacts of illegal sand mining on the shore morphology
and suggest appropriate mitigation measures.
Map the existing Kharland bunds and assess their current and potential
3.6 impacts on mangroves. No new bunds should be allowed in ‘critical
mangrove areas’.
Work out mitigation strategies to prevent ingress of sea water in many

coastal lands and freshwater aquifers, making them saline and
agricultural land non-productive. This would be done in collaboration
3.7
with Agriculture, Irrigation, Revenue, Environment and other related
Departments.

65 Responsibility: Forest Department, Environment Department,
Agriculture Department , Revenue Department and Irrigation
Department, Mangrove Foundation, NGOs, scientific
institutions/organisations.
Prepare a ‘State Marine Turtle Action Plan’ based on the ‘National

4.1 Marine Turtle Action Plan’, which will act as a guiding document
regarding marine turtle conservation and tourism activities in the State.
Implement strict regulations for recreational activities such as use of

4.2 beach vehicles, horse riding, etc. on all known sea turtle nesting
beaches along with adoption of Turtle-friendly illumination.
4.3
Take up community based beach-cleaning programmes to ensure clean
and safe beaches for sea turtles.
4.4
Try out beach nourishing through soft structures in identified turtle
nesting sites.
Revisit all Casuarina plantations on existing and potential sea turtle

nesting beaches to take a decision on their removal. Such areas must
be clearly marked and maintained as natural as possible.
4.5 Time frame: Initiate by September 2021 and carry on throughout the
plan period.
Responsibility: Forest Department, Mangrove cell and Foundation,
Tourism Department, NGOs, scientific institutions/organisations.
Initiate and conduct long term research and monitoring programmes to
4.5.1
understand migration patterns, breeding and feeding habitat
requirements of threatened migratory marine species for their effective
conservation and also to mitigate human-marine species conflicts.
Initiate long term research projects on threatened species of

elasmobranchs, cetaceans and sea turtles, which will reveal the
feeding, breeding and nursery grounds of these animals (e.g. satellite
tagging of Whale Sharks, research on Arabian Sea Humpback Whale
4.5.2 etc.).
Time frame: Throughout the plan period.

Responsibility: Forest Department, Mangrove Foundation,
MoEF&CC, NGOs, scientific institutions/organisations.
Undertake mapping of all foraging and pupping sites of the Smooth-
4.5.3
coated Otter.
Forest Department, NGOs, scientific institutions/organizations
4.5.4
Initiate long-term studies on the coral reefs in the State and mapping of 66
sea grass areas.

Responsibility: Forest Department, Mangrove cell and Mangrove
Foundation, NGOs, scientific institutions and MoEF&CC.
Initiate research projects for the study of breeding and nursery grounds
of threatened elasmobranches and cetaceans in the near shore and off
shore waters of Maharashtra on the lines of the 3-year satellite tagging
4.5.5
research study of Olive Ridley turtles in Maharashtra with WII.
Time frame: Throughout the Plan Period.

Responsibility: Forest Department, Fisheries Department, NGOs,
Establish ‘Marine Animals Rescue and Release Teams’ and ‘Transit

4.6 Treatment Centres’ for the treatment of stranded and injured marine
animals such as sea turtles and cetaceans (dolphins, porpoises).
Strengthen the ‘Marine Respondents Group’ formed by the Mangrove

Cell for Mumbai and surrounding regions, consisting of citizen
4.6.1
volunteers, NGOs, veterinary doctors and staff of Forest Department.
Strengthen such groups which are also active in other coastal districts
of the State and bring them under a common umbrella to ensure proper
coordination and capacity building.
The Forest Department has established ‘Turtle Transit Treatment

Centre’ at Dahanu (Palghar District) and Airoli (Thane District).
Establish similar Centres in the remaining coastal districts like Raigad,
4.6.2
Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg.

Responsibility: Forest Department, Mangrove Cell and Mangrove
Foundation, NGOs, scientific institutions/ organisations.
Undertake a project for developing and implementing an action plan on

the invasive alien species in the coastal and marine ecosystems of the
State and for addressing the problem of solid waste in marine and
coastal ecosystems.
5.1 Time frame: Throughout the plan period.

Responsibility: Environment Department, Forest Department,
Fisheries Department, Urban Development Department (Municipal
Corporations/councils) Mangrove Cell, NGOs, scientific
6.1
Identify and manage important marine biodiversity areas outside the
territorial waters but within the EEZ of India.
67
Pursue the proposal submitted by the Government of Maharashtra to
6.2 the Ministry of External Affairs, for declaration of the ‘Angira Bank’, as a
‘Designated Area’ under the Maritime Zones Act, 1976.
Responsibility: Forest Department, MoEF&CC, Ministry of External
Affairs, Ministry of Earth Sciences, Mangrove Cell.
Undertake and promote periodic expeditions to the Angria Bank and

other potentially rich marine biodiversity areas in the EEZ, which are off
the coast of Maharashtra.
6.3 Time frame: Throughout the plan period.

Responsibility: Forest Department, MoEF&CC, Ministry of External
Affairs, Ministry of Earth Sciences, NGOs, scientific institutions/
organisations.
Establish a Centre for developing and managing a ‘Digital Knowledge

Management and Support System’ for sustainable management of
coastal and marine biodiversity of the State, in coordination with a
7.1
network of related organisations.

Responsibility: Mangrove Cell, Line departments, NGOs, scientific
Expand sustainable alternative livelihood activities through the
8.1
involvement of coastal communities in the State to conserve mangroves
and marine biodiversity and provide them with an alternative source of
income.
Increase the coverage of the “Mangrove Conservation and Livelihood

Generation Scheme” being implemented by the ‘Mangrove Cell’ from
110 villages as at present to at least 300 villages by 2031.
8.2 Time frame: From December 2021 throughout the plan period.
Responsibility: Mangrove Cell and Mangrove Foundation, Forest
Department, Fisheries Department, Revenue Department.
Complete the work of the ‘Multi-species Hatchery’ planned at

Ubhadanda, Vengurla, in Sindhudurg district. This hatchery will give a
boost to the mud crab, sea bass and bivalve aquaculture activities in the
8.3
State.

Department, Fisheries Department.
Undertake research regarding the development of other sustainable

8.4 livelihood opportunities (e.g. introduction of cutting edge aquaculture
technologies) on a priority basis.
68
Time frame: Initiate in April 2022 and carry out throughout the Plan
Period.
9.1
Undertake capacity building and outreach activities for mangrove better
mangrove conservation.
Projects for the capacity building of the officers and frontline staff of the
9.2 State Forest Department and other relevant departments and agencies
for managing coastal and marine ecosystems in the State.
Undertake similar projects for awareness generation programmes for

9.3 the general public with regard to coastal and marine biodiversity
conservation.
Establish a ‘Giants of the Sea’ museum at the CMBC Airoli. Establish

Mangrove Parks at places such as Gorai, Dahisar, etc. in Mumbai. Set
up an interpretation centre in Malvan, focusing on marine biodiversity.
Department, NGOs, scientific institutions/organizations.
10.1
Provide legal strength to mangrove conservation by amending existing
legal provisions.
Suggest suitable amendments for incorporation in the Wildlife

(Protection) Act, 1972 for better conservation of the coastal and marine
biodiversity in the State so as to bring under its ambit, biodiversity-rich
areas outside territorial waters, such as the Angria Bank, and to include
additional marine species which are endangered in the schedules.
10.2 Constitute a committee regarding the said matter and a proposal in this
regard should be submitted to the MoEF&CC.

Responsibility: Forest Department, NGOs, scientific
institutions/organisations and MoEF&CC.
Initiate steps in coordination with the State Fisheries Department to

amend the State ‘Marine Fisheries Regulation Act’ for promoting
sustainable fisheries in the State and for the conservation of its coastal
10.3
and marine biodiversity.

69 scientific institutions/organisations.
Initiate action for empowering the forest officers suitably under Section
19 of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 (EPA-1986) to enable
them to take cognizance of violations in the Coastal Regulation Zones
(CRZ) Notification. Pursue this matter which the Government of
10.4 Maharashtra has already taken up with MoEF&CC.

Responsibility: Forest Department, Environment Department and
MoEF&CC.
70
Pic: Hrishikesh Rane

Solitary coral – Corals are the indicator of a healthy marine ecosystem.
71
72
Pic: Nayan Khanolkar

Flamingos and Mumbai city
73
Pic: Sh. Nitin H. Kakodkar

Tourism in Tadoba
1. Natural spaces in Maharashtra exist in various forms - pristine forests, the majestic
hills of the Western Ghats, rolling grasslands, scrub forests, mangroves, rivers,
lakes, wetlands, beaches, ocean, and coral reefs. These areas support high floral
and faunal biodiversity, including the tiger, leopard, wild buffalo, gaur, sloth bear,
blackbuck, Great Indian Bustard, marsh crocodiles, whales, dolphins, birds, insects
and a variety of trees, shrubs, and herb species in addition to the diversity seen in
the lower plants. Coupled with our vast cultural and architectural heritage,
Maharashtra has much to offer to its visitors, and bring revenue to the local economy
through livelihood opportunities. The State holds much promise to make a paradigm
shift towards sustainable ecotourism that provides experiential opportunities to the
visitors and at the same time benefits for the locals.
For the purpose of this chapter, Ecotourism in wildlife areas will be defined as
“Responsible travel to the Protected Areas and other wildlife rich areas, that
conserves the environment and improves the well-being of local people.”
Seen through this lens, Ecotourism can be a powerful tool for conservation of
wildlife and its habitat, and for livelihood and employment generation. Natural
habitats and landscapes should be open to ecotourism development, subject to
scientific and social evaluation, the availability of management capacity and
safeguards for ensuring the protection of ecologically vulnerable sites and species.
Many policy and strategy statements of the state government emphasize the
importance as well as the concerns of sustainable tourism/ecotourism in
development and environmental conservation, and therefore, it is necessary to
strive further so that the laudable objectives mentioned therein continue to be
implemented on the ground.
2. The World Economic Forum ranked India as the sixth richest nation in the world in
terms of natural assets (2017) but, a poor 110 out of 136 in terms of attractiveness
to tourists, 113 in terms of the importance accorded to this sector by the
government, and an embarrassing 139, out of 141 countries, in the sustainable
ecotourism index. A sound ecotourism action plan can certainly assist the country
in safeguarding crucial ecosystems, especially outside Protected Areas, by
generating income for local communities in a renewable manner. This in turn is
likely to reduce the degradation of existing forests and marine ecosystems.
3. National Eco Tourism Policy and Guidelines, 1998, formulated by the Ministry of
Tourism, Government of India was the first official document, which defined the
contours of ecotourism in India. National Tourism Policy, 2002, also highlighted the
need to encourage visitation to natural areas as central to the development of
tourism in the country. The National Environmental Policy, 2006, provides for
building capacities of local people to provide ecotourism services in Protected
Areas (PAs).
The National Wildlife Action Plans, (2002-2016 and 2017-2031) emphasize the 74
need to stipulate integrated guidelines for tourism. In fact, the latter endorses
ecotourism in unequivocal terms, as having the “potential to be a vital conservation

tool”.
The Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEF&CC)

Ecotourism Policy, which was drafted in 2011 and subsequently, the tourism
guidelines, drafted by the National Tiger Conservation Authority in 2012, have also
highlighted the benefits of tourism for local communities and conservation. The
policy also suggested a model to share revenue collected from the tourism
activities with local communities.
4. Many states have evolved their own ecotourism policies and guidelines including
Maharashtra, Sikkim, Gujarat, Kerala, Himachal Pradesh, Assam, Punjab, Tamil
Nadu, and Karnataka, amongst others.
4.1 The existing Ecotourism Policy for Maharashtra enacted on February 20, 2008,
prioritises conservation of popular tourist destinations such as national parks,
sanctuaries, tiger reserves, forts in forest areas, water bodies, waterfalls and other
aesthetically beautiful areas. The policy recognises that people, whose livelihood
is dependent upon local resources, must benefit from it economically so that they
conserve the area as a matter of self-interest.
4.2 The policy further emphasizes strengthening the Joint Forest Management (JFM)
and Village Eco-development (VED) Committees so that local communities play a
pivotal role in the conservation of their natural heritage with sound guidance from
expert consultants. The expert consultants have been bestowed with the
responsibility of building capacity of local communities to develop, prepare
estimates, monitor progress and finally implement ecotourism activities in potential
sites in association with the Forest Department.
4.3 In consonance with the Ecotourism Policy 2008, Maharashtra has established the
Maharashtra Ecotourism Board on December 08, 2015 under the Societies Act,
1860 and the Bye-Laws of this Board have been approved on January 28, 2016.
4.4 To promote Home stays in PA and forest fringe villages, the Government of
Maharashtra has issued guidelines vide a circular dated 26th February 2016.
4.4 Guidelines have also been issued by the Government of Maharashtra on March
28, 2018 for implementing the ‘Ecotourism’ (Nisarg Bhraman) scheme. In order to
give an impetus to activities such as nature trails, bird watching, nursery tourism,
adventure sports, identification of flora/plants, etc.; bring them under unified
control; and also to give boost to forest tourism, a proposal of registration of
interested farmers, industrialists, subject experts and non-governmental
organizations with the Maharashtra Ecotourism Board has also been approved by
the Government of Maharashtra.
5. The Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) was established in

January 1975 for sustainable and long-term development of tourism in the State,
75
while the Maharashtra Eco-tourism Development Board was established in 2015,
which encourages ecotourism considering economic, social, and environmental
aspects of a destination. In 2019, Maharashtra announced its intention of
developing an ecotourism circuit connecting 350 locations to a common grid for
providing better facilities and developing popular destinations.
6. While ensuring that negative impacts of tourism on nature are reduced, we must
seek to distribute tourism to different places, so that overcrowding of small parcels
of wilderness does not take place. The Guidelines for Tourism in and around Tiger
Reserves issued in 2012, in compliance with the directions of the Supreme Court
of India, allow ecotourism only in small portions of tiger reserves. The best bird
watching experiences are to be had outside PAs where the Maharashtra State can
frame its own rules in keeping with the GRs already issued and in accordance with
rules framed in consonance with the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972. For the
convenience of the public and the authorities, a unified ecotourism action plan with
Maharashtra-specific, site-specific prescriptions would greatly boost both the
revenues and the brand equity of Maharashtra as a tourist-friendly destination, with
unmatched visitor experiences. Tourism income generated from existing tiger
reserves in the State, already has a positive impact on communities living in the
buffer zones and beyond, through income channeled via the respective Tiger
Conservation Foundations that support village-based ecotourism facilities and
training in the field of hospitality, driving, guiding, cooking, etc. for local
communities.
7. Experience shows that natural landscapes preserved primarily for the enjoyment
and recreation of the public have delivered outstanding ecological benefits to local
communities as seen in the buffer zone of the Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve,
while augmenting conservation efforts and offering high recreation value by
actively involving local people and the EDCs in many ecotourism and ancillary
activities. The varied activities in the buffer are spread out and hence the benefits
of Ecotourism based activities are being shared by many villagers in the buffer
zone and the department has created more eyes and ears to watch for any positive
as well as undesirable happenings.
This highlights the fact that professionally managed, conservation and ecotourism
can work together to help both people and wildlife to flourish. However, it must be
clear that the priority must always weigh in favour of species and ecosystem
security. Ecotourism can, therefore, be the means as well as the motive for
conservation of natural resources. Possible impacts of tourism on the environment
can be contained through sound management and enforcement. MTDC has
promoted home stay and bed and breakfast (B&B) tourism in the State to
encourage travel to lesser-known destinations and promote inclusive community-
led tourism. Similar models can also be developed for Wildlife tourism and some
headway has already been made in the State.
8. It is often stated that tiger densities have not been adversely affected and have in
fact increased over the years, due to the growth in tiger tourism and some
examples like Tipeshwar and Umred Pauni Karhandla sanctuaries are cited.
However, the reasons for this may need further validation before confirmation.
76
9. Experiential tourism is now one of the fastest growing industries. Its ability to reboot
the economy of rural India makes it imperative for Maharashtra (and other states)
to create community-owned, rewilded parcels of land around our finest biodiversity
vaults. Outside the borders of PAs, especially in the corridors, village-led tourism
facilities can be effectively used to provide various experiences including wildlife
viewing, photography, machaans/hides, trekking, bird watching, mountaineering,
boating, ecologically safe adventure sports, camping, eco-lodging, cycling, and
cultural tourism, depending on their potential.
10. As more government forests are likely to be given into the care of community
control, in the form of Community Forest Resources (CFR), as indicated by the
Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest
Rights) Act, 2006, it is vital that a flow of non-consumptive, long-term financial
benefits accrue to forest-dwelling communities. With social justice and adequate
consultation, ecotourism can deliver such benefits to communities.
11. Maharashtra must strictly adhere to the classical principles of sustainable wildlife
tourism, and attempt to diversify its dimensions.
a. The measure of success of ecotourism operations shall be the enhanced quality of

life of communities, the regeneration of ecosystems, and the enhanced quality of
visitor experience. Community Nature Conservancies (CNCs) could serve as a vital
rewilding tool that can be undertaken outside PAs and more so in the identified
tiger/ wildlife corridors. The CNC model should be effectively used to consolidate
wildlife corridors and other small-sized wildlife habitats so that they can start acting
as stepping stones for species.
b. The capacity of local communities should be continuously enhanced with the help
of experts and while doing so their social, religious and cultural sensitivities shall
be respected.
c. Strengths of the private sector in areas of marketing, operations, product and

experience creation, quality assurance and finance should be harnessed through
mutually beneficial partnerships including public-private, community-private and
public-private-community set up.
d. As mentioned in the National Wildlife Action Plan (2017-31), in case of any conflict
between tourism and conservation interests of a PA, the paradigm for decision
must be that tourism exists for the PAs and not vice versa, and that tourism
demands must be subservient to and in consonance with the conservation interests
of the PA. While revenues earned from tourism can help the management of the
PA, maximisation of income must never override the main goal of tourism viz. to
educate the visitor and create in him respect for nature.
12. A mechanism should be worked out so that the local bodies (Gram Sabhas/
Panchayats), within whose jurisdiction any commercial ecotourism facilities are
situated, can be directed to levy, in consultation with the Local Advisory Committee
(LAC), suitable taxes, duties, and cess as per the powers granted to them under
existing, relevant laws. The same process can be extended to ecotourism activities
outside PAs. Currently, resorts situated in the buffer zones of tiger reserves are
77
being charged a cess ( Conservation Fee) of Rs. 500/- to 750/- per room per
month depending on the number of rooms in the resort. However, there is a
resistance to pay this fee by most resort owners. There is a need to incentivize
resorts which pay the conservation fee, so that more resorts come forward in paying
the said amount voluntarily. This money can then be ploughed back into the system
to improve the ecotourism experience.
13. This Wildlife Action Plan envisions further strengthening of the established
principles of the ecotourism in wildness areas in the state, creating synergies
between the government, communities, NGOs and the private sector, creating a
roadmap for the creation of adequate, eco-friendly facilities, generating &
enhancing community benefits and ancillary economic activity through training and
skill development for jobs and entrepreneurship, ensuring that the revenue
generated through ecotourism be utilized on the lines of the objectives of the tiger
conservation foundations, capacity building of rural communities, existing tourism
outfits and Forest Departments in collaboration with tourism professionals,
improving the quality of the wilderness experience and nature education, putting in
place effective monitoring and regulatory systems so as to safeguard the classical
principles of ecotourism and also safeguarding critical areas for long-term survival
of rare, endangered and threatened species of both flora and fauna.
Community participation in
Eco-tourism in Tadoba
78
Pic: Guruprasad, DD - TATR

ACTIONS REQUIRED
01
Prepare a site-specific and comprehensive ecotourism development
and management plan before any new ecotourism activity is started.
Take special measures to protect fragile and ecologically vulnerable

02 sites, species and scenery, against any unacceptable impacts of
tourism.
03
Ensure safety of visitors and prioritise risk awareness in every
ecotourism experience.
Ensure that operators follow a prescribed set of guidelines (to be

04 drafted based on the best global practices), and ensure suitable action
is taken against the violators.
05
Ensure capacity building of the guides, naturalists and the staff who
are vital to the task of imparting quality ecotourism experience.
06
Strengthen ecotourism research, monitoring and training to develop
ecotourism as a full-fledged academic discipline.
07
Develop new destinations and also develop well-dispersed eco-lodges
to conduct ecotourism and adventure activities.
79
Pic: Sandip Nagare

Bhigwan Maharashtra
PRIORITY PROJECTS
Involve local communities, tourism operators/professionals, and
credible experts in the preparation of the ecotourism development
plans for the notified wilderness areas.
1.1 Time frame: By June 2023.
Responsibility: Forest Department, Maharashtra Ecotourism Board
(METB), PA managers.
Review and revise the Ecotourism plans which are already a part of
existing forest and wildlife management plans, after holding fresh
consultations to bring them in conformity with this action plan. Follow a
similar strategy for the area development plans of other departments,
1.2 agencies, to bring them in conformity with this action plan.

