Some Important

Species and their

conservation
Copyright © 2016 by Vision IAS. [www.visionias.in] Subject, Topic & Expert
 Tiger Conservation
• IUCN: Endangered, Schedule 1 of WPA, Appendix 1 of CITES
• Project tiger: Centrally sponsored scheme
• National Tiger Conservation Authority: under Wildlife Protection Act, 1972
Monitoring System for Tigers – Intensive Protection and om
• a il.c Ecological Status (M-
STrIPES gm
3@
o The software link provided gives access to the installable 12 version of MSTrIPES an integrated
k ha
an
program for GPS aided Spatial Patrolling andndEcological Assessment of Tiger Reserves and
a
Protected areas. b hin
a
f or
• Tiger reserves: They have a core nareal y called Critical tiger habitat which has a legal
O
basis under WPA
• Global efforts:
o Global tiger forum: inter- governmental international body
o TX2: St. Petersburg Declaration on Tiger Conservation was adopted under the GTI and the
Global
Tiger Recovery Programme or TX2
o Conservation Assured Tiger Standards CA|TS: a set of criteria which allows tiger sites
to check if their management will lead to successful tiger conservation part of TX2

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 Elephant Conservation
• Elephant – National heritage animal, Schedule 1 of WPA, Endangered
under IUCN
om
• Largest terrestrial animal on the planet a il.c
gm
• Land scale approach: holistic approach to conservation, 2 3 @ concerned
a1
with biodiversity and local economies, agriculture, da
nk
h
eco-tourism, health and
n
social benefits of the environment. bh
in a
a
or
• Project Elephant: To protect elephants,
On ly f their habitat & corridors
• Monitoring of Illegal Killing of Elephants (MIKE) Programme: Under
Resolution to CITES
• Asian Elephant Alliance: Five NGOs: Elephant Family, International Fund for
Animal Welfare (IFAW), IUCN Netherlands, World Land Trust (WLT) and Wildlife
Trust of India (WTI).

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 Species Recovery programme
Integrated Development of Wildlife Habitats’
(IDWH):
• Centrally Sponsored Scheme
m o
a il.c
gm
• Assistance for the Development of kNational Parks and
3 @
12
ha
n
Sanctuaries h i n an
da
ab
• 22 species (16 terrestrial and
n ly f
o 6 aquatic species) have been
r
O
identified by he MoEF and Wildlife Institute of India
o objective of saving critically endangered species/ecosystems that to
ensure their protection outside Protected Areas, across the wider
landscape/seascape.
o The status of critically endangered is not same as IUCN status.

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 Species Recovery programme
1. Asian Wild Buffalo 12. Marine Turtles
2. Asiatic Lion 13. Nicobar Megapode
3. Brow-Antlered Deer or Sangai 14. Nilgiri Tahr
om
4. Dugong 15. Snow a il.c Leopard
gm
5. Edible Nest Swiftlet 16.12Swamp
3@ Deer
a
6. Gangetic River Dolphin da17. Vultures
h
nk
a n
7. Great Indian Bustard a b hin
18. Northern River Terrapin
or
8. Hangul
f
On
l y
19. Clouded Leopard
9. Indian Rhino or Great One- 20. Arabian Sea Humpback
horned Rhinoceros Whale
10. Jerdon’s Courser 21. Red Panda
11. Malabar Civet 22. Caracal

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 Asian Wild Buffalo
• IUCN status: Endangered
• Schedule I of the Wildlife
(Protection) Act, 1972. a il.c
om
gm
• distributed over the tracts of ha
12
3 @

tall grasslands and riverine

k
an
a nd
in
forests in India and Nepal. y for a bh
l
On

Copyright © 2016 by Vision IAS. [www.visionias.in] Subject, Topic & Expert

 Asiatic Lion Conservation Project
• Schedule 1 of Wildlife Protection Act,
1972
• Appendix-I of CITES, while a il.c
om
gm
• IUCN endangered category ha
12
3 @
k
an
• Found in GIR forest, a dry deciduous in a nd
bh
forest ecosystem in the Saurashtra
ly f
or
a

region of Gujarat, On

• 5 Protected areas: Gir National

Park, Gir Sanctuary, Pania
Sanctuary, Mitiyala Sanctuary
and Girnar Sanctuary.

