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Here is a compilation of essays on ‘Wildlife Projects’ for class 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12. Find paragraphs, long and short essays on ‘Wildlife Projects’ especially written for school and college students.
Essay on Wildlife Projects
Essay Contents:
- Essay on Project Tiger
- Essay on Project Lion (Gir Lion Project)
- Essay on Elephant Project
- Essay on Crocodile Breeding Project
1. Essay on Project Tiger:
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Tiger is our National Animal. It is found in diverse habitats and in different parts of the country. Tiger is at the apex position as top carnivore of the complex food-chain in most of our forest ecosystems. Hence, its status indicates the state of health, dynamism and the functioning efficacy of the ecosystems.
Further, it can be judged by the status and position occupied by the tiger in it. Over the years; the overexploitation of the forest areas, merciless hunting, unscientific management etc. reduced the habitat of tiger as well as leading to a rapid decline in its population to a precariously low level.
Tiger- conservation has, therefore, been in India not only as an effort to save an endangered species but also with equal importance as a means of preserving biotopes. Project Tiger has been inspired by such an approach. The Indian Board for Wildlife (IBWL) set up a Task Force for studying the condition of tiger population and its status.
On the recommendations of this Tasks Force, Project Tiger was initiated as a Central Sector Scheme in 1973 with 9 Tiger Reserves (total area: 13017 sq. kms.) located in different habitat types in 9 different states, but two more reserves have since been subsequently added to it constituting 11 Tiger Reserves in 10 different States of the country (total area: 15800 sq. kms.). But this number is not the last and increasing always.
The main aim of the project has to conserve and improve the natural-habitat of the tiger under different habitat types. The management strategy had been to identify the limiting-factors of the habitat and to seek to mitigate these by proper management and development.
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The management practices and strategies in the reserves are controlled in such a way that all the limiting-factors of habitats are removed. The steps to be taken in this direction are intensive anti-poaching drive, fire prevention, elimination of cattle-grazing, soil-conservation, water-management, eradiation of weeds, non-interference by human-activities, relocation of human-habitation and so on.
Systematic management-plans conforming to this approach have been prepared for each reserve and, within their framework, some flexibility has been introduced by having Annual Plans of Operations based on progressive results of techniques and operations year after year which are moulded on the basic of results obtained each year.
However, building principles of management of each reserve are as follows:
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1. To conform the concept of biosphere preservation, to eliminate all forms of human-exploitation and disturbance from the core-zones and progressively minimise these in the buffer-zones.
2. To limit the management to the repairs of the damage done and to restore the ecosystem to its natural functioning as possible.
3. To build up the habitat by mitigating limiting-factors arising out of abuse and over-use and, thus, to build up the wildlife- populations to the level of intrinsic carrying-capacity of the habitat and to prevent it from going beyond this stage.
4. To stop all forms of human-interference and exploitation of the resources from the core-zone and reduce in buffer-zone (in each reserve a core-zone of 300 sq. kms. is defined and a surrounding area of considerable extent are earmarked as buffer zone). Forestry- operations and cattle-grazing are completely stopped in core- zones.
In the buffer-zone, these are being progressively reoriented and also curtailed to suit the wildlife needs. Villages are relocated from the core-zone and where necessary also from the buffer- zone.
5. To rehabilitate the nature by taking suitable steps so that the damage done to the ecosystem is restored.
6. To avoid all anthropomorphic considerations, research facts about the habitat and wildlife are used to monitor the ongoing changes in flora and fauna.
The project started initially as a Central Sector Scheme and the expenditure incurred by the states were provided by the Central Government till 1979-80. After this, the project had been given the status of Centrally Sponsored Scheme and the Centre and the States are sharing cost on a 50:50 basis. The Worldwide Fund for Nature and Natural Resources (WWF) is also extending financial and technical help.