Responsibility: Forest Department, Tourism Department, MTDC,
METB, PA managers.
Monitor impact and standards, using criteria and indicators approved

by Sustainable Tourism Criteria for India (STCI) under the Department
of Tourism, GOI, and associations such as the Responsible Tourism
1.3
Society of India (RTSOI)
Time frame: Throughout the period of the Plan.

METB, PA managers.
Regulate and restrict tourism in ecologically vulnerable and fragile

sites such as breeding areas of wildlife, nesting colonies, erosion-
prone locations, sources of drinking water, certain parts of core areas
2.1
of tiger reserves, biodiversity heritage sites, and cultural and religious
sites. Establish no-go areas, if deemed necessary.

Responsibility: Forest Department, MTDC, METB PA managers.
Record potential environmental and social impacts of every ecotourism

activity at the planning stage and develop mitigation plans accordingly.
No new operations shall be allowed without a proper impact
assessment, mitigation and safeguards put in place.
2.2 Time frame: Throughout the period of the Plan.
Responsibility: Forest Department, Environment Department,
Tourism Department, MTDC, METB, PA managers
80
Retrofit existing ecotourism destinations with basic visitor facilities

(such as bio-toilets, garbage disposal, safe drinking water, parking
facilities, interpretation centres etc.) inside forests, or along
2.3
hiking/mountaineering trails.

METB.
Phase out all existing ecotourism related residential facilities outside

the PAs and sensitive and vulnerable forest areas.
Responsibility: Forest Department, PA managers.
Remove or regulate fences, if any, between the government forests

and conservancy lands, to integrate the two habitats while ensuring
the legal demarcation through appropriate means. Ensure minimal
fencing to residential and recreational areas as per existing
2.5 government norms.
Timeframe: Throughout the period of the Plan.

Responsibility: Forest Department, Revenue Department, PA
Managers.
Develop and strictly enforce appropriate safety procedures and norms

for e very eco/adventure tourism activity in collaboration with
professional bodies
3.1
recognized by the Ministry of Tourism.

METB, PA managers.
Create an institutional framework to certify, accredit and monitor

private ecotourism operators who will be eligible to bid for government
or community concessions based on their expertise and experience,
and demonstrated adherence to conservation and community centric
4.1 practices.

METB.
Develop a draft MoU to be used between the private operators and the
Gram Sabha wherever CFRs have been recognized and vested with
81 4.2 the communities or Gram-Sabhas under the Forest Rights Act, 2006 in
the wilderness areas, while in other areas the agreement may be with
the government, with guaranteed and well-defined benefits to local
communities.
Responsibility: Forest Department, Tourism Department, Gram
Sabha, Local Area managers.
Provide appropriate tax and non-tax incentives or other concomitant

benefits, to ecotourism operators to encourage them to follow globally
recognized standards and practices of ecotourism.
Responsibility: State Government, Forest Department, Tourism
Department, Finance Department, MTDC, METB.
Develop site-specific capacity building plan for communities and

regulatory staff, design orientation and skill-share programmes to
improve communication between local communities, tourism
5.1
professionals and wildlife officials.

METB, PA managers/ CCF Education and Training.
Develop course material, courses and facilities for the training and
certification of local youth, guides and Naturalists, through accepted
processes drawn up by recognized wildlife tourism and conservation
organizations. Also conduct periodic trainings.
5.2 Time frame: By June, 2022 and conduct courses Throughout the Plan
period.
METB, CCF Education and Training, Kundal & Chandrapur Forest
Academy and Forest Training Institutes.
Build facilities and develop programs for ecotourism as an academic

discipline. Take up research regarding the impact of ecotourism
activities.
6.1 Time frame: By September, 2022.
Responsibility: Forest Department, METB, APCCF (Research,
Education and Training)/ Kundal & Chandrapur Forest Academy.
Set up a site level ‘Ecotourism Forum or Committee’, consisting of

forest officers, district authorities, representatives of local communities,
tour operators, lodge owners and concerned locals to provide a
6.2
consultative and regulatory forum for the smooth running of ecotourism
operations and for monitoring of local ecotourism activities.

Responsibility: Forest Department, METB, PA Managers 82
Decongest established ecotourism destinations where necessary

(such as prominent tiger reserves, popular trekking trails) through
long-term regional ecotourism planning to spread tourism benefits
further and thinner, across PA landscapes and other adjoining natural
7.1 habitats.

METB, PA managers.
Identify and develop new ecotourism destinations to disperse visitors

from popular destinations. Tap the new found interest in varied
adventure tourism activities, photography as also the interest in lesser
known species of flora (ephemeral wild flowers in Kas Plateau) and
7.2
fauna (fox, Amur falcon and Chinkara sightings in Pune District, water
birds in Hatnur Dam etc.) after putting in place the necessary
restrictions and controls.

Responsibility: Forest Department, METB.
83

Involving forest dependent unemployed youth in hospitality training at Pench TR.
84

Ecotourism at Navegaon lake
85
Pic: Pench TR
Outreach activity for school kids
1. Maharashtra being a forerunner for rapid industrialization and economic
development, the landscape is undergoing massive changes, currently the economy
is showing up; urbanization is on the increase; the proportion of young people in the
population is already high and growing very fast; information technology is
becoming a way of life; and the influence of global processes on the Indian society
is much more pronounced now than at any time before. All these changes are bound
to have significant impacts on the wildlife conservation scenario in the State. One
way to ensure that these impacts do not affect the environment adversely is through
increasing nature-literacy. It is, therefore, imperative that the strategy for
conservation awareness and outreach is an integral part of the State wildlife action
plan.
2. It has been quite some time since Environmental Education (EE) has
been an integral part of the State board of education and NCERT
curricula. The prescriptions of the NWAP(2002-16) relating to schools
got a significant boost from the Hon’ble Supreme Court which, in its
Judgment delivered on 18th December 2003 in Writ Petition No 860 of
1991, directed the National Council for Educational Research and
Training (NCERT) to prepare a model syllabus for EE to be taught at
different grades. The Supreme Court directed all the States and
educational agencies in the country to introduce environment as a
compulsory subject in all classes in schools up to the higher secondary
level from the academic year 2004-05. As a result, EE now forms a part
of the school-curricula in all states, including Maharashtra.
3. The World Wide Fund for Nature- India (WWF-I) had been involved in
starting Nature clubs in various schools, Colleges and other
organizations as part of the Nature Clubs of India initiative.
4. The Bombay Natural History Society also has been involved in

conducting talks, camps and many outreach activities for their members
since a long time and the Conservation Education Centre on the fringes
of the Sanjay Gandhi National Park at Mumbai is visited by many nature
enthusiasts and students.
5. The Maharashtra Nature Park also known as the Mahim Nature Park is
another conservation education and outreach initiative started on a
garbage dump in Dharavi and adjoining Sion in Mumbai, way back in
1977 and opened for students in 1992 by the WWF-I and is now being
funded by the MMRDA.
6. A few initiatives of the State Forest Department include setting up a

number of Nature Interpretation Centres in various PAs as well as other
forest areas all over the state. A majority of these centres were a part of
the world bank aided Maharashtra Forestry Project. Bio-diversity Parks 86
have also been established in several districts to promote the outreach
activity. Another initiative of the department is funding nature camps and
the Nisarganubhav programme where thousands of students have been

so far taken to the tiger reserves and other PAs for sensitization and
awareness. The State Forest Department reaches out to a large number
of schools and colleges through annual events like the ‘Wildlife Week’,
Pakshi Saptah, Global tiger day and other important days related to the
conservation. An innovative programme called ‘Van-adhyapak’ (Forest
teacher) has been initiated in the tiger reserves where trained frontline
forest staff visits the nearby schools and educates and sensitizes the
students about wildlife, conflict management etc. The zoological parks
located in different parts of the State also attract a large number of
visitors and can be used to highlight the necessity of wildlife
conservation.
7. Maharashtra has another unparalleled institution which is the Pakshi

Mitra Sangathana which regularly holds State level and regional level
Pakshi Mitra sammelans in various parts of the State. The initiative was
at the behest of Shri Prakash Gole of Ecological Society of India, Pune
way back in 1981 and the organization was registered in 1998.
8. The Vidarbha Nature Conservation Society founded in 1986 was also

instrumental in popularizing wildlife conservation and carrying out
research projects in the eastern part of the State.
9. Maharashtra has been an active participant in the eco clubs movement

under the NGC and has around 9000 eco clubs spread in various schools
of the State. These are funded by the MoEF&CC as well as the State
Government. The main aim of these clubs is to educate children on
environmental issues through seminars, debates, lectures and talks.
Students and teachers are also taken on field trips to make them aware
of the threats that the environment faces from various activities of
humans. The Bharati Vidyapeeth Institute of Environment Education and
Research (BVIEER) Pune has been instrumental in furthering the cause
of the Eco clubs in Maharashtra.
10. The Kids for Tigers initiative undertaken by the Sanctuary Asia
Foundation has been a popular program in many urban and rural areas
of Maharashtra as well as in other parts of the country.
11. There have been many other initiatives in terms of countless number of
short films, on various PAs and other activities of the forest department,
produced over the years.
12. In order that the outreach programs being practiced are more effective
they need to be target specific and issue specific. Also the responsibilities
to conduct these programs need to be assigned to specific Tiger
Reserves, Territorial forest divisions and Circles and most importantly,
the Social Forestry wing since they have greater interaction with the
87
people at large. NGOs working in Wildlife education, rescue, alternative
livelihood and skill development in the state and institutions like BNHS,
WII, TISS, Satpuda Foundation, Ecopro etc. and many other smaller
organizations spread all over the State need to be roped in for the
outreach programs to be successful.
13. The present SWAP aims at further strengthening and promoting the
awareness and outreach activities amongst the diverse sections of the
society through formal and informal means, developing and
disseminating suitable outreach material for curricular and non-curricular
activities by involving various stakeholders, diversifying the means of
dissemination of the conservation message through use of modern
technology, and lastly furthering the cause of wildlife and biodiversity
conservation through systematic, comprehensive and meaningful
actions during the plan period.
88
ACTIONS REQUIRED
Develop and promote infrastructure and capacity for
01
Conservation Education, Nature Interpretation and Outreach in
the State through Biodiversity parks, Wildlife Sanctuaries,
National Parks, Interpretation centers, mini zoos, etc.
Improve and expand formal and informal education programs in

02 schools and colleges, with special reference to Wildlife through
training of teachers, student activities, etc.
Improve and expand facilities for informal exposure to

environmental issues through spreading awareness related to
03 wildlife conservation for the different sectors of Society and
various stakeholders through various media including extensive
use of social media, etc.
Continue, improve and expand use of media and technology for
04
carrying out the above in the State including sensitization,
updates, awareness and participative approach to wildlife
conservation.
89
Pic: Pench TRRavikiran Govekar

Pic: Dr.
PRIORITY PROJECTS
Develop and strengthen the existing low-cost Nature Education Centres
and Nature Interpretation centres including facilities for holding nature
1.1.1
camps in all the protected areas of Maharashtra at appropriate
locations.
Responsibility: Forest Department including METB.
Formulate a scheme for students to work as volunteers / interns in tiger

reserves and other PAs to render their services in these Nature
Education/Nature Interpretation centres. Employ trained local youth
where the footfall is high. Incentivize the volunteers / interns by
subsidizing their visits inside Tiger Reserves, National Parks,
Sanctuaries at a certain frequency. Acknowledge the services rendered
1.1.2 by them in the form of a certificate / letter of appreciation. Link this with
the National Social Service Scheme, NGC (Eco clubs), Environmental
Science courses or similar schemes in Universities.
Time frame: Complete formulation of the scheme by March 2022 and
implement throughout the Plan period.
Responsibility: Forest Department, Universities, Tiger Conservation
Foundations
Develop a system of annual ratings / recognizing the private

entrepreneurs / NGOs/ Universities/ Corporate houses/ Voluntary
organizations to encourage privately owned, operated and maintained
Nature Education/ Camping Centres at appropriate locations in the
vicinity of PAs or fringes of forest areas. Encourage and facilitate CSR
1.2.1 funding in such ventures either directly or through the Forest
Department.
Time frame: Complete formulation of the ratings system by March 2022
and Throughout the Plan period.
Responsibility: Forest Department, METB, NGOs, NGIs, Corporate
Sector.
Promote the development of Nature Education Centres and camping

sites by the private operators at appropriate locations which can
1.2.2
complement the existing set up of the Forest Department.
Responsibility: Forest Department including METB, Private
entrepreneurs.
2.1 Urban Students

90
2.1.1 Introduce relevant Chapters in Environmental studies and related

courses regarding Wildlife Importance & Constitutional provisions
(Article 51 A(g) Fundamental Duty and Article 48-A containing the

Directive Principles of State Policy.)
Time Frame: By June, 2023.
Responsibility: Forest Department, Universities, NCERT, Balbharti,
State Secondary and Higher Secondary Boards, Department of Higher
and Technical Education.
Develop literature suitable for wildlife related education programmes,

develop activity books for various PAs and encourage their use by
schools and colleges. Provide funding support for these activities
through the Forest Department, CSR funds of industries located
2.1.2 preferably in the concerned district/taluka, and involve NGOs to make
this programme broad based.
Responsibility: Forest Department, PA managers, Universities,
Colleges, Schools, Teachers, NGOs, Local Industries.
Revive the National Green Corps (NGC) and involve them in various
outreach activities of the Forest Department. Provide funding support for
2.1.3
such activities in the budget of the Forest Department and CAMPA.
Time Frame: Throughout the Plan period.
Responsibility: Forest Department, CEO CAMPA, Education
Department, Universities, NGOs.
Organise day visits and camps of students of schools and Colleges from
the vicinity to the nearest PA. Provide funding support for such activities
2.1.4
in the budget of the Forest Department and CAMPA.
Responsibility: Forest Department, CEO CAMPA, Education
Department, Universities, NGOs.
Promote outreach activities like Wildlife Week Celebrations, Quiz

competitions, Nisarganubhav Programs, Eco clubs, Exposure visits to
zoos etc.
2.1.5 Time Frame: Throughout the Plan period.
Responsibility: Forest Department, Social Forestry wing, Hon. Wildlife
Wardens, NGOs, NGC, Eco Clubs, Schools, Colleges, Universities,
Teachers.
Encourage creation and dissemination of videos about nature and

wildlife conservation. Prepare meaningful animation short clips by
2.1.6
involving media for increasing the reach.
91 Responsibility: Forest Department, Hon. Wildlife Wardens, NGOs,
Schools, Colleges, Media professionals etc.
Strengthen the Publicity wing to take up such programmes in
Maharashtra and to facilitate coordination of activities related to
2.1.7
organizing nature camps/visits of schools and colleges to PAs in a
systematic manner in coordination with the concerned PA management.
Responsibility: Forest Department, Publicity wing and PA Managers.
2.2 Rural Students (Living near PAs and forest fringe areas)
Introduce relevant Chapters in Environmental studies and related

courses regarding Wildlife Importance & Constitutional provisions
(Article 51 A(g) Fundamental Duty and Article 48-A containing the
2.2.1
Directive Principles of State Policy.)
Responsibility: Forest Department, Universities, NCERT, Balbharti,
State Secondary and Higher Secondary Boards, Department of Higher
and Technical Education.
Encourage incorporation of curriculum related to 'know your

environment', encourage interactive sessions using NGO outreach,
encourage birding activities, conservation of WL through direct
participation in habitat improvement like cleanliness campaigns in PAs,
2.2.2
coastal areas and forest areas.
Time Frame: By June 2023 and to be continued Throughout the Plan

period.
Responsibility: Forest Department, Social Forestry Wing, NCERT,
Balbharti, State Secondary and Higher Secondary Boards, NGOs.
Encourage frequent exposure visits and camping of students from rural

areas/ students of Ashram schools in remote areas to nearby PAs by
facilitating the accommodation and food during the stay. Annual target
2.2.3 of such camps must be given to the PA managers.
Responsibility: Forest Department, PA managers, Schools, Colleges,
Tribal Development Department, NGOs
Promote outreach activities like Wildlife Week Celebrations, Quiz

competitions, Nisarganubhav Programs, Van-adhyapak yojana, Eco
clubs, etc.
2.2.4 Time Frame: Throughout the Plan period.
Responsibility: Forest Department, METB, Social Forestry wing, Hon.
Wildlife Wardens, NGOs, NGC, Eco Clubs, Schools, Colleges,
Universities, Teachers. 92
3.1
Informal environmental education for Government departments &
agencies like Police, PWD, MSEB etc.
Develop outreach brochures, booklets for regular exposure visits of

officials to PAs on various occasions.
3.1.1 Time frame: Material to be developed by June 2022. Visits to be
continued Throughout the Plan period.
Responsibility: Forest Department, NGOs
Prepare a compendium /Handbook and other audio-visual aids about

Wildlife laws and implications in developmental projects and the
proactive precautions to be taken during the planning process to
sensitize the authorities and to conduct regular workshops.
3.1.2 Time Frame: Material to be developed by September 2022. Visits to be
continued Throughout the Plan period.
Responsibility: Forest Department, SBWL members, NGOs.
(Participants: MSETCL/MSEDCL, PWD, Irrigation Department, ZP,
NHAI.)
Involve wildlife related NGOs, working in the PAs for tribal welfare,
education (Both Urban & Rural) in various conservation outreach
3.1.3
programmes like Birding / bird count activities in urban and semi urban
areas, training programs, eco-development programmes around PAs.
Responsibility: Forest Department, PA managers, NGOs.
3.2
Improve informal environmental communication and interaction
facilities between the Judiciary and Forest Department.
Organise informal interactions and field exposure visits for the members
of the Judiciary at various levels to appreciate wildlife management
3.2.1
challenges.