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 Brow-Antlered Deer or Sangai
• Popularly called 'Sangai’
• a unique animal found only in Manipur
m
.co
• State animal of Manipur gm
a il
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• Schedule-1 of Wildlife (Protection) Act, ha12 3
k
1972, Endangered on IUCN Red Listandan
in
bh
• Only deer which has adapted itself or to
a
ly f
the swampy habitat. On

• It is found in Keibul Lamjao National

Park Manipur. It is largely seen over
the floating biomass, locally called
“phumdi” in the South Eastern part of
Loktak Lake inside the park.

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 Deer vs Antelope
• Two umbrella terms that refer to a great
number of different animals.
• While male deer have antlers which
om
they shed and grow every year, a il.c
antelopes have horns that are 3 @
gm
permanent. 12
k ha
an
• Deer antlers are branched and antelope in a nd
horns are not. or
a bh
ly f
• The largest antelope species are
O larger
n
than the biggest deer species.
• Deer are found in every continent
except Antarctica. Antelope cannot be
found in the Africa and some pats of
Eurasia.

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 Dugong
• IUCN – Vulnerbale, Schedule 1 of
WPA, Appendix 1 of CITEs
• herbivorous mammal that is strictly
marine
om
• grazes on the sea grass meadows in a il.c
gm
coastal waters and are therefore 12
3 @
called as “Sea Cows”. an
k ha
nd
• Found in shallow coastal waters of athe bh
in a

Indian and western Pacific Oceans.

n ly f
or
O
• Found mainly along western coast in
India and Andaman and Nicobar
o seen in the Gulf of Mannar, Gulf of
Kutch, Palk Bay, and the Andaman
and Nicobar Islands.

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 Edible Nest Swiftlet
• IUCN: Least Concern, Schedule 1
of WPA
• In India, this bird is endemic to
Andaman and Nicobar, (also a il.c
om
gm
found in Java and Sumatra) 12
3 @
ha
• Swiftlet builds a nest that is not a nd
an
k

only edible for humans but or

a bis
hin
ly f
considered a rare delicacy.O The
n

nest, which is built out of the

bird’s saliva solidifies.
• Use a form of echolocation to
navigate through darkness in
caves.
Copyright © 2016 by Vision IAS. [www.visionias.in] Subject, Topic & Expert
 Gangetic River Dolphin
• IUCN: Endangered mammals,
Schedule 1 of WPA
• It lives in freshwater
om
il.c
• They are functionally blind and gm
a
@
have adapted to live in muddy k ha
12
3
an
water. in a nd
a bh
• Uses echolocation (ultrasonic nly for
O
sound)
• National Aquatic Animal
• A dedicated sanctuary: Vikramshila
Gangetic Dolphin Sanctuary
(VGDS), Bihar only in India

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 Other Dolphins
• Indus Dolphin (Bhulan):
o State aquatic animal of Punjab
o Endangered, freshwater and functionally blind dolphin
• Irrawady Dolphin:
o Endangered om
o live in both freshwater and saltwater, a il.c
gm
o fond in three rivers: the Ayeyarwady (Myanmar), the 3 @
Mahakam (Indonesian Borneo) and the Mekong. 12
k ha
o In India: Chilika lake an
a nd
in
• Indian Ocean Humpback Dolphins a bh
or
o Indian Ocean, Endangered n ly f
O
• All are in Schedule 1 of WPA

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 Great Indian Bustard
• IUCN: Critically Endangered, Schedule 1 of
WPA
• Covered under Bonn Convention
• Indicator species of grassland a il.c
om
gm
• endemic to Indian sub continent – India and 3 @
12
Pakistan an
k ha
nd
• State bird of Rajasthan bh
in a
fo ra
o Project Godawan: desert National Park
nlyO
• There are four species of Bustards in India
Great Indian Bustard, Lesser Florican, Bengal
Florican and Houbara Bustard
o They are terrestrial birds, one of the heaviest
flying birds in world found mainly in dry grassland.

