Sasan (Gujarat), Mar 3: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday announced the Asiatic lion population estimation exercise in May and unveiled conservation plans for tigers, gharials and a critically endangered bird, while pushing for using AI to combat forest fires and human-animal conflicts.
He made a slew of announcements while chairing the seventh meeting of the National Board for Wildlife (NBWL), in his capacity as ex-officio chairperson, at Sasan in Gujarat’s Junagadh district.
At the meeting, which coincided with World Wildlife Day, the PM virtually laid the foundation stone of a National Referral Centre for Wildlife at Junagadh. Modi announced a scheme focused on the conservation of tigers, and a centre of excellence for the effective management of human-wildlife conflicts.
The PM released the first-ever riverine dolphin estimation report in the country, which pegged the number of the aquatic mammals at 6,327.
Soon after completing his lion safari at the Gir National Park, Modi headed for the NBWL meeting, which ended by Union Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav and other members of the board.
At the meet, the PM announced the initiation of a new conservation project on gharials, and a National Great Indian Bustard Conservation Action Plan after considering the need to upscale conservation efforts of this critically endangered bird species, stated an official release.
He outlined a scheme focused on the conservation of tigers outside reserves with the aim to address human-tiger and other co-predator conflicts by ensuring co-existence with local communities, it said.
The Board discussed conservation efforts for dolphins and Asiatic lions, and the establishment of an International Big Cats Alliance. The Prime Minister suggested enhanced cooperation under the United Nations Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS), said the release.
The proposed National Referral Centre for Wildlife will function as a hub for coordination and governance of various aspects related to wildlife health and disease management, it said.
Population estimation of Asiatic Lions is carried out once every five years and the last such exercise was conducted in 2020. At the meeting, Modi announced the initiation of the 16th cycle of lion estimation exercise in May this year, it said.
The PM also announced that a Centre of Excellence will be set up at the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) campus in SACON (Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History) at Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu for effective management of human-wildlife conflicts.
The centre will support states and Union Territories in equipping rapid response teams with advanced technology, gadgets for tracking and forewarning, prescribe surveillance and intrusion detection systems in human-wildlife conflict hotspots, and build capacity of field practitioners and community to execute conflict mitigation measures, said the release.
Modi stressed on the usage of remote sensing and geospatial mapping and Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) to combat issues like forest fires and human-animal conflicts, it said.
He suggested engagement of the WII with the Bhaskaracharya National Institute for Space Applications and Geo-informatics (BISAG-N) to address the challenge of human-wildlife conflict, the release said.
With the Asiatic lions having now made the Barda wildlife sanctuary in Gujarat their home through natural dispersal, the PM announced that their conservation will be supported through prey augmentation and other habitat improvement efforts.
Underscoring the importance of eco-tourism as a means for development and conservation of wildlife habitats, he emphasised that there should be ease of travelling and connectivity for wildlife tourism, said the release.
The NBWL reviewed various initiatives undertaken by the government in wildlife conservation, highlighting achievements in the creation of new protected areas and species-specific flagship programs such as Project Tiger, Project Elephant, Project Snow Leopard, among others.
The PM asked the board and Environment Ministry to gather traditional knowledge and manuscripts of various regions of India with respect to conservation and management of forests and wildlife for research and development, stated the release.
“The Prime Minister chalked out a roadmap for wildlife conservation strategy and future actions for the ministry and asked officials to constitute various task forces to work on Indian sloth bear, gharial and Great Indian Bustard conservation and development,” it said.
Modi commended the active participation of local communities in conservation and emphasised on the importance of utilising advanced technologies, including AI, in wildlife conservation. (PTI)