Improving informal environmental education and interaction

3.3 facilities for Snake handlers, rescue NGOs/ private individuals
/traditional hunting communities, graziers, conflict affected people.
Organize training for safe handling of snakes, publish and update list of
authorized rescuers and contacts for every district/ taluka, compilation
of directory of rescue organizations in the state. Document rescue-
3.3.1 release-rehabilitation case studies, publish best practices for rescue
operations.
93
Time frame: Initiate trainings and publish list by June 2022 and
continue Throughout the Plan period.
Responsibility: Forest Department, Rescue organizations, Rapid
rescue units, NGOs.
Improve informal environmental communication and interaction

facilities for Human-Animal conflict affected farmers, livestock herders,
fishermen, citizens in urban spaces (leopard issue) through monthly
3.3.2
bazaar meets/street plays and through the online platform.

Responsibility: Forest Department, IT wing, NGOs, EDCs, Gram
Panchayats.
Develop a mechanism to use weekly markets as a forum for awareness

creation, Prepare brochures, handouts etc through NGO support in local
language.
3.3.3 Time frame: Throughout the Plan period.
Responsibility: Forest Department, NGOs, EDCs, Gram Panchayats.
Improve and expand use of media and technology
Actively promote technology for uninterrupted power supply and high-

speed internet facility to attract working professionals to come and stay
in wilderness areas and work from remote locations and use their
4.1.1
services for interacting with the locals and create livelihood
opportunities.

Responsibility: Forest Department, IT Wing, Publicity Wing.
Promote media visits on a regular basis for media persons to appreciate the
local issues and become acquainted with the problems of the PA
management so that it creates chances for positive news content in the
media from time to time. Encourage social media coverage, preparation of
films covering various seasonal variations, wildlife in the concerned PA,
4.1.2
promote use of theater, drama, advertisement, hoardings, posters, meetings,
audio visual programmes to spread the message of wildlife conservation
amongst all sections of society.

Responsibility: Forest Department, Publicity wing, PA managers,
NGOs, District Information Officer.
94
95

Alternative livelihood generation for the forest dependent women from NNTR.
1. Article 51 A (g) of the Indian constitution states that “it shall be the fundamental
duty of every citizen, to protect and improve the natural environment including
forests, lakes, rivers and wildlife, and to have compassion for living creatures”.
Article 48-A of the Indian Constitution containing the Directive Principles
of State Policy, states that “The State shall endeavour to protect and improve
the environment and to safeguard the forests and wildlife of the country.”
Hence, it is clear that the Constitution of the country casts a duty on the State as
well as every citizen to safeguard and improve the forests and wildlife of the country.
2. Maharashtra is known to be the State where people have been participating in forest
protection since long. The great Maratha warrior Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj had
issued orders to his citizens asking them to protect trees, forests and wildlife. The
State has many areas near villages which are protected, called Devrais ("Dev"
meaning God and "Rai" means forest). Many tribes living in and around Protected
Areas (PAs) have been traditionally worshiping trees, wild animals and forest
habitats. However, growing human-wildlife conflict and frequent crop raiding by wild
animals sometimes leads to situations which may result in killing wild animals using
poison, wire snares or live electric wires. The growing demand of wildlife derivatives
in the international market have also led to poaching in and around PAs of
Maharashtra with the involvement of local people. This issue can be addressed by
making them stakeholders through increased participation in works related to wildlife
conservation and creating a sense of involvement in wildlife conservation.
3. Most threats to wildlife and their habitats are due to the biotic pressure exerted due
to different biomass needs of the local population and their livestock existing within
and around the PAs. Traditionally people have been using a wide range of NTFP
and other forest produce, for their own use and for trade. It is therefore, natural that
stoppage of free access to such areas results in the feeling of disempowerment
which leads to hostility and subsequent conflict. This could be mitigated to a fairly
large extent by involving locals in the decision-making process and also by providing
suitable livelihood alternatives to make good their loss of access to this resource to
create a win-win situation.
4. The Indian Forest Act (IFA), 1878 (later replaced by the IFA-1927) and various
provincial Forest Acts adopted Reserved Forests (RF) and Protected Forests (PF)
as the basis for forest management in the country which either excluded or curtailed
the existing rights of local people over forests. The Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972
(WPA-1972) also introduced an inviolate model of wildlife management in National
Parks and to a great extent within the Sanctuaries. Inviolate conditions required for
the long term management of certain wild species has impacted individuals who are
living within such PAs and their surroundings for grazing their cattle and for their
requirements of other forest produce.
5. A Task Force was appointed in 1981, on the initiative of the Indian Board for Wildlife
to suggest ways for eliciting public support for wildlife conservation. The Task Force 96
report submitted in 1983, recommended the adoption of a "Core-Buffer-Multiple Use
Surround structure for each PA; initiation of educational and awareness
programmes for schools: involvement of media: and orientation programmes for the
decision makers. All these recommendations were incorporated in the first National
Wildlife Action Plan (NWAP) launched in 1983.
6. Subsequent to the National Forest Policy of 1988, which recognised that
communities are central to forest protection and management, the idea of Joint
Forest Management (JFM) was first mooted by the Central Government vide MoEF
circular dated 1st June, 1990 issued to all State Governments. The objective was to
involve the local communities in the regeneration of degraded forest lands and
protection of forests.
7. Accordingly, the Govt. of Maharashtra vide its resolution (GR) dated 16 th March,
1992 took a decision to protect the degraded and denuded forest by involving local
communities and forming Forest Protection Committees. Benefits obtained from the
areas handed over, were to be distributed amongst local stake holders as per the
norms stated in the said GR. For further strengthening the JFM activities, the GoM
revised the GR on 25th April, 2003 according to which, forests within 2 Kms. of the
village boundaries with more than 40 per cent tree density could also be taken up
under JFM. Similarly, participation of women was also emphasized. The ‘Sant
Tukaram Van Gram Award’ was instituted in November, 2006 so as to incentivise
better performing JFM Committees of various villages through cash awards and
recognition both at the District as well as the State level.
8. The Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 was amended in 2003, providing for the
formation of Advisory committees for every PA (Sec. 33-B) to render advice on
measures to be taken for better conservation and management of the sanctuary
including participation of people living within and around the Sanctuary. Maharashtra
has also issued a GR for Eco-development (ED) in PAs to seek participation of locals
in forest and wildlife conservation by forming Eco Development Committees in PAs
and TR buffers. The National Biodiversity Act, 2002 has also created a mechanism
at the village level to seek better participation of locals in bio-diversity, forest and
wildlife conservation and management.
9. A significant development during the recent years has been the enactment of the
Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest
Rights) Act, 2006, also referred to as the Forest Rights Act, 2006 (FRA- 2006). The
FRA-2006 aims at assigning certain rights to the eligible Scheduled Tribes and other
traditional forest dwellers, which include the right to cultivate forest land as well as
other traditional and customary rights like grazing, fishing and collection of NTFPs
with certain duties towards managing the forest resource but excludes hunting. The
FRA-2006 applies to all forest lands including PAs. Section 2 (b) of the FRA
recognizes the declaration of Critical wildlife habitat within a Sanctuary and a
National Park where it has been specifically and clearly established on the basis of
scientific and objective criteria, that such areas are required to be kept as inviolate
for the purposes of wildlife conservation as may be determined and notified by the
Central Government.
10. In view of the constitutional provisions and the provisions of the FRA and various
directions issued by the Government for ensuring peoples participation in wildlife
conservation, it is essential to frame actions to get people’s support and participation
97
to further the cause of wildlife conservation and at the same time mitigate the
genuine concerns of the people living within or in the surrounds of PAs.
ACTIONS REQUIRED
Assessment and compilation of case studies and best practices about
01
peoples participation in Maharashtra and the initiatives taken by various
JFMCs, EDCs, BMCs, and by individuals in villages like Saighata,
Hivre bazaar to mention a few, NGOs and NGIs etc.
Improvement of existing schemes/programmes regarding peoples
02
participation, by considering the detailed evaluation reports of existing
or past schemes like JFM, Village Eco Development, Dr SPMJVVY and
other initiatives.
Preparation of a comprehensive Micro Plan, with the mandatory

participation of local community and stakeholders, for identifying the
needs of the local people while at the same time addressing the
concerns related to the wildlife conservation in villages within and on the
fringes of the PAs. Convergence of schemes at the village level should
03 be aimed at, to execute the conservation agenda, by proposing
sufficient and timely fund allocation for conservation
schemes/programmes to motivate and develop interest among people
for wildlife conservation. (Also see Chapter 11). Execution of the Village
micro plans so prepared, through village level committees and ensuring
that the progress is monitored at least by the concerned ACF.
Some administrative staff support should be provided to field officers for

effective implementation of the various village development schemes,
04 for a group of villages, in order to achieve convergence. This could be
done by engaging contractual staff for which monetary inputs would be
required.
Capacity building of forest officers, field staff, JFM/ ED committee
05
members and gram sevaks and other stakeholders for empowering
local communities with knowledge and techniques to ensure their
participation in achieving the objectives of wildlife conservation.
Preference should be given to the local people in the regular or

06 occasional employment, in works related to wildlife management like
protection, habitat development as well as ecotourism activities.
Undertake awareness programs about schemes of the forest as well as

the other departments, threats to the adjoining PAs from outsiders as
07
well as due to local activities, possible solutions through the
participation of the locals. Arrange stakeholder conferences/workshops
at least once in a year to share best practices, experiences and future
plans with all stakeholders.
98
08
Encourage people to help, protect and manage wildlife habitats on
private lands which adjoin, or are outside the protected areas or in the
corridors, by rewarding them through cash incentives. This could be
done through the involvement of locals in ecotourism/wildlife tourism

activities to get maximum benefits for villagers by providing cash
support or incentives.
Determination and Notification of Critical Wildlife Habitats under FRA-

09 2006, which is necessary for the better management of wildlife as well
as to prevent human wildlife conflicts in the area.
10
Need to institute rewards & incentives for villages excelling in wildlife
conservation on lines of the Sant Tukaram Van Gram Awards.
99
Pic: Madhav Mundhe

A typical rural village in Vidarbha, abutting the tiger bearing area.
PRIORITY PROJECTS
Compile the best practices and case studies of proactive participation of
local people and other stakeholders effectively in wildlife conservation
and natural resource management from Maharashtra as well as across
1.1
the country and share lessons that have been learnt with all the
stakeholders.
Responsibility: PCCF (Wildlife), Field Directors of Tiger Reserves,
CCF (T)s and PA managers.
Put in place a system whereby field visits of the local stakeholders are
organised on a regular basis to see the success stories and draw
inspiration.
1.2 Time frame: System to be put in place by December, 2021 and field
visits to continue Throughout the Plan period.
Responsibility: PCCF (Wildlife), Field Directors of Tiger Reserves,
CCF (T)s and PA managers
Evaluate and review the existing schemes/programmes of people’s
2.1
participation in forest and wildlife conservation in Maharashtra with the
involvement of NGOs and professional institutes, in order to assess the
success of such initiatives.
2.2 Identify the scope of improvement in the current schemes/programmes

and propose improvements in the existing schemes and also propose
new comprehensive schemes/programmes for people’s participation in
wildlife conservation for the State, if required, based on the point no.
2.1.
Time frame: Evaluation to be completed by June, 2022.
Responsibility: State Government, PCCF (Wildlife), FD and PA
managers.
2.3 Extend the scope of existing schemes of people’s participation beyond

PAs in ESAs, TR buffer and tiger corridors i.e. forest areas of territorial
and FDCM divisions where HWC is a sensitive issue.
Time frame: Proposals for improvements and/or new schemes to be
submitted to the State Government by September, 2022.
Responsibility: State Government, PCCF (Wildlife), FD and PA
managers.
Prepare a comprehensive micro plan of each village which is within or
3.1
on the fringes of PAs which shall incorporate the suggestions and the
findings that have been mentioned in other statutory and administrative
committee plans/ reports, so that all suggestions and directions of 100
various plans will be compiled in one micro plan itself. This way the
concerns of people will be taken care of, leading to better management

of wildlife and people.
Responsibility: State Government, Forest department, FDs and PA
Managers. EDCs and JFMCs.
3.2 Prepare the micro plan by converging schemes executed by various

other departments in that village, to address the needs of the villagers,
to prevent human wildlife conflict and for the better management of
wildlife on the pattern of Maharashtra Village Social Transformation
Foundation (VSTF) /Adarsh village concept.
Responsibility: State Government, Forest Department, FDs and PA
3.3 Implement the Village micro plans through the village level committees
and ensure that the progress is monitored at least by the concerned
ACF.
Responsibility: State Government, Forest Department, FDs and PA
3.4 Prioritise income generation schemes and works of the village

committees, to sustain the spirit of active participation of villagers.
Responsibility: State Government, Forest Department, Tribal
Development Department, Rural Development Department, Social
Welfare Department, FDs and PA Managers. EDCs and JFMCs.
Provide administrative staff on contractual basis, for a cluster of villages

to monitor the implementation of schemes, to assess the financial
progress and physical progress of the works that have been executed
4.1
and to audit the progress by using establishment/contingency funds of
the works.
Responsibility: State Government, PCCF (Wildlife), Field Directors and
PA managers.
Conduct training programs related to rural development schemes,

empowerment of locals, in association with various Institutes like TISS,
5.1
Research and livelihood based NGO’s, for field level forest officers, PA
managers, gram sevaks, EDC and JFMC members and local people
who are involved in the implementation of the schemes for their
empowerment, encouragement and capacity building.
101
5.2
List the problems for wildlife conservation and identify solutions through
the interactive training programs.
Responsibility: FDs, PA managers, TISS, Chandrapur Forest
Academy, Kundal Forest Academy, YASHADA, various Forest Training
Institutes and CCF Education and Training.
Employ local people while implementing works related to protection,

habitat development and other conservation works. Constitute Primary
6.1 response teams (PRTs) strictly by engaging locals. Follow a similar
approach in ecotourism works like selection of guides, employment in
resorts, and home stay purpose.
Allocate works of forestry working in the buffer areas of tiger reserves to

the local FLCS, and in cases where such Societies do not exist, these
works shall be given to JFMC/VEDC of the buffer areas to encourage
6.2 their participation for wildlife conservation and management and to
provide them with a source of income.
Responsibility: PCCF (WL), PCCF (P&M), FDs and PA managers.
Conduct periodic meetings with villagers to clear their doubts about

7.1 various schemes of the forest and other concerned departments in
order to instill a sense of belonging.
7.2 Use local folk-arts and traditional beliefs for conservation awareness
programmes.
7.3 Use social media platforms as a tool to involve, participate and motivate
local people and other stakeholders to generate specific wildlife
conservation actions.
7.4 Organise forest division level annual stakeholders workshops, involving

local people to discuss GRs, programmes, plans and share success
stories, challenges, experiences, works done in the previous year and
future plans of wildlife conservation, management and protection.
Responsibility: FDs and PA managers.
Encourage local people to create ‘Community Reserves’ on community

lands around villages or private lands and to start ecotourism activities
in Community Reserves and to create more employment opportunities
8.1
in such villages while at the same time achieving the goals of wildlife
conservation. (Also refer to the CNC programme in Chapter 7.)
Responsibility: PCCF (Wildlife), FDs and PA managers, JFMCs and
EDCs.
102
9.1 Settle the Forest Rights of villagers living inside PAs, finalise the
proposal for approval of the SBWL subcommittee for onward
submission to the NBWL and pursue the issue of final notification of

Critical Wildlife Habitats.
9.2 Educate the forest right holders and concerned gram sabha regarding
the duties of the holders of Forest rights as laid down in Section 5 of the
FRA 2006 which empowers them to protect wildlife, forest and
biodiversity in addition to other duties mentioned therein.
9.3 Educate CFR holding gram sabhas to protect and manage wildlife in the
areas where CFRs have been granted and help them in preparing and
implementing the management plan for sustainable use of NTFPs.
Responsibility: District Collectors, DCFs, Expert Committee constituted
by the State Government for each PA, FDs and PA managers.
Institute awards, incentives and rewards to individuals, and to the EDCs,

for their exemplary participation and conservation of wildlife on lines of
10.1
the Sant Tukaram Van Gram award, in existence for the JFM
Committees at the District and the State level.
Responsibility: State Government and PCCF (Wildlife).
103
Pic: Dhritiman Mukherjee

GIB conservation is linked to traditional agriculture system in Maharashtra
Massive eco-development
programme in Maharashtra

has helped to ensure people
participation in wildlife
conservation.
104
Pic: Pench T R
105
Pic: WII – Research team