The overall administration and the progress of execution of the project is overseen by a Steering Committee appointed by the Government of India under the Chairman, Indian Board for Wildlife (IBWL).The execution of the project is done by the State Government and in each reserve, a Field Director does this with a team of suitable technical and field personnel.
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The Chief Conservator of Forests of State is responsible for the proper execution of the project. At the Centre, the Inspector General of Forests is directly responsible for the project; whereas the Director, Project Tiger conducts and coordinates the functions.
Achievements:
The achievements of Project Tiger are:
(i) Protection:
In order to ensure effective protection through speedy mobility; the reserves have been provided with vehicles, jet boats, camels etc. as per their requirements. The road network is also improved. Main access routes are controlled by manned or unmanned gates. In interior locations, outstation patrol-camps have been located from where field staff carries out intensive anti-poaching patrols all over the reserve.
A well-knit communication-system has also been installed comprising in wireless-sets and/or telephone-lines as an effective aid in communication of messages related to anti-poaching, fire-protection and animal-monitoring. These measures have proved very effective.
(ii) Fire Protection:
Effective fire-protection has been successfully achieved in the reserves. Fire-breaks are maintained over the length of several thousand running kilometers besides foot-paths, roads etc. Several fire observation towers (watch-towers) have been installed.
(iii) Disease Control:
To prevent cattle diseases into wild population, inoculation of the cattle of the surrounding villages against contagious diseases has proved great help in preventing and controlling the epidemics in wild animals.
(iv) Shifting of Villages:
Even the interior reserve areas had village settlements hindering in the development of the reserves. Their relocation outside the reserve was a delicate problem and involved not only sentiments but also humanitarian considerations.
Hence a well thought out plan was designed for finding out suitable and better agricultural-lands. Complete facilities of new houses, drinking water, schools etc. were offered with a promise of entire cost on shifting and rehabilitation to be borned by the project. This, along with sincere and Intensive persuasion, met with the desired success.
(v) Water Development:
The old waterholes were designed to be suitable for wild animals. Minimum need-based number of waterholes was developed. Construction of small dams, tanks, digging of seasonal waterholes, deepening of wells with pump and wind-mills fitting were done.
(vi) Grazing Control:
Grazing had been completely stopped in the core-areas and restrict permitted in the buffer-areas of the reserves. Cattle-camps inside the reserves have also been moved out. This greatly reduced the grazing incidence boosting the growth of leaves and fodders.
(vii) Habital Improvement:
Besides raising check-dams; gully-plugging and contour-trenching have been carried out to discharge the twin functions of soil-conservation and sub-soil water-conservation. Eradication of unpalatable weeds has been done for improving the pastures in the over-grazed areas.
A number of new waterholes have been also built up in some reserves. Complete protection from hunting, poaching, fires and grazing along with habitat-improvement works have developed the environmental conditions along with propagation of wild animals and wide dispersal of prey and predator populations. This significant achievement is particularly encouraging because it meets the primary objective of the project.
(viii) Research:
Various researches are carried out for improving the management-techniques.
(ix) Population Estimation:
As a result of effective protection and improvement in the habitat condition and capacity, there had been mark able increase in population of all the species.
(x) Study Tours and Training:
The staffs are sent on national and international tour and training in other national parks and reserves of repute for making their skills up-to-date.
The success of project has been found tremendous and almost all aspects of the objectives have been achieved. Adequate results were obtained by controlling the grazing and fire; and through water-management and habitat-improvement. The population of the tiger in all the reserves has increased considerably. Hence, there is need for reinforcing the project by enlarging the existing Tiger Projects/Reserves and constituting more reserves.
2. Essay on Project Lion (Gir Lion Project):
The lion stands as top carnivore in the food-chain of the ecosystem. The Indian race of lion (Panthera leo persica) is found only in the Gir Forest of Junagarh district in the Saurashtra peninsula of Gujarat State in the whole Asian continent and, hence, also called as “Asiatic Lion”. Another race of lion (Panthera leo) is found in Africa and called as “African Lion”.
