• Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired the 7th meeting of the National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) at Gir National Park, Gujarat on March 3. 

• The meeting focused on expanding protected areas, strengthening conservation programmes, mitigating human-wildlife conflicts, and integrating technology into wildlife management.

• The National Board for Wildlife was first constituted in 2003 after the amendment of Section 5A in Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972.

• It is chaired by the Prime Minister.

Highlights of the meeting:

1) Strengthening Flagship Conservation Projects

The meeting assessed the progress of:

• Project Tiger

• Project Elephant

• Project Snow Leopard

• Asiatic Lion Conservation Programme 

• International Big Cats Alliance.

PM Modi highlighted the success of these initiatives and discussed strategies for further habitat expansion, protection, and species monitoring.

2) First National Riverine Dolphin Estimation Report 

• The Prime Minister released the report of the first-ever riverine dolphin estimation conducted in the country, which estimated a total of 6,327 dolphins. 

• This pioneering effort involved surveying 28 rivers across eight states. 

• Uttar Pradesh recorded the highest numbers, followed by Bihar, West Bengal, and Assam.

3) Wildlife Health & Research Initiatives 

• Foundation stone laid for National Referral Centre for Wildlife in Junagadh.

• The center will serve as India’s first dedicated wildlife health & disease management hub.

4) Population estimation of Asiatic Lions

• Population estimation of Asiatic Lions is carried out once every five years. 

The last such exercise was carried out in 2020. 

• The PM announced the initiation of the 16th cycle of lion estimation to be conducted in 2025.

5) Human-Wildlife Conflict Mitigation Strategies

• Centre of Excellence to be established at Wildlife Institute of India (WII), Coimbatore.

Objectives:

a) Work with state governments to deploy Rapid Response Teams.

b) Use tracking technology & surveillance systems for conflict mitigation.

• Use of remote sensing, AI, geospatial mapping, and ML to monitor forest fires & human-animal conflicts.

• He suggested engagement of the Wildlife Institute of India with the Bhaskaracharya National Institute for Space Applications and Geo-informatics (BISAG-N) to address the challenge of human-wildlife conflict.

6) Forest Fire Management Initiatives 

• Forest Survey of India (FSI) & BISAG-N will work together on forest fire prediction, detection & prevention in vulnerable protected areas.

7) Expansion of the Cheetah Reintroduction Programme 

• New locations identified: Gandhisagar Sanctuary in Madhya Pradesh and Banni Grasslands in Gujarat.

• This expansion aims to enhance the success of India’s cheetah conservation efforts.

8) Strengthening Conservation for Endangered Species

• Tiger Conservation Beyond Protected Areas: New strategies to manage human-tiger interactions and support co-existence.

• Project on Gharials: Focused on reversing declining gharial populations.

• Great Indian Bustard Conservation Action Plan: Strengthened protection & recovery plans for the endangered species.

• New Task Forces announced for:

a) Indian Sloth Bear Conservation

b) Gharial Conservation

c) Great Indian Bustard Protection.

9) Community-Led Conservation & Eco-Tourism

• Increased number of Community Reserves over the last decade.

• Focus on eco-tourism development to improve visitor access & travel connectivity.

• Utilisation of AI & traditional knowledge for wildlife monitoring.

10) Use of Traditional Knowledge & Medicinal Plants for Wildlife Health 

• PM Modi stressed the importance of documenting traditional conservation practices.

• Research on medicinal plants in forest areas to support wildlife health & disease management.

(The author is a trainer for Civil Services aspirants.)