Collaring of tiger for research and monitoring
1. Forestry research has a long history in Maharashtra. It was initiated formally by
setting up a independent Forest Conservation & Research wing under the Forest
department of the erstwhile Bombay State in 1939. Systematic Forestry research,
taken up under five-year plans approved by the State level research advisory
committee, was carried out initially in consultation with the Forest Research Institute,
Dehradun. This research was mostly focused on traditional forestry subjects. The
latest five-year plan (2014-15 to 18-19) however, included a theme, ‘Wildlife habitat
and management Research’ in its proposed work. The Research wing in
Maharashtra has a well-equipped library at Pune, where most of the old records and
research publications have now been digitized. Presently there are 14 research
centers and 47 sub-centers in the State. In recent years, some research has been
initiated for the vegetative reproduction of threatened species like Narkya. An
‘Orchidarium’, for the conservation of orchids has also been initiated at
Mahabaleshwar.
2. Despite the State having a dedicated Research wing, with a long history of
systematic forestry research, wildlife research has never been its priority or focus
area. Wildlife research was carried out mostly in isolation at the PA level or as per
the research priority of the researcher or the research institutes. Amongst PAs, the
Melghat Tiger Reserve (MTR) under Late Shri M G Gogate, as its Field Director,
made pioneering efforts in wildlife research as well as documentation in the form of
Technical Bulletins published by the MTR Directorate. Wildlife research projects
were largely confined to a few species like the Tiger, Leopard, Wolf, forest owlet,
wild dog or restricted to major Protected Areas. There were limited studies on the
lesser-known species. Organizations like ZSI, BSI, BNHS, NCBS, WII, Mangrove
Cell and the Universities have taken up research on the floral and faunal diversity,
status surveys and ecology in the past. (Refer chapter 1). Some sporadic research
has been taken up for the marine species, such as Sea snakes, Corals, Otters, Olive
Ridley turtle etc.
3. Contractual research in wildlife was started in Maharashtra under the World Bank
aided Maharashtra Forestry Project in the mid-nineties, under which important
studies such as ‘Ecological studies of upland birds in Vidarbha with special
reference to Great Indian Bustard, Lesser florican and the Jerdon’s courser’, taken
up by VNHS centre during 1998-2000 were carried out. In recent years, various
Tiger foundations and the Mangrove foundation have also recruited JRFs, SRFs and
Biologists etc on contractual basis, to carry out research in their respective areas.
4. Research in the field of Wildlife health was initiated in areas like Tadoba-Andhari
tiger reserve and GIB sanctuary, Nannaj, ex Marathe et al (2002) and Belsare (2007,
2013), but it still remained restricted to handful of areas and topics. This field has a
great potential considering the past records of disease outbreaks in the State. In
2015 ‘Wildlife Research and Training Centre’, focussing on wildlife health issues and
research has been started at the Gorewada International Zoo, Nagpur as a joint
venture of the Maharashtra Animal & Fishery Science University, (MAFSU) Nagpur
106
and the Maharashtra Forest Department. Similarly, some research on the job
performance and behavioural factors of the forest guards was carried out by Ojha &
Gairola, (2014) while studies on work motivation for the forest guards from some of
the Protected Areas in Maharashtra was carried out by WCT (2019).
5. During the initial years, the researchers sparingly shared their outcome of wildlife
research with the forest department, and it is thus not available at one place for
ready reference. There is a need to have a database of the research projects carried
out in the past and their findings on a web portal so that it is available for ready
reference. Maharashtra Forest Department has recently entered into a MoU with
WII, Dehradun for creation of such a web-platform, which needs further
strengthening.
6. Thematic areas for wildlife research have been identified and included in the
approved Tiger Conservation Plans & Management Plans of PA’s, but rarely it has
been a research priority for the researchers as in most cases, the institutes or the
individual researchers propose projects and research topics of their interest. Over
100 such permissions have been accorded by the office of the CWLW in last 10
years. Permissions given at the PA manager or field level are in addition to this.
Likewise, various research findings have rarely been referred to in management
plans of the PA’s. In recent years the Maharashtra Forest Department has entered
into an MoU with WII to carry our research based on its identified requirements.
About 20 such short term, midterm and long term research projects were taken up
by WII in Maharashtra, many of which are ongoing under long term projects. BNHS
has also been pursuing research in wild fauna of the State.
7. Regarding monitoring activity, tiger reserves like Melghat initiated vegetation
monitoring through the systematically laid 61 permanent vegetation monitoring plots
and other smaller plots based on Sykes & Horril design. In addition to this the
Research wing of the department has also established permanent preservation plots
for long term vegetation monitoring in PAs such as Melghat, Nagzira, Koyna etc.
Pugmark based tiger monitoring and waterhole count of wildlife, was replaced by the
more robust and scientific monitoring and estimation method for tiger, co-predators
and the herbivores as well as for the habitat since 2006. This is being carried out
through the all India, four yearly Phase I and the annual Phase IV exercise for tiger
source populations. In recent years, this monitoring is linked with the android based
MSTRiPES app being used in Tiger Reserves. In addition, estimations or census
and survey of some birds, such as the lesser florican, vultures or waterfowl are taken
up on an ad-hoc basis. Performance monitoring in PAs is done through Management
Effectiveness Evaluation (MEE) exercise carried out by the MoEF & CC & NTCA.
8. There is thus, a need for a systematic monitoring mechanism for threatened &
endemic species, marine & other aquatic species and the other lesser-known fauna.
Monitoring habitat changes in PAs, impacts of various policy level and managerial
interventions, impacts of various developmental projects on wildlife and impacts of
retrofitting and mitigation measures (except in case of NH-44, where systematic
research has been carried out by WII and WCT) are largely missing. There is no
dedicated staff available to conduct basic research and monitoring works in most of
the PAs. The frontline staff has a huge repository of field observations and empirical
data and this data can be converted into an extremely useful benchmark database.
107
Similarly, fund availability for research and monitoring projects needs to be
increased. Most of the research was either self-funded, or in recent years supported
though CAMPA, mangrove foundation or tiger conservation foundations. Various
other sources need to be tapped for this important activity.
9. A Research Project entitled “The Economic Valuation of Tiger Reserves in India: A
Value + approach” was undertaken by the IIFM Bhopal for the Melghat tiger reserve
funded by the NTCA. Extensive and comprehensive studies regarding the valuation
of Ecosystem Services from many of the other PAs need to be done to highlight the
ecosystem services that they provide other than being repositories of biodiversity.
Similarly, studies regarding climate adaptation and climate mitigation, carbon
finance and sink values of the protected areas also need to be taken up.
10. In Maharashtra, the permit to carry out wildlife research under Section 12 of the
WLPA 1972, is issued by the Chief Wildlife Warden. The Government of
Maharashtra issued comprehensive guidelines for carrying out research in PAs in
2007, which are largely based on the 2006 guidelines of GOI. In 2013, certain
powers of CWLW under section 12 were delegated to CCFs and Field directors of
the tiger reserves. In 2018, a technical committee under the chairmanship of CWLW
and two evaluations committees under the chairmanship of APCCF WL (East &
West) for considering and evaluating research projects for their sanction were
constituted. The Standing order issued in 2018 provides for the procedure to be
adopted for considering wildlife research proposals and the format for the MoU to
be signed for seeking funding support. Certain research proposals are further
referred to the MoEF & CC and NTCA. Apart from this, for access to biological
material from the wild or otherwise, permission of the Maharashtra State Biodiversity
Board (MSBB) under Section 17 of the Maharashtra Biodiversity rules, 2008 is
required. Yet there seems to be confusion amongst researchers regarding the
procedure to seek permission from different offices due to lack of awareness.
11. The present action plan aims at creating an institutional, administrative and financial
set up for strengthening wildlife research & monitoring activities; prioritizing research
& monitoring for better wildlife management; carrying out systematic analysis of
various interventions made in the past and their impacts on wildlife; prioritizing the
research & monitoring activities for the lesser known species, threatened species,
vulnerable habitats and the least attended knowledge areas such as climate change,
ecosystem valuation & modern technology; and simplifying the research permit
process through better co-ordination.
108
Pic: Pench TR
Monitoring by Forest Department team
ACTIONS REQUIRED
01
Strengthen the institutional set up for better and effective wildlife
research & monitoring regime in the state.
02
Prioritise and take up research & monitoring activities as per the field
requirement.
Take steps to make wildlife research more inclusive so as to ensure

03 promotion of new research topics, novel ideas, and use of latest
technology.
Take up systematic research projects to study the impact of various

04 managerial interventions and developmental activities on wildlife and
their habitat.
05
Streamline and simplify the permit process for conducting wildlife
research in the state for quicker and hassle-free permits.
06
Initiate research projects for better conservation of the threatened
species & their habitats and for promoting in- situ and ex- situ linkages.
07
Strengthen the research and monitoring set up for climate change and
ecosystem services sector.
109
Pic: Sarang Mhamane

Tracking of collared wolves in Maharashtra
PRIORITY PROJECTS
Develop a web based-digital platform for collation and compilation of all
the past research publications as well as for listing the priority projects
and establish linkages with leading research organizations and access
1.1 to the scientific database.
Time frame: By June 2022. Update Throughout the Plan period.

Responsibility: CWLW, WII, IT Wing, APCCF, RET.
Revamp & reorganize the existing Research wing of the forest

department and update its mandate for adequate representation to
Wildlife Research & Monitoring. Reconstitute the Research Advisory
1.2 Committee to facilitate wildlife research.

Responsibility: CWLW, APCCF, RET.
Setup a ‘Wildlife Research and Information’ cell in the office of CWLW

to monitor & co-ordinate research activity, carry out data analysis and
coordination and expedite examination of research proposals. This cell
1.3
would be an extension of the office of the CCF Research. Recruit
research staff/ interns at the PA level for field research and monitoring.

Responsibility: CWLW, PCCF (HoFF), CCF Research.
Organize capacity building sessions for the frontline staff for ensuring
better research & monitoring outcome and for collection of baseline
data. Impart training in basic research protocol, & analysis and
procedure to document and publish the same.
1.4 Time frame: Initiate by March, 2022. Continue Throughout the Plan
period.
Responsibility: CWLW, Kundal & Chandrapur Forest Academy,
Research organizations, WII, NGO’s.
Organising annual research seminar to enable the

Researchers/Foresters to present their research activities before
experts and field managers and to exchange ideas. Further, publish
research in reputed peer reviewed journals.
1.5 Time frame: Initiate by December, 2021 and to continue Throughout
the Plan period.
Responsibility: CWLW, Research Wing, APCCF RET.
110
Identify various funding sources for wildlife research & monitoring

including funding schemes of MoEF & CC, DBT, DST and also from
CSR/CER and International agencies.
Responsibility: Forest Department, Tiger Foundations, Mangrove
Foundation.
Carry out internal management effectiveness evaluation exercise in the

PAs.
1.7 Time frame: Initiate by December, 2022 and continue (annually)

Throughout the Plan period.
Responsibility: Forest Department, WII, Research Institutes/Evaluation
Wing, NGOs.
Prepare a list of priority research topics identified in the Management

Plans of the PAs/Tiger Conservation Plans and make it available on the
digital platform for the consideration of the researchers.
2.1 Time frame: By March, 2022. Update periodically.
Responsibility: CWLW, Wildlife Research cell, Field Managers,
Research Wing.
Undertake studies on the ecological impact of the invasive alien species

on wildlife habitat and identify effective eradication techniques.
2.2 Time frame: Initiate by June, 2022.

Responsibility: CWLW, PCCF HoFF, Research Wing, Research
organizations.
Undertake studies on grassland biodiversity and studies on

improvement of grassland ecosystems in the state.
Responsibility: Forest Department, WII, Research Institutes, NGOs.
Undertake research on the ecological impact of pesticides, insecticides,

and other agro-chemicals on wildlife.
2.4 Time frame: Initiate by December, 2022.

Responsibility: MAFSU, Research Institutes, WII, NGOs, Agriculture
Universities, BNHS.
Study the Human-Leopard conflict in relation to its behavioural changes
2.5
in the cultivation areas in Western Maharashtra.
111
Time frame: Initiate by June, 2022.
Responsibility: Forest Department, WII, Research institutes.
Monitor the routes, nesting and breeding of migratory birds. (Saras
crane, Flamingo, Amur falcon, Demoiselle crane, Vultures, GIB etc.)
and studies for longevity, habitat fidelity and population dynamics of
2.6
birds.
Time frame: Throughout the Plan period

Responsibility: Forest Department, WII, BNHS, Ela Foundation, Pune,
CIBA Nagpur, Research Institutes, NGOs
Study the effect of forest fragmentation on species diversity and impact

of major land use change around the PAs/tiger reserves.

Responsibility: Forest Department, Research Wing, WII, WCT,
Universities, Research Institutes, NGOs
Enter into a MoU with research organizations having domain expertise

for taking up research in new areas as well as for developing innovative
solutions through use of technology for wildlife conservation.
3.1 Time frame: By September, 2022.
Responsibility: CWLW, Research Wing, WII, Universities, BNHS,
Research Institutes, NGOs
Study life history of endemic and threatened species and publish them
as natural history fact files for conservation of species and habitats
through research and public participation/promotion of citizens science.
3.2 Time frame: Initiate by March, 2022.
Responsibility: CWLW, Research Wing, WII, Research Institutes,
NGOs, Individual researchers.
Initiate impact analysis of various interventions like habitat improvement

activities; impact of village rehabilitation on the habitat and the people;
impact of socio-economic interventions such as SPMJVY; and
4.1
measures taken to deal with human-wildlife conflict.

Responsibility: CWLW, Field managers, TISS, WII, BNHS, Research
institutes.
Undertake impact analysis of mining, dams, hydroelectric projects and

linear infrastructure like roads, railway lines, canals, transmission lines
4.2
on wildlife habitat and also the impact of mitigation/retrofitting measures.
Time frame: Initiate by March, 2022 and continue throughout Plan 112
period.
Responsibility: Forest Department, WII, WCT, NGOs
Streamline the permit process and prepare booklet/handbook/online

guidelines that can help the researchers seeking permission for wildlife
research.
Responsibility: CWLW Research and Information Cell, Member
Secretary MSBB.
Initiate standardization of germination techniques and development of

mass multiplication protocols for the threatened plant species and
strengthen in-situ - ex situ linkage.
6.1 Time frame: By March, 2026.
Responsibility: Universities, NGOs, Research Institutes, Forest
Department.
Develop sustainable harvest techniques for high value threatened plant

species.

Responsibility: Forest Department, Agricultural Universities, Research
Institutes
Take up population monitoring projects for threatened and lesser known

wild fauna from marine, inland aquatic and terrestrial habitats.

Responsibility: Forest Department, WII, Research Institutes,
Universities, NGOs.
Study genetic diversity in key wild species from different regions and
take up conservation genetics study to evaluate the inbreeding
depression in highly threatened species.
Responsibility: Forest department, Research Institutes, Universities,
WII.
Take up studies on effects of climate change on flora and fauna; climate

adaptation & mitigation, carbon credits and other related research on
climate change.
7.1 Time frame: Initiate by December, 2022 and continue Throughout the
Plan period.
Responsibility: Forest Department, TERI, WII, Research Institutes,
NTCA.
113
Carry out systematic valuation of the ecosystem services provided by
the Protected areas / Tiger reserves in the state.
7.2 Time frame: Initiate by June, 2022 and continue Throughout the Plan
period.
Responsibility: Forest Department, IIFM, TERI, WII, Research
Institutes.
(Above priority projects are in addition to the research projects identified in the other chapters.)
Ceropegia vincifolia – Critically

endangered herbaceous
climber.
Research on Ex-situ - in-situ
conservation approach has
been undertaken for critically
endangered species, such as
Ceropegia species.
114

115
116

Monitoring by Field Staff
117
Pic: Pench TR
India’s First and World’s Largest Animal Underpasses- Mitigation Measures on Nh 44 (NH – 07)
1. Ensuring sustained funding for the environment sector especially wildlife and
integrating wildlife conservation with other sectors has become extremely important
in view of the COVID-19 pandemic. The world has now realised that wildlife
conservation is much more interconnected with human well-being in the present
scenario than ever before and thus, it is extremely critical to ensure that the wildlife
and environment sectors become top priorities of the State and the Central
Government. Over the last decade, the budget for wildlife conservation in the State
of Maharashtra under various central and State schemes has been increasing
steadily (see Table 11.1), but it is still meagre when compared to the overall outlays
of both the GoI and GoM. Hence, the funding for the sector needs to grow manifold.
This could be in the form of direct growth as well as through cross sectoral funding,
as activities of many sectors directly or indirectly impact wildlife conservation.
Table 11.1: Details of Funds received by the Wildlife Sector in Maharashtra in

the last 10 years. *
Source of Funds (Rs in lakhs)

Year CSS State Plan CAMPA 13th Finance Total
Commission
2010-11 3130.32 2023.68 - - 5154.00
2011-12 4665.87 7013.73 - - 11679.6
2012-13 1891.32 3491.03 3032.15 1482.5 9897
2013-14 4365.58 5046.59 3243.56 1440.14 14095.87
2014-15 4685.5 5541.81 2680.36 905.93 13813.6
2015-16 5083.1 14293.09 8698.68 - 28074.87
2016-17 12563.00 11542.3 78.17 - 24183.47
2017-18 13106.29 17934.6 7955.00 - 38995.89
2018-19 18786.61 12620.7 7641.00 - 39048.31
2019-20 9444.98 4883.69 3664.00 - 17992.67