Though; this race was previously ranged through similar semi- arid tract from Greece to North-East India roaming over vast area of northern and central portion of Indian sub-continent up to the Narbada river in south; but today it is only restricted in the Gir Forest of Gujarat State.
Even in this very forest; due to merciless hunting, conversion of forest into agricultural land, uncontrolled cattle-grazing and spreading of infectious diseases through them, pressure of maldharis inside the forest etc. hampered, the habitat of this magnificent creature too much and subsequently declined its population reaching to the endangered stage.
Observing the situation of Gir forest, it was discussed at the technical session of International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Recourses (IUCN) in New Delhi in November, 1969 towards the conservation of Asiatic Lion and its habitat and following resolutions were passed.
i. The ecosystem of Gir Lion Sanctuary is progressively degenerating due to over-grazing of livestock entering inside the sanctuary.
ii. Due to cattle-gtrazing and browsing, the populations of wild animals such as cheetal, sambhar, nilgai, and four-horned antelope, wild boar etc. depleted and have become rare which are the natural preys of the lion.
iii. Natural regeneration of trees decreased being very sparse.
iv. Due to non-abundance of natural preys, the lion turned themselves as cattle-lifters.
v. As a result of the above reasons, the habitat of lion became unsustainable reaching the animals at critical stage.
A number of wildlifers and ecologists all over the world were consulted to solve the problems and the Project Lion was initiated in 1972.
The state government gave guidelines to the forest department in management such as:
(a) To conserve Gir habitat, improve its health and quality as far as possible, increase its areas and maintain its aesthetic value.
(b) To encourage every kind of wildlife for its own sake specially the endangered lion.
(c) To exclude exotic plants and animals and preserve non-human elements of the ecosystem.
(d) To minimise human-interference within the ecosystem.
(e) To provide recreational area for visitors.
(f) To modify working-plan in the interest of wildlife, its habitat and watershed-conservation rather than silvicultural revenue.
(g) To protect the habitat from over-grazing and lopping.
(h) To resettle the maldharis outside the sanctuary.
(i) To be controlled under a single authority in the field of management.
(j) To secure full co-operation of legislators, public and maldharis.
(k) To make it as a model of sound ecological-practices for the similar areas.
The above guidelines of the project were implemented in the same year. The area of the sanctuary was increased from 1265.1 to 1412.12 sq. km. in 1974. The central core-zone of the sanctuary covering an area of 258.71 sq. km. was declared as National Park.
Many other fruitful and effective practices were done like:
1. Fencing of periphery of the sanctuary by dry rubble wall of 1 metre height as the protective measure.
2. Raising of live hedges on either sides of the rubble wall to prevent entry of cattle and illegal activities.
3. Construction of barricades along the water-sources to prevent entry of cattle.
4. Providing check-posts across the road.
5. Shifting of all maldharis from the sanctuary and their resettlement outside it.
6. Enhancement in areas of the sanctuary and national park.
Through the above practical practices approaches, marvellous results were achieved and the population of lion began to increase year after year.
3. Essay on Elephant Project:
The project was started officially in 1991-92 but launched in 1993 by the Central Government to afford protection to the elephant. The census of elephant stated in 1993.
Now-a-day, two species of elephants are found:
1. Indian Elephant (Elephas maximus)
2. African Elephant (Loxodonta africana)
Indian elephant is comparatively smaller than the African and its pinna is also smaller. Indian elephants are distributed in Uttar Pradesh/Uttaranchal, Bihar/Jharkhand, West Bengal, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Orissa, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka.
The elephant shows number of adaptations and variations. Canine teeth are absent. Incisor absent expect the second pair in the upper jaw which develops into tusk. The males have large tusks while in females they are scarcely protrude a few inches. In some males, the tusks are no longer than in females and these tuskless males are called as Makhnas.