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 Hangul
• Aka Kashmir Stag
• IUCN: Critically Endangered, Schedule
om
1 of WPA gm
a il.c
@
• found in the temperate grasslands of k ha
12
3
an
western Himalayas. in a nd
bh
• now confined only to the Kashmir ly f
oValley
r a
On
• Dachigam National Park, Kashmir
• State animal of J&K (Now an UT)

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 Indian Rhino
• Aka Great One-horned Rhinoceros
• IUCN: Vulnerable, WPA Schedule 1
• exists only in a few small population units
generally situated in the north-eastern India and il.c
om
a
in Nepal. @
gm
3
• Remarkable work in their recovery by India and kha12
Nepal (Indian Rhino Vision 2020) an
a nd
in
• National parks of Assam especially Kaziranga a bh
or
National park n ly f
O
• They primarily graze, with a diet consisting
almost entirely of grasses
• The rhinoceros is the second-largest terrestrial
mammal, behind the elephant.
• Javan and Sumatran Rhino – IUCN: Critically
endangered, White Rhino – Near Threatened

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 Jerdon’s Courser
• A nocturnal bird endemic to India.
• found in the Eastern Ghats of Andhra
Pradesh. il.c
om
a
gm
• It is currently known only from the 2 3 @
a1
Sri Lankamalleswara Wildlife an
k h
nd
Sanctuary a bh
in a
for
• IUCN: Critically Endangered Only

Copyright © 2016 by Vision IAS. [www.visionias.in] Subject, Topic & Expert

 Malabar Civet
• A nocturnal mysterious
animal endemic to
Western Ghats now om
il.c
• IUCN: Critically @
gm
a

Endangered, Schedule 1
3
12
k ha
an
of WPA in a nd
bh
• Very little is known about nly for
a

its habitat and niche O

• It was reported to be
extinct by 1960, but
rediscovered 2 decades
later

Copyright © 2016 by Vision IAS. [www.visionias.in] Subject, Topic & Expert

 Marine Turtles
• Five species of sea turtles are known to
inhabit Indian coastal waters and islands.
• All turtles are part of schedule 1 of WPA.
• These are the co
m
ail.
o Olive Ridley Turtles g m
2 3@
o Green Turtles a1
h
o Hawksbill Turtles a nk
and
o Loggerhead Turtles hin
ab
Leatherback Turtles or
o ly f
On
• They play vital role in transportation of
nutrients from the highly productive marine
habitats such as sea-grass beds to energy-
poor habitats like sandy beaches.
• This helps reverse the usual flow of nutrients
from land to sea.

Copyright © 2016 by Vision IAS. [www.visionias.in] Subject, Topic & Expert

 National Marine Turtle Action Plan:
• Conserve Species, their habitat and reduce
negative impacts on survival of marine turtles;
• Improve the understanding of marine turtles
and their habitats, through a coordinated om
il.c
mechanism; gm
a
@
• Promote Awareness and Education on 12
3
ha
conservation of marine turtles and their an
k
nd
habitats; in a
a bh
• Enhance livelihoods of coastal communities or
ly f
through promoting sustainable ecotourism
O n
• Increase national, regional and international
cooperation on marine turtle conservation.

Copyright © 2016 by Vision IAS. [www.visionias.in] Subject, Topic & Expert

 Marine Turtles
• Olive Ridley Turtles
o IUCN – Vulnerable
o Gahirmatha beach of Odisha is largest mass nesting site for
the olive ridley turtles in India.
• Green Turtles m
co
o IUCN – Endangered
mail.
g
o Herbivore turtle 3@
2
• Hawksbill Turtles ha1
ank
o Critically Endangered nd
h ina
o They maintain the health of coral reefs. As theyaremove
b prey
o r
such as sponges from the reef's surface, they f
ly provide better
access for reef fish to feed. On
• Loggerhead Turtles
o Vulnerable
o named for their large heads that support powerful jaw muscles
• Leatherback Turtles
o Vulnerable
o largest sea turtle species and also one of the most migratory,
crossing both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.

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 Nicobar Megapode
• Large, brownish bird with a
small gray Found
• IUCN: Vulnerable gm
a il.c
om

@
• Found in the Nicobar an
k ha
12
3

nd
Islands. Builds a large a bh
in a
or
mound for a nest On ly f

• newly-hatched chicks dig

themselves out and
become immediately
independent.
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 Nilgiri Tahr
• a mountain goat
• IUCN: Endangered, Schedule 1 of
WPA
om
• Found in ridge forests of the a il.c
southern Western Ghats. gm
3 @
12
• The ideal habitat is the rocky k ha
an
nd
outcrops adjacent to the shola- in a
bh
grasslands and other ridge or
a
ly f
forests. On

• Most of the population confined to

Eravikulam National Park in
Kerala and Grizzled Giant Squirrel
Wildlife Sanctuary in Tamil Nadu.