Total
77722.57 84391.22 36992.92 3828.57 202935.28
Funds
(*Grants under District Plan and MGNREGA are an additionality to the above)
118
2. The key for long-term sustained funding is to harness resources available from
different ministries of the Central and State Government considering that wildlife and
environmental conservation is directly linked to human wellbeing. This can only be
achieved if environmental and wildlife conservation concerns are internalized across

sectors.
Few examples of cross sectoral funding are listed in Table 11.2.
Table -11.2 List of the indicative activities that can be supported by the
various departments
Department to
be approached
S. No Indicative activities that need to be supported
for funding
support
Voluntary Rehabilitation of tribal dominated villages from
Tribal
1 tiger reserves and other protected areas (PAs) and also
Development
from the fringe areas around PAs
Construction of parapet walls/other suitable measures to
cover wells to avoid wild animals from falling, water
Rural
2 augmentation, provision of solar powered street lights,
Development
water heating and fuel saving devices in villages around
forest areas.
Provision for installing turtle excluding devices, providing
square mesh fishing net of appropriate size, incentivising
Fisheries (both release of endangered marine species caught in the net
3
GoI and GoM) and compensating the loss due to damage to nets.
Providing seeds for aquaculture, ornamental fish rearing,
crab farming, mussel farming, etc.
Providing good quality higher yielding seeds and fruit
crops to stop encroachment on forest area, pasture
Agriculture and
4 development to reduce dependence on forest/PAs for
Horticulture
grazing, incentivising change of cropping pattern,
provision for crop insurance due to wild animal damage.
Provision of improved breed of milch cattle, quality animal
feed, promotion of stall feeding the milch animals, cattle
Animal
5 enclosures, vaccination, castration and artificial
Husbandry
insemination of cattle etc. Provision for Fodder
development.
New and
Renewable For reducing dependence on fuel wood and reducing
6 Energy human-wildlife conflict-promotion of solar lighting, solar
Resources / heating etc. in and around villages in forest areas, PAs.
MahaUrja
MSEDCL/ Aerial Bunching of cables, Underground Power lines in
7
MSETCL/ areas vulnerable to electrocution of wild animals.
8 Irrigation/MJP Mitigation measures on canals and siphon wells.
PWD Roads /
NHAI
/MSRDC/MMRD
Mitigation measures over roads, highways, railway lines,
9 A, Indian
ports, extra high voltage lines etc.
Railways/
HSRC/Port
119 Trust/PGCIL
Thus, the main objective would be to leverage funds from other schemes and
departments of the Central and State Govt. for wildlife conservation to ensure that
the ecological security is not compromised while targeting economic development.
3. It is now well established that climate change has been wreaking havoc on our
natural resources. The need for maintaining a healthy and functional ecosystem is
essential and this can be done by reducing the amount of damage that human
activities have on the environment since the survival of humankind is inextricably
linked to the survival of our natural environment. By conserving wildlife and
biodiversity, we also ensure that future generations enjoy the natural world and the
diverse species that live on our planet. Wild habitats also serve as a critical barrier
and minimize the possibility of spread of infectious diseases.
4. The crisis of Climate Change, Global Warming, and the increase in frequency and
intensity of extreme climatic events can no longer be ignored. The vital role played
by our PAs, forests and biodiversity in providing clean air, water and many other
ecological services in addition to traditional products such as timber, fodder and
minor forest produce can also no longer be underestimated or ignored.
5. The sectoral approaches to ecosystem management are no longer sufficient to meet

global challenges such as biodiversity conservation, climate change, etc. There is
pressing need for a holistic approach to landscape management, aiming to reconcile
the competing objectives of nature conservation and economic activities across a
given landscape. The Landscape Approach is about balancing competing land use
demands in a way that is best for human well-being as well as the environment.
Hence, providing a basic framework for balancing these competing demands and
integrating policies for multiple land uses in and around wildlife areas need to be
worked out.
6. Conservation of wildlife and their habitats plays an important role in maintaining the
ecosystem services and also in providing livelihoods to local communities. People,
their health, farms, businesses and industries all rely on ecosystem services.
Humanity may have to bear significant costs and losses if these ecosystem services
are disrupted or degraded. The NITI Aayog has developed a SDG India index to
map the performance of each State based upon several parameters. This aspect
has been included in these parameters.
7. The wildlife sector in Maharashtra has been supported mainly by the State
Government and also by the Central Government (see Table 11.1 given above). The
funding from CSS, CAMPA, MGNREGA, DPC, State Plan schemes like SPMJVVY
among other schemes have contributed significantly for wildlife conservation. This
support needs to reach in a timely manner and on a continued basis and also needs
to be expanded. Recently the private sector has also started contributing to some
extent towards these goals to compensate for the impact on biodiversity caused by
infrastructure projects that are granted permissions within the Protected Areas (PAs)
as well as in ESAs around the PAs.
120
8. Many Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) play a crucial role in wildlife
conservation to plug gaps by conducting research to facilitate management
interventions, public awareness, building institutional capacity, and facilitating
independent dialogue with civil society. Their active involvement needs to be

encouraged for better wildlife conservation in the State.
9. Although the corporate sector has taken some conservation initiatives in the form of
CSR funding for a few activities related to wildlife conservation, given their relatively
large ecological footprint, they need to contribute substantially towards biodiversity
conservation.
10. In some PAs, Maharashtra has been ploughing back tourism fees for conservation
and management of PAs. This plough back policy of the fees and accommodation
charges collected from the tourists visiting PAs needs to be continued and additional
mechanisms for ploughing back revenue from the other support sectors need to be
created and made operational.
11. The Ministry of Road Transport & Highways, on 29thMay 2019, issued the principles
to be adopted while considering highways near or within PAs/Animal corridors.
MoRTH has stated that "All efforts shall be made to avoid any road alignment
through the PAs, even if it requires taking a longer route/bypass. However, where it
becomes absolutely unavoidable and necessary to retain the alignment through
such RF/restricted areas, land would be acquired with RoW of not more than 30m”.
MoRTH has also stated that the guidelines on "eco-friendly measures to mitigate
impact of linear infrastructure on wildlife" prepared by the WII should be followed at
the planning stage itself. This example needs to be followed by all the linear
infrastructure departments like PWD, MSRDC, MMRDA, Indian Railways, High
Speed Rail Corporation (HSRC), Irrigation, MSEDCL, etc., for their existing as well
as, proposed projects and they should be required to bear the cost of avoidance and
other appropriate mitigation measures.
12. There are multiple governance frameworks and structures in Maharashtra that
administer various ecosystems including coastal and marine zones. Overlapping
jurisdictions, conflicting mandates and limited coordination amongst multiple
agencies affects conservation of wildlife and management of natural resources.
Hence, convergence of sectoral programmes of various departments is necessary.
13. Emphasis in the current SWAP is on adopting a landscape approach and securing
peoples’ participation in wildlife conservation. The challenge here lies in reconciling
the needs of the people for livelihood and development, with that of conservation. In
this scenario, streamlining the development agenda of all the sectors and identifying
cross sectoral linkages is extremely important.
14. Mainstreaming the conservation concerns of biodiversity into the various sectoral
strategies, plans and programmes, particularly of the sectors dealing with natural
resources is most essential.
121
ACTIONS REQUIRED
Create a State Wildlife Conservation Foundation for pooling all
CSR/CER funds and other such funds like wildlife clearance funds,
01 NPVs to act as a single window mechanism for mobilizing and utilizing
the same for wildlife conservation, eco-development and conflict
resolution activities wherever required within the State.
Set up an institutional mechanism for receiving regular funds from the

DPC and the Tribal sub-plan (TSP), Social welfare department for
02
wildlife conservation and voluntary village rehabilitation programmes,
based on studies on biological and socio-economic impacts of village
relocation from PAs/ TR cores as well as some strategic villages from
buffers and tiger corridors.
Get cross sectoral support by facilitating convergence of schemes in the
03
villages in PAs, ESAs, TR buffers and Tiger corridors. Implement the
convergence of schemes effectively based on the GR issued by Chief
Secretary dt 22/12/2011.
Levy a graded wildlife conservation cost @3-7 per cent of the total
project cost for the non-linear projects proposed in Tiger/wildlife
corridors, ESAs or PAs or in case of linear projects @ 3 per cent the
04
cost of the part of the linear project passing through such areas. The
idea here is not just to get extra funding for wildlife conservation in the
State but to act as an disincentive so that such areas are avoided
unless absolutely necessary. Integrate funding from the infrastructure
development departments.
Enhance the budgetary support from other budgetary sources like

CAMPA, MGNREGA, CSR/CER, District mining fund etc., for wildlife
05
conservation and also explore the possibility of using carbon credits.
Identify land banks and acquire such lands in the wildlife / tiger corridors
for Compensatory Afforestation for eco-restoration and consolidation of
fragmented wildlife/tiger corridors.
Explore the feasibility of participation of the private sector in

conservation programmes including eco-development of communities
living in the PAs, TRs, buffers, ESA of PAs and tiger corridors,
translocation of wild animals, human-wildlife conflict resolution,
06 monitoring, research and eco-restoration. Seek corporate
environmental/ecological responsibility (CER) support on the lines of
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programmes within the State;
and seek direct corporate support for wildlife conservation programmes
and related infrastructure.
07 Explore the integration of sustainable development goals (SDGs) goals 122

set up by NITI Aayog in wildlife conservation activities. Manage SWAP
(2021-2031) as an essential process and tool for achieving agenda

2032 regarding SDGs.
Review the NPVs of the forestland to be diverted from designated

wildlife corridors/PAs/TRs periodically, since the forest land being
diverted for the project, also impacts the adjacent forest lands due to
fragmentation, increased disturbance, pollution, etc. The review is also
08 necessary keeping in mind that paying NPV should not be looked upon
as a solution to divert prime forest land and in fact should prove to be a
deterrent so that other alternatives are explored. Since the NPV is
decided by the Central Government the State would not be able to take
a final decision but can certainly send a proposal for its revision.
Involve various departments in assessment and management of impact
09
on wildlife conservation at the planning stage itself and for integrating
elements of conservation and sustainable use in their
programmes/schemes.
Arrange regular consultations on the issues relating to conservation and

development with the major stakeholder groups, particularly those
10
involved in decision making or framing of policy. Such groups may
include members of the State Legislature, State Wildlife Board, State
Biodiversity Board, various departments and the decision makers in the
State government.
123
Pic: WII – NTCA-MFD/Road Ecology Project

Dr. Bilal Habib
PRIORITY PROJECTS
Create a wildlife conservation foundation.
1.1 Timeframe: By June, 2022.
Submit proposals to the State Government for seeking adequate funds

for village relocation and land acquisition from PA/TR core, and some
strategic villages from the buffer and tiger corridors, based on the study
2.1 reports.
Responsibility: PCCF (Wildlife), Tribal Development Department,
Social Welfare Department, Tourism Department.
Seek funding support from the DPC, Tribal Development Department,

Rural Development Department and Social Welfare Department for
Wildlife Conservation and Conflict handling and also for post-
rehabilitation handholding.
2.2 Timeframe: By December, 2021 and continue Throughout the Plan

period.
Responsibility: State Government, Forest Department, Planning
Department, Tribal Development department, Rural Development
Department, and Social Welfare Department.
Implement programmes of other Government Departments in the

villages around PAs, ESAs of PAs, TR buffers and tiger corridors
through convergence of schemes. Make District Collectors responsible
to strike the convergence. The Chief Secretary to monitor its
implementation.
3.1 Time frame: Initiate by December, 2021and implement Throughout the

Plan Period.
Responsibility: State Government, Revenue, Forest, Rural
Development, Tribal Development, Social Welfare, Animal Husbandry,
Agriculture, Minor Irrigation and Horticulture Department and Collectors
and CEOs of Zilla Parishad.
Set up a inter departmental panel to discuss the levy of a graded wildlife

conservation cost between 3 per cent to 7 percent of the project cost.

Responsibility: Principal Secretary Finance and Planning, Irrigation,
MSEDCL/MSETCL, MSRDC, PWD, NHAI, Tourism, Forest,
Environment, MJP, CWLW.
124
4.2 Integrate this levy from various infrastructure development departments
with the proposed Wildlife Conservation Foundation/Tiger Conservation
Foundations to carry out various wildlife management activities in the

State.
Responsibility: Forest Department, CWLW
Set up a funding mechanism through the inter-departmental panel to

address the mitigation measures on existing projects for retrofitting as
per the guidelines on eco-friendly measures to mitigate impacts of
4.3
Linear infrastructure, published by the WII.
Responsibility: Principal Secretary Finance and Planning, Irrigation,
MSEDCL/MSETCL, MSRDC, PWD, NHAI, Railways, Forest,
Environment, MJP, CWLW.
Set up a monitoring mechanism for implementation of the mitigation
4.4
measures proposed in para 4.2 & 4.3 above.
Set up a mechanism for levying a green cess or green tax that will
directly compensate the Forest Department for the eco-system services
provided by the PAs/Wildlife habitats.

Responsibility: Finance and Planning Department, Irrigation
Department, MSEDCL/MSETCL, MSRDC, PWD, NHAI, Municipal
Corporations/Councils, Tourism Department, Railways, Forest
Department, Environment Department, MJP.
Institutionalise the mechanism for receiving regular investment from

extra budgetary sources like CSR/CER, CAMPA, MGNREGA, District
5.1
mining fund etc. for wildlife conservation programmes.
Time frame: By December, 2021 and continue through the Plan period.
Responsibility: Planning and Finance department, Forest department,
PCCF BPD, APCCF CAMPA and Rural Development department.
Consolidate wildlife/tiger corridors through land acquisition in identified

areas through the user agencies. Implement eco-restoration of
fragmented wildlife/tiger corridors through the wise use of
5.2
Compensatory Afforestation and NPV.
Time frame: Identify areas and issue directions for land acquisition by
June, 2022. Continue Throughout the Plan period.
Responsibility: Forest department, CEO CAMPA, Nodal Officer, PA
managers, Collectors.
125 Prepare project proposals for seeking funding support from the private
6.1 sector for wildlife management.
Responsibility: PCCF (Wildlife), PA managers.
Constitute a high-level working group for devising policy to seek

corporate environmental/ecological responsibility (CER) support on the
lines of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programmes within the
6.2
State; and seek direct corporate support for wildlife conservation
programmes and related infrastructure.
Responsibility: Chief Secretary, Principal Secretary Forests, Principal
Secretary Environment, PCCF & HoFF, PCCF (Wildlife).
Set up an Institutional mechanism under the Chairmanship of the Chief

Secretary for sensitizing and effectively coordinating with various
Departments and Institutions of the Central and the State Governments
as regards the implementation of the State Wildlife Action Plan and to
7.1 monitor the progress on SDG goals.
Responsibility: Chief Secretary, Principal Secretary Forests, Principal
Secretary Environment, and Principal Secretaries of other line
Departments, PCCF & HoFF, PCCF (Wildlife).
Set up a committee under the Principal Secretary Forests, with PCCF &
HoFF, Nodal Officer, CWLW and 2 members of SBWL, to review and
8.1
recommend the NPVs of forestland to be diverted in wildlife
corridors/PAs.
Timeframe: By December, 2021.
Recommend actions to the concerned State Departments and Institutions
9.1
on various projects and programmes so that they are in conformity with
the State Wildlife Action Plan. Indicative list of specific projects and
programmes are listed below:
Agriculture Department to:

A • Promote alternative cropping pattern in seriously affected by Human-
wildlife conflicts.
Animal Husbandry Department to:

B • Promote stall feeding of livestock.
• Stop goat distribution in ESAs of PAs and in TR buffers.
The State Irrigation Department to:

• Avoid to the extent possible medium and major irrigation projects in
the vicinity of PAs and other sensitive wildlife areas.
C • Construct overpasses on canals and siphon water from canals into
the natural drainages in the adjoining forest areas so as to stop 126
migration of herbivores to the agriculture fields in the command area
during the summer season.
• Maintain minimum environmental flow in rivers on the downstream

side of dams and maintain dead stock in dams for wildlife.
The Public works Department and other Infrastructure development

Authorities like NHAI, MMRDA, MSRDC, CIDCO, ZP, HSRC etc., to:
D • Integrate concerns for security of wildlife and corridor connectivity in
their projects at the planning stage and adopt appropriate designs
and technological solution to deal with the same.
The State Tribal Development Department to:

• provide support for training, value addition and marketing of forest
E
based products for enhancing livelihood opportunities in the ESAs of
PAs, TR buffer and tiger corridors.
The State Tourism Development Department to:

• help in capacity building of the local communities to manage
ecotourism;
F • introduce best practices for controlling pollution in the tourism sites
including conducting ecological audits of all tourist facilities in ESAs
of PAs - this could be monitored by UDD through Town planning
department in consultation with the Forest department.
The State Planning and Finance Department to:

• declare the Wildlife and Forest Conservation as a ‘priority sector’.
G • provide adequate funds for mitigation of Human-wildlife conflicts and
eco-development of communities living on the fringe of forests and
wildlife areas;
Mining and mineral department to:

• integrate concerns of PAs, ESAs of PAs, TR buffers and Tiger
corridors in their projects at the planning stage.
• Develop and use eco-friendly technologies and designs.
H • Restore abandoned mines in a time bound manner including closure
of existing mines located within the ESAs of PAs, TR buffers and tiger
corridors.
• Afforest overburden dumps/areas using indigenous and local
species.
Maharashtra Disaster Management Authority and Environment climate

change department should develop specific action plan for integrating
I Climate Change Adaptation (CCA) and Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR)
for wildlife conservation.
Ministry of Defence to:

J • Facilitate the involvement of Navy and Coast Guard in Wildlife
127
conservation programmes and in its monitoring.
Law department to:
K • Set up fast track courts for speedy disposal of forest and wildlife
cases;
Initiate interactions with the Departments under various Ministries of the

Central Government like Ministry of Defence, Ministry of Coal and Mines,
L Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, etc., to integrate concerns of
conservation of wildlife and biodiversity in their projects at the planning
stage.
Powers under the Environment (Protection) Act need to be delegated to

M
forest officers above the rank of ACF to enable management of ESAs.
Time frame: Initiate December, 2021 and to continue Throughout the

Plan period.
Responsibility: State Government, Principal Secretary (Forests and
other related Departments), PCCF (HoFF), PCCF (Wildlife) and Heads
of the concerned Department.
Put in place a mechanism for regular consultations on the issues

relating to wildlife conservation and development with the major
stakeholder groups, particularly those involved in decision making or
10.1
framing of policy.
Responsibility: State Government, Minister (Forests), Chief Secretary,
Principal Secretary Forests, PCCF (HoFF), PCCF (Wildlife).
128
Pic: Hrishikesh Rane

Lesser-sand Plover
129
Tiger Corridors of Vidarbha Landscape
are much beyond designated forest
areas of Maharashtra.
1. Maharashtra has six National Parks-NP, 50 Wildlife Sanctuaries-WLS, and 14
Conservation Reserves (CRs) totaling around 10282.521 sq. km., which is 3.34 %
of the geographical area (as on 31st May 2021). The number of PAs is amongst the
top in the country. The NWAP mentions that the states need to have 10 per cent of
their geographical area under PA cover and hence there is need to strengthen the
existing PA network further.
2. The National Wildlife Action Plan (NWAP) 2002-2016 states under its policy
imperatives that wildlife conservation cannot be restricted to National Parks and
Sanctuaries and hence “Areas outside the PA network which are often vital
ecological corridor links must be protected to prevent isolation of fragments of
biodiversity which will not survive in the long run. Land and water use policies would
also have to accept the necessity of strictly protecting ecologically fragile habitats
and regulating its use elsewhere.”
3. Maharashtra is one of the prominent wildlife states of India. Forests of Maharashtra

range from the biodiversity hotspots of the Western Ghats to Dry deciduous Tiger
forests of Vidarbha. Its geographical area is about 9.36 per cent of the country i.e.,
3,07,713 sq.km. Maharashtra has a recorded forest area of 61,579 sq.km which is
20.01 per cent of the total geographical area and a forest cover of 50,777 sq km
which is 16.5 per cent of the total geographical area. (The district wise forest area
is appended as Annexure IV).
4. The PAs of Maharashtra are situated in the following 3 bio-geographic zones (BG
zones) (Annexure V)
The Western Ghats, (Biogeographic Zone 5), estimated to cover 37,554 km2,
has two provinces:
Province 5A Malabar Coast with no sub-divisions.