Trunk or proboscis is the development of combined and lengthened nose and upper lip as a device for securing food and water. It has very poor visual power but very strong smell and audio power. It is found in herd. An adult elephant eats generally three quintals per day. It is totally herbivorous animal taking different types of grasses, juicy herbs, green leaves, twigs of the trees and its favourite food is bamboo and banana.
They prefer to live in the forest where bamboo is found abundantly. They drink water daily and also require sufficient water for taking bath in pond, river etc. They pour soil or soil-dust on their body through the trunk just after taking bath to avoid scratches over the skin in summer season (hot season).
Elephants were extensively used as beast of burden, as transportation vehicle, and so on. In spite of these, they have been hunted for their tusks as ivory materials and export also. Hence, elephant catching was popular and an economic operation. As a result, its population declined very sharply.
Protection of the elephant began with the Elephant Preservation Act of 1887.
To make more effective, Elephant Project was started for protection and propagation of the animal with the general objectives:
(i) To identify the limiting-factors of the habitat and to remove it by the management.
(ii) Systematic management plans.
(iii) To eliminate human-exploitation and disturbance.
(iv) To build up the habitat to mitigate-limiting-factors.
(v) To build up the habitat by planting and propagating the favourite food plants of the elephant.
Management:
To check the further depletion of its population, it is considered under the project that:
1. The habitat should be managed by applying scientific technologies to suit the animal as a shelter fulfilling their requirements.
2. There should be sufficient waterholes for the animal in the habitat.
3. There should be wild-path of required width inside the jungle connecting one forest to the other so that the elephant can move and migrate smoothly.
4. The law should be strictly followed regarding ban on hunting and trade of tusks of the elephant and should be modified time to time as and when required to make it more effective.
5. The habitat in all respects (foods, water and shelter) should be managed properly and scientifically as per the requirement of the time and place.
Thus, through the project, habitat should be managed in such an effective manner that the elephant may take shelter peacefully inside the jungle which is its natural-habitat; and in this way, we can check their hindrance, invasion, migration etc. towards the village and agricultural- fields.
By managing the habitat in good and scientific way providing the sufficient facilities, the animals will be bound to live properly in their natural -home without harming and killing the man and the crops, which is happening now-a-days oftenly giving much tension and worry to our society and the government.
Protection of agricultural crops against elephants is admittedly a difficult matter but it is worthwhile noting here the various methods that can be employed in this connection:
a. Elephant-Proof Ditch:
This must be about 8′ to 9′ wide at the top and with steep sloping sides meeting at the-bottom in a “V” shaped which must be at least 6′ below the level of the ground. If the earth piled on the inside edge and a line of quick-growing thorny trees like erythrina and semul are grown close together on the top and several strands of barbed wire fixed to them on the imide, the whole will be as nearly elephant-proof as anything can be.
In the stockades constructed in Assam for catching elephants, such V-shaped trenches are dug on the inside of the enclosures and are effective in preventing even big elephants from applying their weight against the wall.
b. Another method adopted from Burma is the planting of numerous sharpened bamboo stakes inclined at an angle on the outside of a trench-ridge protection wall.
c. The use of fires, crackers, masals etc. is another useful method of scaring the elephants away from agricultural-fields and villages.
4. Essay on Crocodile Breeding Project:
In India, there are three species of crocodilians such as:
(i) The Mugger or Freshwater Swamp Crocodile (Crocodylus palustris):
It has average adult size of 3.5 m inhabiting rivers, pools, ponds, village tanks, lakes, swamps and reservoirs.
(ii) The Gharial (Gavialis Gangeticus):
It is the sole living member of the family Gavialidae. It has unique long snout. It has large size of more than 7 m. It is a riverine species found in large rivers like Ganga, Brahmaputra, Mahanadi, Kosi, Gandak etc. of the north Indian Himalayan-fed river systems.
(iii) The Saltwater or Estuarine Crocodile (Crocodylus Porosus):
It grows more than 7 m and is restricted to the coastal mangrove area in the salt-water (sea).