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 Snow Leopard
• IUCN – Vulnerable, Schedule 1 of
WPA, Appendix 1 of CITES
• one of the most mysterious cats in
the world. il.c
om
a
• Highly adapted to life on the cold, 3 @
gm
rocky slopes of High Asia k ha
12
an
• Government of India has identified in a nd
the snow leopard as a flagship or
a bh
species for the high-altitude n ly f
O
Himalayas.
• Geographical range encompasses a
large part of the western Himalayas,
including the Union Territories of
Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh,
Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and
Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh
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 Swamp Deer
• Aka Barasingha
• confined to the States of om
Uttarakhand, Uttar 3 @
gm
a il.c

Pradesh, Assam, and nd

an
k ha
12

Madhya Pradesh in India in a

a bh
or
n ly f
• IUCN - Vulnerable O

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 Vultures
• Vultures keep the environment
clean, by scavenging on animal
carcasses.
• A major threatailto .co vultures is the use
m

of the painkiller. 3 @
gm diclofenac for
12
veterinary a nk
h purposes
a
nd
• Vulture b h ina Action Plan 2020-25 for the
a
n ly conservation
for of vultures in the
O
country.
• there are Vulture Conservation and
Breeding Centres in India, of which
three are directly administered by
the Bombay Natural History Society.

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 Northern River Terrapin
• IUCN – Critically
Endangered, Schedule
1 of WPA, Appendix I m
of CITES g mail.
co

• It can be found in ha1

2 3@

India, Bangladesh and and

a nk
hin
South East Asia. or
ab
ly f
• It lives in coastal On

mangrove estuaries
and creeks, but
ventures far upstream
during the breeding
season.
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 Turtles, Tortoise and Terrapin
• Turtle, tortoise, and terrapin are all names for the
hard-shelled, egg-laying reptiles
• All belong to taxonomic order Chelonia a il.c
om
gm
• Turtle is often used to refer to sea ha
12 turtles that rarely
3 @

leave the ocean. in a nd

an
k

bh
• Tortoise, on the other hand,
n ly f
or
a
is usually used to refer to
turtles that spend mostO of their time on land.
o tortoises don't have webbed feet, since they don't spend
much, if any, time in the water.
• Terrapins are turtles that spend time both on land and
in brackish, swampy water.
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 Clouded Leopard
• IUCN: Vulnerable
• CITES: Appendix 1
• is found across Southeast a il.c
om
gm
Asia and the Himalayas ha
12
3 @
n k
• Their chief prey are gibbons, hinanda
ab
macaques, slow loris, small ly f or
On
deer and wild boars, which
they ambush from the trees
or stalk from the ground.

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 Arabian Sea Humpback Whale
• IUCN – Endangered
• Part of Convention on
m
the Conservation of g mail.
co

Migratory Species of ha1

2 3@
nk
Wild Animals
a
and
hin
ab
or
• One of the largest On
ly f

mammals of the
planet (Blue whale is
the largest mammal)

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 m
co
mail.
g
2 3@
ha1
a nk
and
hin
ab
or
ly f
On

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 Red Panda
• IUCN – Endangered, Schedule
1 of WPA
• Found in Nepal, Bhutan, m
l.co
India, and China to Myanmar gm
a i
3 @
• In India, this elusive species k ha
12
an
is found in Sikkim, Arunachal a nd
in
Pradesh, Darjeeling and or
a bh
ly f
Kalimpong districts of West O n

Bengal
• State Animal of Sikkim
• indicator species of Eastern
Himalayas, red pandas are
mainly Bamboo feeder

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 Caracal
• IUCN – Least concern,
Schedule 1 of WPA
• extraordinary ability to om
il.c
catch birds in flight @
gm
a
3
12
• found in Africa, the Middle an
k ha
nd
East, Central and South bh
in a
a
Asia n ly f
or
O
• long legs, a short face, long
canine teeth, and
distinctive ears
• primarily nocturnal animal
• Significant decline in India

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