Province 5B Western Ghat Mountains, with two subdivisions:
Dangs - Below Ghats and Upper Krishna Ghats.
The Deccan Peninsula, (Biogeographic Zone 6), estimated to cover 2,66,693

km2, has four provinces:
Province 6A Central Highlands, the Satpura-Maikal division.

Province 6C Eastern Highlands, the Chattisgarh-Dandakaranya division.
Province 6D Central Plateau, The Maharashtra Plateau division, the largest.
Province 6E South Deccan, a tiny area south of the Krishna.
The Coasts, (Biogeographic Zone 8), estimated to cover 3,466 km2.
Province 8A Western Coasts.

130
Table-12.1: PA distribution in biogeographic zones and their area and percentage
Designated Name of the Bio- Number of Area of PA (Sq. Km.)

number of the geographic zone PAs in the BG (% of PA in relation
Biogeographic (Total Geographical Area Zone (%) to the area of the BG
Zone of the BG Zone) Zone)
Deccan Peninsula 49 7505.366
6 (2,66,693 sq. km) (70%) (2.8%)
Western Ghats 19 2731.133
5 (37,554 sq. km) (27%) (7.27%)
Coasts 02 46.022
8 (3467 sq.km) (3%) (1.33%)
Total (3,07,713 sq. km) 70 10282.521
5. The coastal areas in the State which have a varied topography, giving rise to small
areas of mangroves, coral and sandy beaches which are not well represented in the
PA network of Maharashtra. Hence, the possibility of increasing the PA network in
coastal areas and Western Ghats needs to be explored.
6. The Great Indian Bustard (GIB) sanctuary area which initially was 8496.44 sq. Km
was rationalised and reduced to 366.73 sq. km and hence the PA cover of
Maharashtra was drastically reduced from 4.97 per cent to 2.6 per cent i.e. from
15,332.49 sq. km. to 7202.78 sq. km. - a sharp drop of 46.98 per cent. However,
this issue was partially addressed later and the State Government has subsequently
declared many new PAs to enhance the PA network which presently is 3.37 per cent
of its geographical area.
7. Out of 70 PAs in Maharashtra, only two PAs - Melghat WLS and Andhari WLS -
have more than 500 sq.km area and only 10 are medium sized (between 300 to
500 sq.km). Six PAs are moderate (Between 200 to 300 sq.km), 18 PAs are of
small size (Between 100 to 200 sq.km) and 34 PAs are very small in size (less than
100 sq.km.) (Table-12.2)
Table-12.2: Area wise number of PAs in Maharashtra
Area Range NPs WLS CRs Total

>500 0 2 0 02
300-500 2 8 0 10
200-300 1 4 1 06
100-200 2 14 2 18
<100 1 22 11 34
Total 6 50 14 70
8. W. A. Rodgers & H. S. Panwar of Wildlife Institute of India had prepared a report for
MoEF and suggested a list of wildlife potential areas from Maharashtra in March
131 1998 to be added to the PA network of the State depending on various parameters
like lack of representation of a particular Biogeographic Zone or Province and also
species richness or peculiarities of the area.
9. Science tells us that tigers require a minimum 800 to 1000 sq.km inviolate forest
area to harbour viable tiger populations. Hence, new tiger bearing areas or areas
with such potential need to be identified and declared as PAs specially for such wide-
ranging wild animal species.
The Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 has accorded specific degrees of legal protection
to the various PA categories like Sanctuaries, National Parks, Tiger Reserves,
Community Reserves and Conservation Reserves and hence, it is necessary to
complete the legal procedures to address the several rights and anthropogenic
pressures of human settlements. Many of our PAs are yet to be finally notified. The
Hon'ble Supreme Court of India had passed an order on 10/05/1996 (Writ
no.262/1995) to complete these proceedings within two years. Moreover, Section
25-A of WPA, 1972, as amended in 2003, also stipulates the time limit for completing
the proceedings under Section 19 to 25, as far as possible, within two years from
the date of the notification of declaration of the Sanctuary under Section 18. Thus,
the issuance of the final notifications of the existing PAs where the process of
settlement of rights has not yet been completed needs to be expedited.
10. Some of the PAs need to be made inviolate by resettlement of villages. The
Government of Maharashtra has voluntarily resettled around 66 villages from the
core of Tiger Reserves and tiger bearing PAs. The resettlement work is a very slow
process and as of now another 48 villages (Annexure-VI) from PAs are waiting to be
voluntarily resettled. One of the issues causing delay is lack of funds and availability
of land for this process. This can partially be addressed by making funds available
from the Tribal Development Department, Social Welfare Department for the
voluntary relocation of tribal dominated villages.
11. The ESZs of 42 PAs have been finally notified and the rest need to be finalised and
zonal master plans would have to be prepared. There is also a need to declare some
critically important areas such as Tiger Corridors, Biodiversity Heritage sites etc. as
ESAs under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.
12. Forest Rights Act, (FRA) 2006 also has acknowledged the importance of PAs
declared under WLPA1972. As per section 2(b) of FRA, 2006, it is mandatory to
declare the area of PAs as Critical Wildlife Habitat (CWH) and provide inviolate
areas for wildlife on the basis of scientific and objective criteria. The Hon'ble Bombay
HC has also directed the Government to expedite the CWH proposals. This process
needs to be followed up with the District authorities.
132
133
Pic: Noor Sayyed

Melghat Landscape is an
adobe of diverse wildlife.
The vast landscape of
Melghat Tiger Reserve and
adjoining areas has the
potential for long-term
conservation in the State of
Maharashtra.
134
ACTIONS REQUIRED
Identify new wildlife potential areas and declare them as PAs for
01
sustaining minimum viable populations of species like the tigers and
wolves, as also for protecting the megadiverse floral and faunal
repositories of the Western Ghats and other areas.
Explore the expansion of the 34 PAs in Maharashtra which are of very

small size (less than 100 sq.km.) and 18 PAs of small size (between
02 100 to 200 sq.km). Also explore the extension of the existing PAs which
are part of six tiger reserves (TR) and the grassland PAs having wolf
population.
Relocate and voluntarily resettle identified villages from PAs to provide

sufficient inviolate forest areas for scientific management of
Tigers/Wildlife. Make available required funds from the Tribal
03
Development Department for tribal dominated villages which are
voluntarily opting for rehabilitation so as to complete the task in a time
bound manner. Similar efforts are required for getting funding support
from the Social Welfare Department for rehabilitation of villages from
PAs having a non-tribal population.
Expedite the process of identifying areas along the tiger corridors and
declare most critical areas from these as PAs to maintain the physical
and functional connectivity between the PAs. Expedite the expansion of
the existing smaller PAs (<100 sq.km) and declare new PAs in some
important corridors. Identify and acquire the lands near PAs, ESAs, and
04 in buffer areas and along the corridors to address the issue of
fragmentation of wildlife/Tiger corridors on priority and strengthen the
PAs/ESAs and Tiger/Wildlife corridors (GoM guidelines dated
27/08/2014). Seek assistance from the FAC, REC to insist on the
condition to allot equivalent revenue land in lieu of diversion of forest
land while granting forest clearances as far as possible.
Complete the settlement of rights process in all the PAs urgently.

05 Expedite the work through two committees constituted by the CWLW on
14/07/2016 under the chairmanship of APCCF (WL) East and West.
Expedite the notification of ESZs of the PAs where these have not been
finally notified. Consider the declaration of wildlife corridors, Ramsar
06 sites and Bio diversity heritage sites as ecologically fragile under the
Environment (Protection) Act, 1986. Assess all the developmental
activities in the ESAs according to the Zonal Master Plans for every PA.
Expedite declaration of Critical Wildlife Habitat (CWH) as per section
07
2(b) of the Forest Rights Act, 2006. The Tribal Development
135 Department and the district collectors (as Chairman of District Level
Committees (DLC) set up under FRA, 2006) will have to expedite the
process of deciding the claims in a time bound manner. The required
clearance from the SBWL and NBWL for CWH proposals would have to
be sought.
Strengthen the management of the existing PAs through consolidation

of the boundaries using modern monitoring technology, removal of
08
invasive alien species, conducting an internal MEE annually,
construction of Protection huts and equipping them well, construction of
quarters for the frontline staff, activating the PA advisory committee and
addressing human resource issues on a regular basis.
Dry – grasslands in
the State of
Maharashtra have
various species
associated with
them.
136
Pic: Shaheer Khan

PRIORITY PROJECTS
Identify potential areas around the CTH of Tiger Reserves, so as to
1.1
achieve the possibility of having 800 to 1000 sq.km inviolate forest
areas to harbour a viable tiger population and submit proposals for
extension of PAs adjoining the CTH to the CWLW.
1.2
Identify new potential grassland areas having wolf populations and
submit the proposals to the CWLW.
Identify additional areas to be notified under various categories of PAs
1.3
including Conservation Reserves and Community Reserves in order to
extend protection to the lesser known and lower floral and faunal
species and also to areas which show a high degree of endemism.
Safeguard the habitat of lesser known and threatened species which

are found outside the PAs.
1.4 Timeframe: By September, 2022 and to continue Throughout the Plan

period.
Responsibility: Forest Department, CWLW, APCCFs (Wildlife),
Territorial CCFs and CFs.
Submit proposals for possible expansion of 34 PAs which are of very

small size (less than 100 sq.km.) and 18 of small size (between 100 to
2.1 200 sq.km) to the CWLW. A committee of CWLW and SBWL members
to take review of Conservation Reserves which can be upgraded
further.
Prepare proposals for declaring new PAs as per scientific and objective
criteria and ecological importance. Consider wildlife corridors
connecting two or more PAs or ecologically important territorial forest
areas for declaration as conservation reserves and community
reserves. Same committee of CWLW and SBWL to also study the
recommendations of Rodgers and Panwar's report and
recommendations of SBWL members to scientifically and objectively
2.2 assess the feasibility of areas to be declared as PAs. The Committee to
also consider the inadequacy of the PAs network in certain
biogeographic zones specially the coastal areas and propose suitable
areas.
Timeframe: By June, 2023.

Responsibility: Forest Department, CWLW, APCCFs (Wildlife),
Territorial CCFs and CFs.
3.1
137 Relocate and voluntarily resettle villages from PAs to provide sufficient
inviolate forest area for scientific management of Tigers/Wildlife.
Prepare a scheme for making funds available from the Tribal
Development Department, Social Welfare Department, CAMPA, and
Climate Change mechanisms for the voluntary relocation of villages.
The State Government to take a policy decision to voluntary relocate

some villages from the fringes of PAs/CTH, TR buffer and from some
sensitive stretches of tiger corridors.
3.2 Timeframe: By December, 2024.

Responsibility: State Government, Forest Department, Tribal
Development Department, Social Welfare Department, Finance
department, CEO-CAMPA.
Identify potential areas (irrespective of ownership) in the fragmented

corridors or areas around existing smaller PAs (<100 sq.km) in corridors
4.1
which can be considered by FAC, REC while granting forest clearance
to acquire equivalent revenue land in lieu of diversion of forest land.
(CWLW to constitute the committees under APCCF Wildlife East and
West for the same.)
4.2
Expedite the expansion of the existing smaller PAs (<100 sq.km) and
declare new PAs in some important corridors.
Identify lands to be acquired inside/near PAs, ESAs, Buffer Areas and
4.3
in the fragmented corridors to strengthen the PAs/ESAs and
Tiger/Wildlife corridors and declare them as PAs to maintain the
physical and functional connectivity between the PAs.
Acquire identified private and government areas inside the notified

sanctuaries which have not yet been acquired by the government. Ex:
Karanja Sohol, Radhanagari, Jaikwadi, Nandur Madhmeshwar WLS
4.4
etc.

Responsibility: Principal Secretary Forests, PCCF (HoFF), CWLW,
Divisional Commissioners, APCCF (WL) East and West.
Expedite the settlement process so as to issue the final notification for

declaration of Sanctuaries and National parks: State Government,
Revenue Department and Forest Department. PS (Forest) and CWLW
to conduct quarterly meetings with the concerned Divisional
5.1
Commissioners to take up the findings of these committees so that the
issue gets the desired momentum.

Responsibility: Principal Secretary Forests, PCCF (HoFF), CWLW,
Divisional Commissioners, APCCF (WL) East and West.
138
6.1
Expedite the final notifications of the ESZ proposals for existing PAs
which are yet to be notified. Prepare ESA proposals for forest/wildlife
areas in wildlife corridors and Ramsar Sites and Bio Diversity Heritage
Sites, for submission to the Government of India. The CWLW to

constitute a committee to guide and prepare such proposals.
6.2
Formulate a scheme offering incentives for villages inside the ESZ
similar to the Dr. SPM Jan Van Vikas Yojana.
Expedite the preparation of the Zonal master plans. Special workshops

to be conducted by the Environment department to expedite the work of
preparing Zonal Master Plans. Delegate powers to forest officers
(preferably ACFs) under the EPA, 1986 to enable them to enforce the
6.3 law within the ESZs.

Responsibility: Forest, Urban Development, Environment, Law and
Judiciary and Revenue Department, CWLW.
Expedite the work of submission of the CWH proposals to and send all
such proposals to NBWL after approval of the SBWL.

District Collectors.
Review the work regarding demarcation, consolidation and digitisation

of boundaries of PAs using modern technology, time bound removal of
encroachments, voluntary resettlement of villages, rationalization of
8.1 boundary issue, systematic removal of the alien invasive species from
PAs and TRs, construction of boundary walls in PAs in urban and peri-
urban areas, and incorporation of and monitoring the prescriptions for
the wildlife corridors in Management plans/TCP.
8.2
Carry out Internal Management Effective Evaluation (MEE) exercise for
all Protected Areas (PAs) on an annual basis.
Constitute and activate the PA advisory committees to get their support

8.3 in dealing with problems like poaching, land encroachment, human-
wildlife conflict etc.
Upgrade the existing wildlife administrative setup and provide enhanced

facility to field staff to uplift their working conditions, including
construction of residential complexes, protection huts with all amenities.
Responsibility: Forest Department, CWLW, PA Managers, CCFs(T),
DCFs.
139
Protected areas as

training centre for staff,
guides and for other
activities in the State of
Maharashtra
140
Pic: TATR
Ceropegia vincifolia – a herbaceous climber
Black – Panther
Was initially considered

more common to Western
Ghats. During the last 7 – 8
years there has been
frequent sightings of these
individuals from Tadoba,
Navegaon – Nagzira and
Pench tiger Reserves.
141
Pic: Akshay Kumar M

Habitat from Tadoba-
Andhari tiger Reserve
142
Pic: Nilanjan Chatterjee

ANNEXURE - I
Indicative list of fauna species for the priority conservation action
Schedule
Common Name Scientific Name of WLP Act, Threats
1972
Habitat loss, habitat
Panthera tigris Linnaeus fragmentation,
Tiger I
1758 linear infrastructure,
Illegal poaching, illegal trade
Habitat loss
Prey base depletion
Dhole Cuon alpinus (Pallas 1811) II Human conflict Retaliatory killings)
Disease transmission – free ranging
dogs
Land use change (e.g.: afforestation of
grassland,
Canis lupus pallipes Sykes deforestation of forests), Retaliatory
Wolf I
1831 killings,
Disease transmission from free
ranging dogs
Hyaena hyaena Linnaeus
Hyena III Population size is small in the state
1758
Canis aureus Linnaeus Widely distributed, but prone to
Jackal II
1758 diseases
Elephas maximus Linnaeus Restricted distribution in the state,
India Elephant I
1758 habitat degradation
Extremely restricted distribution and
Wild Buffalo Bubalus arnee Kerr 1792 I
small population, habitat degradation
Moschiola india (Gray
Mouse deer I Extremely low population size
1852)
Luthrogale perspicillata (I.
Smooth coated Otter Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, II Degraded habitat quality
1826)
Ratufa indica Erxleben
Indian Giant Squirrel II Habitat loss
1777
Extremely small population, restricted
Kondana soft furred Millardia kondana Mishra &
IV distribution , habitat loss due to
rat Dhanda 1975
agriculture expansion, mining
Sahaydri forest rat Rattus satarae Hinton 1918 IV Habitat fragmentation
Pomono Round leaf Hipposideros pomona K
bat Anderson 1918
Manis crassicaudata E Highly poached, although it is
Pangolin I
Geoffroy 1803 distributed well in entire state
Prionailurus rubiginosus Restricted distribution/ Vulnerable
Rusty spotted cat I
Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1831 population size
Due to heavy hunting and loss of
habitat the population has declined
Ardeotis nigriceps alarmingly in their endangered
Great Indian Bustard I
(Vigors 1831) habitats. As per the 2018 census the
number estimated were only around
150 individuals
143 Antigone antigone Habitat degradation, Restricted
Sarus Crane IV
(Linnaeus 1857) distribution in the state
Critically Endangered. The severe
Gyps bengalensis
White-rumped vulture I decline was attributed to the diclofenac
(J F Gmelin 1788)
poisoning
Long-billed Gyps indicus (Scopoli
I decline was attributed to the diclofenac
vulture/Indian Vulture 1786)
poisoning
Gyps tenuirostris
Slender-billed Vulture I decline was attributed to the diclofenac
G R Gray 1844
poisoning
The species is threatened by habitat
loss mainly by degradation of forests
Athene blewitti
Forest Owlet I due to illegal logging, encroachment
Hume 1873
by humans, cattle grazing, forest fires
and construction of dams
Ephippiorhynchus asiaticus
Black-necked Stork IV Habitat degradation
Latham 1790
The population is drastically declining

Lesser florican Sympheotides indicus I
due to the loss of habitat and hunting.
Geochelone elegans
Star Tortoise IV Illegal Pet trade
Schoepff 1795
Varanus bengalensis Largely exploited for skin and meat.

