Integrated Development of Wildlife Habitats

The Integrated Development of Wildlife Habitats (IDWH) scheme, launched by the Government of India under the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change, aims to provide financial and technical assistance for conserving and protecting wildlife and their habitats across the country. This scheme is part of India’s broader efforts to protect biodiversity and support sustainable wildlife management. Read here to learn more.

The Cabinet has approved the continuation of the Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Integrated Development of Wildlife Habitats for the 15^th Finance Commission cycle for an overall outlay of Rs. 2602.98 crores.

The scheme includes the critical Project Tiger sub-component and Project Elephant and Development of Wildlife Habitat.

This was one of the items included in the 100-day government action plan.

Key Features of Integrated Development of Wildlife Habitats Scheme

• Habitat Conservation: The scheme focuses on habitat improvement and management in protected areas, including national parks, sanctuaries, and conservation reserves. It aims to reduce human-wildlife conflict, restore degraded habitats, and ensure the long-term survival of endangered species.
• Wildlife Protection: Strengthening anti-poaching measures, improving surveillance, and enhancing patrolling are central to the scheme. The government provides support for the deployment of wildlife guards and modern monitoring techniques, such as drones and camera traps.
• Community Involvement: Local communities living around protected areas are engaged in conservation efforts. The scheme supports eco-development projects to provide alternative livelihoods and reduce the dependency of local populations on forest resources.
• Strengthening Infrastructure: IDWH aims to improve wildlife-related infrastructure, such as building eco-friendly tourist lodges, setting up interpretation centres, and creating better roads to protect wildlife corridors.
• In-Situ Conservation: The scheme promotes in-situ conservation, which includes protection of the species within their natural habitats. This helps maintain biodiversity by protecting the ecosystems in which species thrive.

Species Recovery Programs

The scheme also includes recovery programs for critically endangered species like tigers, elephants, rhinos, and lesser-known species like the Great Indian Bustard.

It offers specialized recovery plans for species that are on the brink of extinction.

So far, 22 species have been identified under the recovery programme. These are:

Technology for conservation

While strengthening the existing fundamental and core components of the scheme, the scheme envisages boosting technological interventions in different thematic areas over the current and next financial year in our tiger and wildlife-bearing forests.

Project Tiger

• The Project Tiger already has an inherent use of technology in day-to-day management practices such as the M-STrIPES (Monitoring System for Tigers, Intensive Protection and Ecological Status) mobile application.
• It is in sync with the Digital India initiative and was extensively used for the collection of field-level ecological data during the 5th cycle of the All-India Tiger Estimation in 2022.
• The All-India Tiger Estimation itself is technologically intensive with the extensive deployment of camera traps across tiger habitats of the country. This exercise also makes use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) for species-level identification.
• Conservation genetics has also been significantly used in the field of tiger conservation wherein a SOP for translocating tigers based on their genetic composition has been issued.
• Further, genetics has also been used to determine tiger numbers in low-density landscapes as well as for determining the food ecology of the species. These interventions are proposed to be enhanced under the said scheme.

Project Cheetah

• The Project Tiger component also supports the ambitious Project Cheetah in the country which shall be continued under the umbrella scheme of Integrated Development of Wildlife Habitats.
• The areas for Cheetah introduction are proposed to be expanded as per the Cheetah Action Plan under the said scheme and efforts shall be made to strengthen monitoring protocols using advanced radio telemetry protocols.

Project Dolphin

• The Project Dolphin under the Development of Wildlife Habitat component is proposed to be supported by provisioning equipment such as Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs) and passive acoustic monitoring devices for the enumeration of dolphins as well as their habitat.

Project Lion

• Project Lion, also under the ambit of the Development of Wildlife Habitat shall be strengthened as per activities envisaged in the document titled “Lion @ 2047: A Vision for Amrut Kaal”.

Project Elephant

• Human-elephant conflict under the Project Elephant component is envisaged to leverage information and communication technology interventions. While these have been tested on an experimental basis, the same shall be deployed on a larger scale.

Importance of the IDWH Scheme

55 tiger reserve, 33 elephant reserves and 718 protected areas and their zones of influence stand to benefit.

The forests of these areas are a bulwark against the adversities of climate change besides ensuring the water security of the nation.

In addition, the cause of keystone species occupying these landscapes, especially the tiger, the elephant, the cheetah, the snow leopard and the lion, which act as an indicator of these ecosystems will be furthered.

• Biodiversity Protection: India is a megadiverse country with rich biodiversity. The scheme helps protect wildlife habitats that are crucial for preserving this diversity.
• Human-Wildlife Conflict Mitigation: One of the primary concerns in wildlife conservation is reducing the conflicts between local communities and wildlife. This scheme provides resources and infrastructure to mitigate such conflicts.
• Climate Change Adaptation: By protecting habitats and maintaining ecosystems, the scheme plays a role in mitigating climate change impacts and sustaining natural resources.
• Livelihood: The scheme has a livelihood generation of more than 50 lakh mandays through direct engagement in addition to indirect employment through eco-tourism and ancillary activities.

Recent Focus Areas:

• Conservation of endangered species, such as Asiatic lions, snow leopards, and dolphins.
• Developing buffer zones around protected areas to ensure both wildlife protection and human development.

This comprehensive approach allows the IDWH to tackle several challenges, including poaching, habitat loss, and biodiversity degradation.

Conclusion

The continuation of the Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Integrated Development of Wildlife Habitats reiterates the commitment of the Government towards tiger and wildlife conservation ensuring that economy and ecology grow together.

Related articles:

• Wildlife conservation projects
• Biodiversity protection: Steps taken by the Indian government
• Tiger Reserves in India
• Elephant reserves in India
• Wildlife sanctuaries in India

-Article by Swathi Satish