Unfortunately, all the three species have passed through large- scale hunting for their skins resulting decline worldwide in the postwar period largely due to demand for hides by the luxury leather market.
The problem continued around poaching and destruction of the remaining crocodile-resource by fishery activities either direct or indirect, lethal effect of set nylon nets being used in fishing, disappearances of habitat of the sand-banks (which is essential for gharial nesting) replaced by concrete embankments, loss of riverine-habitats by dam-construction for irrigation or hydroelectric schemes. As a result, these crocodilian species came on the verge of extinction.
Under the situation, Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 listed these species under Schedule-I which affords total protection. Project Crocodile Breeding and Management arose as the report given by FAQ expert, Dr. H.R. Bustard in 1974 stating “Only Management will restore the crocodile quickly and it appears that without management the gharial will become extinct”.
The actual Project was undertaken from 1st April, 1975. It was pointed out that the population of crocodiles, which include a high level of fecundity as well as long reproductive life, could rapidly build up their numbers under effective control and sound management practices.
It was, therefore, important to protect the eggs and hatchlings under the Work Plan which comprised the following objectives:
i. To continue the task of locating the best crocodile areas within the country. This phase had, to a large extent, been carried out during the mission.
ii. Collection of eggs as soon after laying as possible and transporting them to a central protection area for hatchery incubation, rearing the resultant young until they were of a size for release back into the wild.
iii. To build up to required level of technical competence in order to achieve the above mentioned second objective.
iv. To locate, set-up and manage a network of sanctuaries in ideal habitat for all three crocodilian species.
v. To build up additional expertise not only in the operation of crocodile sanctuaries but also in the management of wildlife sanctuaries throughout the country.
This approach was accepted by the Government of India and the consultant was invited to implement the proposed Project.
The work started on April 1, 1975 in Orissa. Gharial eggs were collected and hatched for the first time in captivity in the world at Tikerpada, Dhenkanal district, Orissa in June, 1975. A small batch was also hatched at Kukrail near Lucknow the same year. The Tikerpada hatched gharials were successfully reared for subsequent release back into the wild.
At the same time, a Saltwater Crocodile Project was initiated in the tidal mangrove forest at Bhitar Kanika, Cuttack district, Orissa and a Mugger Project and Captive Breeding Project were also initiated, the latter for captive-breeding of all three species were located at Nandankanan Biological Park, Orissa. These all projects were started by the Government of India under the help and guidance of FAO and UNDP. The Head Office of the Project is at Hyderabad.
The project has main functions such as:
i. Conservation and Management of Crocodiles and Development of Sanctuary:
For the conservation of crocodile/mugger, their eggs are collected and hatched and reared in sanctuaries and released in rivers after attaining proper length. With the development of the husbandry centres, steps have been taken to gazette and manage sanctuaries in ideal habitat areas for all three crocodilian species into which individuals reared in.
Various husbandry centres could be released when they attain a length of 1.2 m. The first sanctuaries to be gazetted in the country were Satkoshia George Sanctuary and Bhitar Kanika Sanctuary, both in Orissa; Tristate Chambal Sancturay of Madhya Pradesh-Rajasthan-Uttar Pradesh and the Katerniaghat Sanctuary in northern U.P. (Uttaranchal).
With the exception of Bhitar Kanika, declared for the saltwater crocodile, these sanctuaries were all for gharial, which due to its critically endangered status, was given prime attention during the early stages of the project.
The management of sanctuaries is of course, a long term task but immediate steps were taken to try to cut down disturbances which resulted in the loss of many animals (for instance, fishing with nylon gill-nets was immediately banned in all four sanctuaries mentioned above to implement protection and to make a start on implementing management plans).
ii. Release:
Young crocodiles of size 1.2 m are released back into ideal areas of the natural-habitat in small batches in early spring. Selected areas are specifically managed in the sanctuaries. The methodology of release is important for their future survival.