Indian Monitor Lizard I
Daudin 1802 Mainly used in traditional medicines.
Python molurus
Indian Rock Python I Hunted for skin and meat.
(Linnaeus 1758)
Eryx whitakeri
Whittaker’s Sand Boa IV Illegal trade
Das 1991
Red Sand Boa Eryx johnii Russel 1801 IV Illegal trade
Pedostibes tuberculosus Endangered as per IUCN red list.
Malabar Tree toad IV
Gunther, 1875 Habitat fragmentation
Xanthophryne koynayensis Endangered as per IUCN red list.
Koyna lateritic toad nil
(Soman, 1963) Habitat fragmentation
Xanthophryne tigerina Biju,
Critically Endangered as per IUCN red
Amboli lateritic toad Bocxlaer, Giri, Loader and nil
list. Habitat fragmentation
Bossuyt, 2009
Euphlyctis cyanophlyctis
Indian skipping frog IV Habitat fragmentation
(Schneider, 1799)
Hoplobatrachus tigerinus
Indian bull frog IV Habitat fragmentation
(Daudin, 1802)
Uperodon mormorata (Rao, Endangered as per IUCN red list.
Marbled Ramanella nil
1937) Habitat fragmentation
Humayuni wrinkled Nyctibatrachus humayuni Vulnerable as per IUCN red list.
nil
frog Bhaduri and Kripalani, 1955 Habitat fragmentation
Indirana leithii (Boulenger, Vulnerable as per IUCN red list.
Matheran Indian Frog nil
1888) Habitat fragmentation
Pseudophilautus amboli Critically Endangered as per IUCN red
Amboli bush frog nil
(Biju and Bossuyt, 2009) list. Habitat fragmentation
Raorchestes bombayensis Vulnerable as per IUCN red list.
Bombay bush frog nil
(Annandale, 1919) Habitat fragmentation
Extremely restricted distribution.
Habitat degradation. (This species was
Mahseer (Deccan) Tor khudree Sykes 1839 nil first described from specimen from 144
Mula-Mutha river, Pune but now has
disappeared from natural habitats
ANNEXURE - II
Indicative list of flora speecies for the priority conservation action
Name of the species Threat Category Perceived Threats
Poor seed germination percentage,

Abutilon ranadei Endemic &
flower fall without fruit formation, restricted
Woorow & Stapf Critically Endangered
to small pockets being habitat specific.
Weeding operations in the paddy fields
where this species grows major threat to
Aponogeton bruggenii Endemic & Critically
the species. This species is distributed in
S.R. Yadav & R. S. Govekar Endangered
just about 0.4 sq. km area globally.
Extremely narrow endemic.
Main threats for this species are habitat

disturbance due to construction of windmills
leading to major changes in surface
drainage. Removal of soil and increased
Aponogeton satarensis
Endemic & Critically garbage also disturbs the species. In one
Sunderaragh.,
Endangered site, increased tourist pressure leads to
A.R. Kulk. & S.R. Yadav
trampling of primary habitat. This species
being a well-known attraction to plant lovers
and photographers, is often targeted by the
tourists leading to habitat disturbance.
Barleria sepalosa C.B. Clarke Endemic & Endangered Restricted distribution from very few sites.
Begonia phrixophylla Blatt. & Endemic & Critically Habitat modification, narrow range of
McCann Endangered distribution, less no. of individuals.
Unsustainable collection for medicine and

unregulated trade. Habitat loss and forest
clearance is another threat to this species.
Bidaria khandalensis (Santapau) A
Endemic & Endangered The forest area which harbor the species
P Jagtap & N P Singh
are under severe anthropogenic pressure
and is surrounded by large number of
human settlements
Bothriochloa jainii Deshp. &

Endemic & Endangered
Hemadri
Brachystelma malwanense Endemic & Critically limited number of individuals and less than
S.R.Yadav & N.P.Singh Endangered 10 km2 area of occupancy
Brachystelma naorojii P. Tetali, D. Area of occupancy has been declared as D-

Endemic & Critically
K.Kulkarni, S.Tetali & category Industrial zone by Maharashtra
Endangered
M.S.Kumbhojkar state govt.
Camptorrhiza indica S R Yadav, N P Endemic & Critically Restricted to a small area where it is
Singh & B Mathew Endangered already rare. Habitat loss.
Canarium strictum Roxb. - Sporadic distribution. Habitat degradation
Ceropegia anantii S.R. Yadav, Endemic & Critically

Restricted distribution
Sardesai & S.P. Gaikwad Endangered
145
Ceropegia anjanerica Malpure, M Y
Endangered Habitat degradation
Kamble & S R Yadav
Ceropegia evansii McCann Endemic & Endangered Sparse distribution throughout
Habitat destruction due to natural and other
Ceropegia huberi Ansari causes is probably responsible for the
Endangered
depletion of its population
The tubers are edible and mostly eaten by

cowboys. Due to very specific edaphic and
climatic requirements it in-situ conservation.
Ceropegia jainii Ansari & B.G. Kulk. Along with this, natural landslide, road
Endangered
repair process and expansion, coupled with
extreme anthropogenic disturbance are
responsible for the demise of the species
Major threat to the species is destruction of

Ceropegia lawii Hook.f. Endemic & Endangered
habitats.
Very narrow range of distribution and it
Endemic & Critically could be eliminated in few decades if
Ceropegia maccannii Ansari
Endangered appropriate steps are not taken towards its
conservation
Ceropegia mahabalei Hemadri & Endemic & Critically The small population is threatened by
Ansari Endangered grazing, trampling, tourism and extraction.
The tubers are edible, it is difficult to
Ceropegia media (Huber) Ansari Endemic & Endangered maintain in Gardens and in-situ
conservation is essential.
Endemic & Critically Destruction of habitat for widening of ghat
Ceropegia noorjahaniae Ansari
Endangered roads is the cause for its decline.
Because of increasing exploitation of tubers

along with widespread habitat destruction,
the plant is on the verge of extinction.
Ceropegia panchganiensis Blatt. & Endemic & Critically Natural propagation of this species is
McCann Endangered hampered due to absence of legitimate
pollinators, poor seed setting, low seed
germination and poor rooting ability of the
vegetative cutting.
Anthropogenic disturbances, flower

structure complicated which restricts the
number of potential pollinators which results
Ceropegia rollae Hemadri in limited cross pollination so that any
Endangered
crossing which occurs also amounts to
inbreeding due to narrow restricted
population size.
Ceropegia sahyadrica Ansari &

Endemic & Endangered
B.G.Kulk.
Ceropegia santapaui Wadhwa & Endemic & Critically

Ansari Endangered
Exploitation of tubers, over grazing and 146

Ceropegia vincifolia Hook. Endemic & Endangered
rapid invasion by Lantana camara
Chlorophytum arundinaceum - Habitat loss, land use change
Unsustainable collection of the roots and

tubers, and habitat loss are the major
Chlorophytum borivilianum Endemic & Critically
threats to this species. Habitat loss in terms
Santapau & R.R. Fern. Endangered
of agricultural expansion, road construction,
urbanization and industrialization.
Chonemorpha fragrans - Habitat loss

Pressure on land and natural resources.
Landslide. Depletion in no. of Crinum
Crinum brachynema Herb. individuals. Harvesting for ornamental
Endangered
purpose and over exploitation for its
medicinal value.
Narrow range of distribution, less no. of
individuals, specific habitat requirement.
Crinum woodrowii Baker Conservation and reintroduced of this
Endangered
species to suitable habitat is an urgent
need.
Industrial Development, Power plants and
mining are major ongoing threats to the
Endemic & Critically species in the Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg
Cryptocoryne cognata Schott
Endangered regions (Western Ghats). These activities
are causing an important decline in extent
and quality of suitable habitat.
Grazing, soil erosion, agricultural

development, mining for iron and aluminum
Endemic to the state
ores, tourism, dams and private land
Curcuma caulina J. Graham of Maharashtra &
development. Impact on the population, as
Endangered
a result of the harvest of wild tubers for the
manufacture of arrowroot, is unknown.
Delphinium malabaricum (Huth) Endemic & Critically It's small fragmented population and
Munz Endangered distribution
Dicliptera leonotis Dalzell ex C B
Endangered Habitat degradation
Clarke
Narrow range of distribution. Infrastructure

development, mango farming, manganese
mining, along with it cattle grazing and
Endemic & Critically digging out of edible and medicinal bulbs
Dipcadi concanense (Dalzell) Baker
Endangered can lead to permanent extinction.
Conservation of this sporadically distributed
populations is therefore of immediate
concern.
Dipcadi ursulae Blatt. - Habitat loss

Known from only a single locality (type
locality-Dive Ghat with limited number of
Endemic-restricted to
individuals and less than 10 Sq. Km. area of
Drimia razii Ansari type locality & Critically
occupancy. No. of mature individuals not
Endangered
more than 25. Seems to be on the verge of
extinction
147
A reported habitat loss of 70-80 % was
recorded over three years. Due to the
Eriocaulon ratnagiricum S R Yadav, Endemic & Critically activities occurring in the area, the major
S P Gaikwad & Sardesai. Endangered threat is land conversion for housing
development, which is common in the
region and still ongoing.
Major causes are loss of habitat and also
Frerea indica Dalzell inefficiency of the complex pollinating
Endangered
mechanism.
Holostemma ada-kodien Schult - Habitat loss & degradation
Iphigenia stellata Blatt EN Habitat loss & degradation
Ipomoea salsettensis Santapau & V.
Endemic & Endangered Habitat destruction
Patel
Nanothamnus sericeus Thomson Endemic & endangered Habitat destruction
Nothapodytes nimmoniana
- Illegal Trade
(J. Graham) Mabb
Habitat loss & degradation, Overuse of the
Oroxylum indicum (L) Kurtz -
pods before maturity
Rauvolfia serpentina (L) Benth ex
Habitat loss, Overexploitation
Kurz
Salacia chinensis Linn. - Trade
Thalictrum dalzellii Hook. - Habitat degradation
Triplopogon ramosissimus (Hack.) Endemic & Critically
Habitat destruction
Bor Endangered
148
ANNEXURE - III
Formation of State Level and District Level Committees to Manage Human – Wildlife
Conflict – GR Dated 17 May 2021
149
150
151
152
ANNEXURE - IV
District wise Forest Cover in Maharashtra (Source – India State Forest Report 2019)
Geographical
District 2019 Assessment %
Area (GA)
Very Dense Mod. Dense Open