It includes following cares:
a) Location of Release:
Ideal habitat areas should be located where they will be free from disturbances.
b) Timing of Releases:
It is important that the release should be carried out at a time when water levels are low so that the young crocodile can gain on intimate knowledge of their future home-range prior to the onset of the monsoon floods. The ideal time in south India is early February and this may be delayed by 4-6 weeks in the extreme north of the country.
(iii) Training:
The staff of the sanctuary is trained for proper breeding and propagation of different species of crocodiles of the sanctuary.
Rehabilitation of Crocodiles:
Crocodiles breed in the end of winter. In the end of March or in first week of April, the pregnant female makes 10-15 circular ditches of radius 30-50 cm in the sand of the river’s bank. Out of these 10-15 ditches, she lays whole of its eggs in one ditch and covers all the ditches by sands. The aim to construct more than one ditch is to protect the eggs from predators like jackals etc.
At a time, the female lays up to 100 eggs. Male and female crocodiles also watch the ditch in the night. Under the effects of heat and moisture of the sand, the embryos develop and hatch in 60-70 days (incubation- period) duration.
The timing of hatching of youngs from the eggs is acknowledged by the female by hearing special sound emitted by them. On hearing such sound, the female takes out the youngs by removing sand of the ditch. The youngs are removed by the female from the un-hatched eggs also by breaking it.
After this, the female brings the youngs into the water keeping them on its back and looks after them till next breeding-season. But even taking so much care, large number of youngs are eaten by fishes, jackals, birds and crocodiles itself and very less number of youngs survive in nature.
To minimize the loss of young ones, the digging of ditches by the females is watched. Every year in the middle of February, the field staffs of the Crocodile Project go away to the remote stretches of rivers in an attempt to locate new breeding-groups of animals. The nests are then located systematically and guarded constantly.
After one month of the laying, the eggs are removed from the ditches and packed in sand in wooden boxes and transported to the rearing centres very carefully without disturbing the orientation of eggs as found in the nest. For this, the lower surfaces of eggs are marked at the time of removal from the nests.
After their transportation from the wild, the eggs are placed in sand-filled cubicles of 1 m x 1 m x 1 m size at 30 cm. depth hatchery. The temperature and moisture of the sand of the hatchery is kept at par with the natural sand. The most important factor for ideal incubation is the maintenance of moisture and temperature at the required level.
The babies hatch after 60-70 days. At the time of hatching; there comes sound and, in such condition, the sand of the upper part is removed. When the babies come out from the eggs, they are kept in the small pools filled with pure water and are provided with fishes. The pools are cleaned every third day and sand is also cleaned around the pools.
The young’s come out of the water for basking on the sand and go to the water when heat is more. According to the season, they are supplied the fishes as food 2 to 5% of their weight. Being cold-blooded animal, they take less food in the winter and more in the summer.
As per this theory, they are provided fishes of 2% in winter, 3% in March, 4% in April and 5% in May of their weight. At the age of three years, they attain length of about 2 meters and 20 kg weight. At this stage, they are released in the rivers keeping 1:3 ratio of male and female.
Gharial-rehabilitation started in 1977 with the release of 26 individuals into Mahanadi River, Orissa. The first release of mugger took place on 7th February, 1977 with 4 individuals released at Ethipothalla, Andhra Pradesh. The first saltwater crocodile release occurred in Bhitar Kanika Wildlife Sanctuary in Orissa on 27th April, 1977.
Differences between Indian Crocodile & Mugger:
i) The snout of crocodile is longer where as it is comparatively smaller and triangular in mugger.
ii) On the proximal part of snout in male crocodile, there is a pitcher like structure and that’s why it is called “Gharial”. Its function is not best known but assumed that it produces resonance-sound to attract the opposite sex for the purpose of mating. The mugger is devoid of such pitcher like structure.
iii) The maximum length of crocodile is found upto 10 metres but the mugger is generally of 3-4 metres and maximally upto 6 metres.