Total of GA
Forest Forest Forest
Ahmadnagar 17,048 0 68.82 198.07 266.89 1.57
Akola 5,673 11 108.44 220.93 340.37 6
Amravati 12,210 618.89 1,461.53 1,087.35 3,167.77 25.94
Aurangabad 10,131 20 106.26 441.67 567.93 5.61
Bhandara 4,087 170.86 563.13 264.93 998.92 24.44
Beed 10,693 0 13 151.03 164.03 1.53
Buldhana 9,661 25 143.95 422.65 591.6 6.12
Chandrapur 11,443 1,323.03 1,559.44 1,171.99 4,054.46 35.43
Dhule 7,195 0 68.57 232.7 301.27 4.19
Gadchiroli 14,412 4,699.29 3,307.73 1,909.92 9,916.94 68.81
Gondia 5,234 888.61 732.23 317.75 1,938.59 37.04
Hingoli 4,827 0 9 101.01 110.01 2.28
Jalgaon 11,765 51 347.94 747.9 1,146.84 9.75
Jalna 7,694 0 9.65 26.83 36.48 0.47
Kolhapur 7,685 64 1,020.44 701.88 1,786.32 23.24
Latur 7,157 0 0.04 12.98 13.02 0.18
Mumbai 157 0 0 3 3 1.91
Mumbai Suburban 446 0 67 72.86 139.86 31.36
Nagpur 9,892 401.06 902.56 696.76 2,000.38 20.22
Nanded 10,528 58 442.91 435.85 936.76 8.9
Nandurbar 5,955 0 404.15 791.84 1,195.99 20.08
Nashik 15,530 0 346.34 730.21 1,076.55 6.93
Osmanabad 7,569 0 2.08 47.58 49.66 0.66
Parbhani 6,214 0 3.57 36.86 40.43 0.65
Pune 15,643 0 760.93 949.93 1,710.86 10.94
Raigad 7,152 13 1,250.34 1,676.12 2,939.46 41.1
Ratnagiri 8,208 33 1,892.01 2,287.89 4,212.90 51.33
Sangli 8,572 0 95 55.13 150.13 1.75
Satara 10,480 117 569.68 591.69 1,278.37 12.2
Sindhudurg 5,207 88.82 1,391.73 1,347.43 2,827.98 54.31
Solapur 14,895 0 5.5 44.17 49.67 0.33
Thane 9,558 0 1,300.11 1,697.98 2,998.09 31.37
Wardha 6,309 9.97 410.03 441.95 861.95 13.66
Washim 4,901 5 101.89 189.87 296.76 6.06
153 Yavatmal 13,582 123 1,106.35 1,377.97 2,607.32 19.2
Total 3,07,713 8,720.53 20,572.35 21,484.68 50,777. 16.5
56
ANNEXURE - V
List of National Parks, Wildlife Sanctuaries and Conservation Reserves in
Maharashtra across various Bio-geographic Zones
Name of National Park / Bio-
S. Biotic Notification No. Area
Wildlife Sanctuary / geographic
No. province & Date (Sq. Km)
Conservation Reserve zone
NATIONAL PARKS
Deccan No. VII of 1955, Dt.
1 Tadoba National Park 06 D 116.55
Peninsula 31/03/1955
Deccan No. PGS. 1375/121758-
2 Pench National Park 06 D 257.26
Peninsula FI, Dt. 22/11/1975
Deccan WLP.10-2000/CR-192/F-
3 Navegaon National Park 06 D 129.55
Peninsula 1, Dt.21/12/2000
Deccan WLP.1098/CR.135/F-1,
4 Gugamal National Park 06 D 361.28
Peninsula Dt. 08/08/2000
Western WLP.1099/CR-117/F-1,
5 Chandoli National Park 05 B 317.67
Ghats Dt.14/05/2004
Western WLP.1094/CR.177/F-1,
6 Sanjay Gandhi National Park 05 B 86.96
Ghats Dt.16/01/1996
1269.27
WILDLIFE SANCTUARIES
Deccan WLP.1085/CR.No. 75/F-
1 Andhari WLS 06 D 509.27
Peninsula 5(III), Dt.25/02/1986
Deccan WLP.1096/CR. 127/F-1,
2 Bhamragadh WLS 06 D 104.38
Deccan WLP. 1085/CR.75/F-5(v),
3 Chaprala WLS 06 D 134.78
Deccan WLP.1670/43126(a)-Y, Dt.
4 Bor WL Sanctuary 06 D 61.1
Peninsula 2711/1970
Deccan WLP.2011/CR. No. 318/F-
5 New Bor WLS 06 D 60.7
Peninsula 1, Dt. 28/02/2012
Deccan WLP.0214/CR. No.33/F-1,
6 New Bor Extended WLS 06 D 16.32
Deccan WLP.10-07/CR.198/F-1,
7 Mansingdeo WLS 06 D 182.58
Deccan WLP.1095/CR-84/F-1, Dt.
8 Tipeshwar WLS 06 D 148.63
Peninsula 24/01/1997 & 30/04/1997
9 Umred- Karhandla WLS 06 D 189.29
WLP.1085/CR.75/F-5, Dt.
Deccan 25/02/1986 &
10 Painganga WLS 06 D 424.89
Peninsula WLP.1003/CR.98/F-1,
24/02/2004
11 Navegaon WLS 06 D 122.76
Deccan WLP.16691/228601-Y,
12 Nagzira WLS 06 D 152.81
Deccan WLP.10.11/CR.316/F-1,
13 New Nagzira WLS 06 D 151.33
14 Koka WLS 06 D 100.138
WLP.1092/Pra.No.526/F-
Deccan 5, Dt.15/02/1994 & 154
15 Melghat WLS 06 A 788.75
Peninsula WLP.10-2000/CR.41/F-1,
Dt. 06/11/2000
16 Ambabarva WLS 06 D 127.11
17 Narnala WLS 06 D 12.35
WLP.1097/CR.5/F-1, Dt.
Deccan 28/07/1997 &
18 Wan WLS 06 D 211.00
Peninsula WLP.1097/CR.5/F-1, Dt.
29/07/1997
WLP.1094/CR.363/F-1,
Deccan Dt. 07/05/1997 &
19 Dhyanganga WLS 06 D 205.21
Peninsula WLP.1024/CR.363/F-1,
Dt. 09/05/1997
Deccan WLP.1087/102872/F-5,
20 Katepurna WLS 06 D 73.69
Deccan WLP.1098/CR.48/F-1, Dt.
21 Lonar WLS 06 D 3.83
22 Karanja-Sohol Black-Buck WLS 06 A 18.32
Deccan WLP.1378/85549/F-1, Dt.
23 Deulgaon-Rehekuri WLS 06 D 2.17
24 Great Indian Bustard WLS 06 D 366.73
25 Bhimashankar WLS 05B 130.78
Ghats Dt. 16/09/1985
26 New Great Indian Bustard WLS 06 D 1.98
27 Mayureshwar- Supe WLS 06 D 5.145
Western WLP.1085/CR.75/F-5, (I),
28 Phansad WLS 05A 69.79
Ghats Dt. 25/02/1986
WLP.1085/CR.588/IV/F-5,
Western Dt. 16/09/1985 &
29 Tansa WLS 05A 304.81
Ghats WLP.1667/142822-Y, Dt.
12/02/1970
Western WLP.1099/CR-126/F-1,
30 Karnala Bird Sanctuary 05B 12.155
Ghats Dt. 23/07/2003
Western VIP/597/P-21849-E, Dt.
31 Radhanagri WLS 05B 351.16
Ghats 02/12/1958
Western WLP/0319/CR-88/F-1, Dt.
32 Koyana WLS 05B 335.3
Ghats 29/05/2019
Deccan WLP/1085/CR-588/VII/F-
33 Sagareshwar WLS 06 D 10.87
Peninsula 1, Dt. 16/09/1985
Western WLP/1002/CR-47/F-1,
34 Tungareshwar WLS 05 A 85.7
Ghats Dt.24/10/2003
Deccan WLP/1085/CR-75/F-5(vi),
35 GautalaAutramghat WLS 06 D 260.61
Deccan WLP/1086/27206/CR-
36 Jaikwadi Bird WLS 06 D 341.05
Peninsula 39/86(II)-F, Dt.10/10/1986
Deccan WLP/1094/CR-236/F-1,
37 Naigoan-Mayur WLS 06 D 29.89
Peninsula Dt.08/12/1994
Deccan WLP/1094/CR-513, dt.
38 YedshiRamlingghatWLS 06 A 22.38
Peninsula 16/05/1997 & 17/05/1997
Deccan WLP.1085/CR-75/F-5/(II),
39 Nandurmadhyameshwar WLS 06 D 100.12
Western WLP.1085/CR-75/F-5/(IV),
155 40 KalsubaiHarishchandragad WLS 05 B 361.71
Ghats Dt.25/02/1986
Deccan WLP.1086/27206/CR.39/8
41 Aner-Dam WLS 06 A 82.94
Peninsula 6(I)-F-5, Dt.10/10/1986
Deccan WLP-1668/157600-Y
42 Yaval WLS 06 A 177.52
43 Tamhini WLS 05 B 49.62
Ghats Dt. 03/05/2013
44 Pranhita WLS 06 D 420.06
45 Sudhagad WLS 05 B 77.128
Ghats Dt.27/08/2014
46 Isapur WLS 06 D 37.803
WLP.0315/CR.76/F-1,
47 Thane Creek Flamingo WLS Coasts 10 A 16.9
Dt.10/05/2018
PGS.1086/17724/F-5, Dt.
48 Malvan Marine WLS Coasts 10 A 29.122
13/04/1987
49 Ghodazari WLS 06 D 153.31
50 Kanhargaon WLS 06 D 269.4
7905.391
CONSERVATION RESERVES
Deccan WLP.10-07/CR.255/F-1,
1 Bhorgad Conservation Reserve 06 D 3.49
Deccan WLP-2012/CR.272/F-1,
2 Kolamarka Conservation Reserve 06 D 180.72
Muktai Bhavani Conservation Deccan WLP-0214/CR-62/F-1,
3 06 D 122.74
Reserve Peninsula Dt.03/05/2014
Deccan WLP-0214/CR-36/F-1,
4 Mamdapur Conservation Reserve 06 D 54.46
Deccan WLP-0615/CR-208/F-1,
5 Toranmal Conservation Reserve 06 D 93.42
6 Anjneri Conservation Reserve 05 B 5.69
Ghats Dt.31/01/2017
Western WLP/2020/R-50/F-1, Dt.
7 Tilari Conservation Reserve 05 B 29.53
Ghats 22/06/2020
8 Panhalgad Conservation Reserve 05 B 72.9
Ghats Dt. 15/03/2021
9 Vishalgad Conservation Reserve 05 B 92.96
Ghats Dt. 15/03/2021
10 Chandgad Conservation Reserve 05 B 225.24
Ghats Dt. 15/03/2021
Amboli – Dodamarg Western WLP/1220/CR-251/F-1,
11 05 B 56.92
Conservation Reserve Ghats Dt. 15/03/2021
Jor-Jambhali Conservation Western WLP/1220/CR-250/F-1,
12 05 B 65.11
Reserve Ghats Dt. 15/03/2021
Mayani Bird Conservation Deccan WLP/1220/CR-246/F-1,
13 06 D 8.67
Reserve” Peninsula Dt. 15/03/2021
Deccan WLP/0321/CR-67/F-1, Dt.
14 Muniya Conservation Reserve 06 D 96.01
1107.86
Grand Total 10282.52
The total Geographical Area of Maharashtra is 3,07,713 Sq.km. Out of this Protected Areas cover
3.34 per cent
156
ANNEXURE - VI
Status of Resettlement of Villages in National Parks/Sanctuaries
Villages without
Villages
Total No. of Human Villages
S. No. Name of National Park/Sanctuary to be
Villages population/To shifted
resettled
be retained
08-
1 Chandoli NP 23 1 4 IR+19
WL
2 Gugamal NP 0 0 0 0
3 Nawegaon NP 5 0 0 5
4 Pench NP 1 0 0 1*
5 Sanjay Gandhi (Borivali) NP 0 0 0 0
6 Tadoba NP 0 0 0 0
7 Ambabarwa Wildlife Sanctuary 3 0 0 3
8 Andhari Wildlife Sanctuary 6 0 2 4
9 Aner Dam Wildlife Sanctuary 0 0 0 0
10 Bhamragad Wildlife Sanctuary 0 0 0 0
11 Bhimashankar Wildlife Sanctuary 2 0 2 0
12 Bor Wildlife Sanctuary 0 0 0 0
13 Chaprala Wildlife Sanctuary 0 0 0 0
14 Deulgaon-Rehekuri Wildlife Sanctuary 0 0 0 0
15 Dyanganga Wildlife Sanctuary 1 0 1 0
16 GautalaAutramghat Wildlife Sanctuary 0 0 0 0
17 Ghodajhari WLS 0 0 0 0
Great Indian Bustard Wildlife
18 0 0 0 0
Sanctuary
19 Jaikwadi Wildlife Sanctuary 0 0 0 0
20 KalsubaiHarishchandragad WLS 0 0 0 0
21 Kanhargaon Wildlife Sanctuary 0 0 0 0
22 Karnala Wildlife Sanctuary 0 0 0 0
Karanja Sohal Blackbuck Wildlife
23 0 0 0 0
Sanctuary
24 Katepurna Wildlife Sanctuary 3 2 3 0
25 Koka Wildlife Sanctuary 0 0 0 0
19
26 Koyana Wildlife Sanctuary 12 19 2 IR+10
WL
27 Isapur Wildlife Sanctuary 0 0 0 0
28 Lonar Wildlife Sanctuary 0 0 0 0
29 Malvan Marine Wildlife Sanctuary 0 0 0 0
30 Mansingdeo WLS 0 0 0 0
31 Mayureswar Supe Wildlife Sanctuary 0 0 0 0
32 Melghat Wildlife Sanctuary 24 0 10 14
33 Nagzira Wildlife Sanctuary 0 0 0 0
34 Naigaon Peacock Wildlife Sanctuary 0 0 0 0
NandurMadhameshwar Wildlife
35 0 0 0 0
Sanctuary
36 Narnala Wildlife Sanctuary 0 0 0 0
37 Nawegaon WLS 0 0 0 0
38 New Bor Extension WLS 1 0 0 1
New Great Indian Bustard WLS
39 0 0 0 0
157 (Gangewadi)
40 New Bor Wildlife Sanctuary 0 0 0 0
41 New Nagzira WLS 0 0 0 0
42 Painganga Wildlife Sanctuary 4 7 4 0
43 Phansad Wildlife Sanctuary 3 0 3 0
44 Radhanagari Wildlife Sanctuary 11 14 11 0
45 Sagareshwar Wildlife Sanctuary 0 0 0 0
46 Sudhagad Wildlife Sanctuary 0 0 0 0
47 Tamhini Wildlife Sanctuary 0 0 0 0
48 Tansa Wildlife Sanctuary 6 0 6 0
49 Thane Creek Flamingo Sanctuary 0 0 0 0
50 Tipeshwar Wildlife Sanctuary 2 0 0 2
51 Tungareshwar Wildlife Sanctuary 0 0 0 0
52 Yaval Wildlife Sanctuary 0 0 0 0
53 Umred-Karhandla WLS 1 0 0 1
54 Yedsi-Ramlinghat Wildlife Sanctuary 0 0 0 0
55 Wan Wildlife Sanctuary 6 0 0 6
56 Pranhita Wildlife Sanctuary 0 0 0 0
Total 114 48 66
*Partly relocated village
158
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS
S. No. Abbreviations Details
1 ACF Assistant Conservator of Forests
2 AHD Animal Husbandry Department
3 APCCF (ASC) Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Administration and
Subordinate Cadre)
4 APCCF (WL) West, Mumbai Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests(Wildlife) West, Mumbai
5 APCCF(WL) East, Nagpur Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests(Wildlife) East, Nagpur
6 BDS Budget Distribution System
7 BMC Biodiversity Management Committee
8 BNHS Bombay Natural History Society
9 BSI Botanical Survey of India
10 CAMPA Compensatory Afforestation Management and Planning Authority
11 CCA Climate Change Adaptation
12 CCF Chief Conservator of Forests
13 CCF & FD Chief Conservator of Forests & Field Director
14 CCF(T) Chief Conservator of Forests (Territorial)
15 CCMB Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology
16 CDR Call Data Record
17 CEO Chief Executive Officer
18 CER Corporate Environment Responsibility
19 CF Conservator of Forests
20 CFR Community Forest Rights
21 CIDCO City and Industrial Development Corporation
22 CITES Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species
23 CMPA Coastal and Marine Protected Area
24 CMS Conservation of Migratory Species
25 CNC Community Nature Conservancy
26 CR Conservation Reserve
27 CRZ Coastal Regulation Zones
28 CSR Corporate Social Responsibility
29 CSS Centrally Sponsored Scheme
30 CTH Critical Tiger Habitat
31 CWH Critical Wildlife Habitat
32 CWLW Chief Wildlife Warden
33 DBT Department of Biotechnology
34 DCF Deputy Conservator of Forests
35 Dept. Department
36 Dev. Development
37 DLC District Level Committee
38 DLHWCMCC District level Human-Wildlife Conflict Mitigation Coordination Committee
39 DNA Deoxyribose Nucleic Acid
40 DPC District Planning Committee
41 DPR Detailed Project Report
42 DRR Disaster Risk Reduction
43 DST Department of Science and Technology
44 EC Environmental Clearance
159 45 ED Eco-development
46 EDC Eco-Development Committee
47 EEZ Exclusive Economic Zone
48 ENVIS Environmental Information System
49 EPA Environment (Protection) Act, 1986
50 ESA Eco-sensitive Area
51 ESZ Eco-Sensitive Zone
52 FAC Forest Advisory Committee
53 FC Forest Clearance
54 FD Field Director
55 FDCM Forest Development Corporation Maharashtra
56 FLCS Forest Laborers Co-operative Society
57 FMD Foot and Mouth Disease
58 FRA Forest Rights Act (The Scheduled Tribes and Other traditional Forest
Dwellers(Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006
59 FRA MC Forest Rights Act Management Committee
60 FRLHT Foundation for Revitalisation of Local Health Traditions
61 GIB Great Indian Bustard
62 GIS Geographic Information System
63 GoI Government of India
64 GoM Government of Maharashtra
65 GPS Global Positioning System
66 GR Government Resolution
67 HC High Court
68 HSRC High Speed Rail Corporation
69 HWC Human-Wildlife Conflict
70 HWCC Human Wildlife Coordination Committee
71 ICAR Indian Council of Agricultural Research
72 IFA Indian Forest Act, 1927
73 IFR Individual Forest Right
74 IIFM Indian Institute of Forest Management
75 IIT Indian Institute of Technology
76 IT Information Technology
77 IUCN International Union for Conservation of Nature
78 IVRI Indian Council of Veterinary Research
79 JFM Joint Forest Management
80 JFMC Joint Forest Management Committee
81 LDO Livestock Development Officer
82 MAFSU Maharashtra Animal & Fishery Science University
83 MEE Management Effectiveness Evaluation
84 METB Maharashtra Ecotourism Board
85 MFD Maharashtra Forests Department
86 MGNREGA Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act,2005
87 MHADA Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority
88 MJP Maharashtra Jeevan Pradhikaran
89 MMRDA Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority
90 MMS Malvan Marine Sanctuary
91 MoEF & CC Ministry of Environment Forests & Climate Change
92 MoRTH Ministry of Road Transport and Highways
93 MoU Memorandum of Understanding
94 MPCA Medicinal Plants Conservation Area
95 MSBB Maharashtra State Biodiversity Board
96 MSEDCL Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Corporation Limited 160
97 MSETCL Maharashtra State Electricity Transmission Corporation Limited
98 MSRDC Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation
99 MSTRiPES Monitoring System for Tiger- Intensive Protection and Ecological Status
100 MTR Melghat Tiger Reserve
101 MZA Maharashtra Zoo Authority
102 NAP National Action Plan
103 NBWL National Board for Wildlife
104 NCBS National Centre for Biological Sciences
105 NDDB National Dairy Development Board
106 NGI Non-Governmental Individuals
107 NGO Non Governmental Organisation
108 NH-44 National Highway – 44
109 NHAI National Highway Authority
110 NIHSAD National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases
111 NIT National Institute of Technology
112 NITI National Institute for Transforming India
113 NP National Park
114 NPCA National Plan for Conservation of Aquatic
115 NPV Net Present Value
116 NTCA National Tiger Conservation Authority
117 NTFP Non Timber Forest Produce
118 NWAP National Wildlife Action Plan
119 OIE World Organisation for Animal Health
120 PA Protected Area
121 PCCF (BPD) Principal Chief Conservator of Forests(Budget & Planning Development)
122 PCCF (IT) Principal Chief Conservator of Forests(Information Technology)
123 PCCF (P&M) Principal Chief Conservator of Forests(Production & Management)
124 PCCF (WL) Principal Chief Conservator of Forests(Wildlife)
125 PCCF(HoFF) Principal Chief Conservator of Forests(Head of Forest Force)
126 PF Protected Forests
127 PGCIL Power Grid Corporation of India Limited
128 PRT Primary Response Team
129 PS Principal Secretary (Forests)
130 PWD Public Works Department
131 REC Regional Empowered Committee
132 RET Rare, Endangered and Threatened
133 RF Reserved Forests
134 RoW Right of Way
135 RRU Rapid Rescue Unit
136 RS Remote Sensing
137 SACON Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History
138 SBWL State Board for Wildlife
139 SDG Sustainable Development Goals
140 SGNP Sanjay Gandhi National Park
141 SLHWCMCC State-level Human-Wildlife Conflict Mitigation Coordination Committee
142 SOP Standard Operating Procedure
143 SPMJVVY Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Jan Van Vikas Yojana
144 SRI System of Rice Intensification
145 SSC Species Survival Commission
146 STP Sewage Treatment Plants
147 STPF Special Tiger Protection Force
161 148 SWA State Wetland Authority
149 SWAP State Wildlife Action Plan
150 TDEF Tropical Dry Evergreen Forests
151 TERI The Energy and Research Institute
152 TISS Tata Institute of Social Studies
153 TR Tiger Reserve
154 TSP Tribal Sub Plan
155 TTC Transit Treatment Centre
156 UDD Urban Development Department
157 UN United Nations
158 USP Universal Selling Point
159 VEDC Village Eco Development Committees
160 VSTF Village Social Transformation Foundation
161 WCCB Wildlife Crime Control Bureau
162 WCT Wildlife Conservation Trust
163 WII Wildlife Institute of India
164 WLPA Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972
165 WLS Wildlife Sanctuary
166 WRTC Wildlife Research and Training Centre
167 Z.P. Zilla Parishad
168 ZSI Zoological Survey of India
162
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Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) &
Chief Wildlife Warden, Maharashtra
Van Bhavan, Ramgiri Road
Civil Lines Nagpur – 440 001
www.mahaforest.gov.in

SWAP Maharashtra 2021 - 2030 Low Res.

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DRAFT

© Maharashtra Forest Department,

Materials from this publication may be

Van Bhavan, Ramgiri Road,

Cover Pic: Siddharth Damle/The Grasslands Trust

Design & Layout

List of abbreviations 159

Pratik Chorge/Talawe Wetland - Mumbai

One of the themes of this Action Plan is to develop sectoral

The existing National Wildlife

Pic: Dhritiman Mukherjee / Displaying GIB

To ensure a participatory approach and to encourage the exchange of ideas on various

01 Conservation of Threatened Species

02 Control of Poaching and Illegal Wildlife Trade

03 Mitigation of Human-Wildlife Conflict & Rescue

04 Wildlife Health Management

05 Conservation of Inland Aquatic Systems

06 Conservation of Coastal and Marine Ecosystems

07 Management of Tourism in Wildlife Areas

08 Conservation Awareness and Outreach

09 People’s Participation in Wildlife Conservation

10 Strengthening Research and Monitoring

Ensuring Sustained Funding for the Wildlife Sector &

Chief Wildlife Warden

Pic: Nayan Khanolkar - Leopard in the city of Mumbai

Pic: Dr. Abhijit Das

with other Sectoral

The drafting committee comprised of the following members:

Pic: Dr. Abhijit Das

• documenting conservation status of various species of flora and fauna

Organize regular workshops of subject experts for the threatened taxon

Strengthen the institutional capacity for recording & maintaining the

Identify the communities living in the vicinity of the habitat of the

Take up urgent measures to safeguard the habitat of threatened

Pic: Sironcha Forest Division

Prepare and implement a systematic monitoring and recovery plan for

2.1 Time frame: Plan preparation by December, 2023 and implementation

Initiate a Vulture conservation project on the lines of the one in Pinjore

Organize periodic workshops such as CAMP workshops, training

Create a State level Wildlife Data Repository at the Chandrapur Forest

Time frame: By December, 2024.

Develop a mechanism for involving local people for co-management of

Actively involve the existing local bodies like the Biodiversity

Pic: Hemant Ogale

Conduct intensive habitat surveys of critical habitats / locations (e.g.

Take up systematic management planning for the endemic/threatened

Time frame: Initiate by December, 2021. Complete by 2026.

Organize periodic workshops such as CAMP workshops, training

Time frame: Initiate by December, 2022.

Collect and collate the scientific and other information on threatened

Time frame: By December, 2023.

Develop a mechanism for involving local people and co-management

Responsibility: Forest Department, BNHS, NGOs.

Prepare a long-term conservation plan for the highly endangered and

Time frame: Initiate by December, 2023. Implement Throughout the

Revisit the Medicinal Plants Conservation Areas (MPCA) and the

Time frame: Initiate by December, 2022.

Enter into a formal tie up with ex-situ species recovery

Time frame: By December, 2022.

Pic: Dr. S. R. Yadav

STATE WILDLIFE ACTION PLAN (2021 – 2030)

Pic: Dr. S. R. Yadav

Pic: Pallavi Ghaskadbi