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WILDLIFE AND NRM
TERM PAPER
NATURAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT
(NRM)
Submitted to:
Submitted by:
Prof. C. Shambu Prasad
Ananda Saha – 09
Sohil Bhatt – 52
Subhodip Ganguli - 53
PGPRM (I)
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
In our term paper we are considering the importance of natural resource management in
the life of wild animals. The issues are extremely important as due to improper
mismanagement of natural resources the life of wild animals have been at stake.
Keeping in view this idea we have stated the cause that why animal species have become
endangered what are the factors responsible for threatening there life.
Next we have dealt in short with various endangered wild animal and some special mode
of adaptation which they have done in order to survive the change in environment for
their survival.
Then we have dealt with some cases of India for example tiger, dolphins, Olive Ridley
turtles the problems they are facing and some remedial measures for their conservation.
At last we have given our leanings which we have gained for and during the preparations
of the term paper.
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CONTENTS
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
2
INTRODUCTION
4
HOW ANIMAL SPECIES GETS EXTINCT
5
FEASTING, FASTING………………..
6
OLIVE RIDLEY
8
DOLPHINS
10
TIGER CONCERVATION
15
LEARNINGS
18
REFERENCES
19
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INTRODUCTION
Natural resource management deals with of managing of natural resources and its proper
utilization for the human beings.
But the problem is that since the last 50 years the natural resources have been over
exploited leading to environmental crisis on various aspects like pollution of different
forms, land degradation, vanishing of greenery and bringing perils to the life of wild life
species those who once lived and thrived in the various forests across the world. Now
many species of flora and fauna have become already extinct, it becomes our duty to
preserve the remaining threatening species from the verge of extinction. As if they are
extinct it would destroy the whole balance of nature and soon human race would also bee
an extinct species.
With a land mass of 329 million hectares coastline of 7516 kms with oceans, lakes and
rivers, the mighty Himalaya ranges and innumerable mountains, the deserts of Rajasthan,
the plateaus the wetlands and islands India not only provides a spectrum of geographical
diversities, but an equally diverse and amazing variety of flora and fauna . However the
progress of civilization the wild life (both floral and faunal) has been affected strongly.
Hunting, alteration of environment, habitat destruction, pollution of land air and water,
and the human population explosion all these have taken place throughout the world.
Since the seventeenth century 120 species of birds and 150 species of birds have become
extinct.
Some of the extinct species are Dodo of Mauritius, Passenger pigeon of North America,
The elephant bird of Madagascar, the painted vulture of Florida, The cape lion of South
Africa are some of the examples.
In India some of the examples are cheetah, mountain quail, the pink headed duck and the
lesser one horned rhinoceros are some of the examples.
There are also various other examples of animal and plant species which are on the verge
of extinction.
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HOW ANIMAL SPECIES HAVE BECOME ENDANGERED:
Natures extinction of species is natures way of giving rise to more advanced form of life
adapted to changing environmental conditions as a process of evolution But the Indian
cheetah the cape lion or the passenger pigeon have not become extinct as a part of the
evolutionary process , they have been the victim of mans destructive abilities . They are
in the following form:
DEFORESTATION - It is a major event which is responsible for the depletion of
wildlife, with the increase of population and growing need for resources forests were
cleared or encroached upon. Thus habitat destruction has an adverse impact on wild life
as it leads to the loss of environment for providing them food breeding ground or nesting
site. Hence the wild animals have no other way but to adapt migrate or perish.
POLLUTION - Pollution of air water and soil not only affect the humans but also the
well being of wild life. Pesticides like DDT gets incorporated in the food web it Marjory
effects birds particularly the sea birds by causing various diseases and making there egg
shells thin there by they breaks easily. Oil pollution caused is responsible for causing
problems in the breathing system of aquatic fauna.
HUNTING - Uncontrolled hunting of wild animals for food, pleasure, horn, skin, fur,
tusk have lead to serious threat to the existing wild life. Added to this is the practice of
trade in exotic animals, birds etc and use of wild animals in biomedical research.
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Feasting, Fasting
Some species adapt to climate change, others face extinction
A number of recent studies have shown that climate change has a significant impact on
various species, especially birds. While some show behavioural changes, some undergo
genetic changes over a period of time, and others face the threat of extinction. With a
heavy pressure on habitat and food source, there are examples showing that species tend
to partially adapt themselves as well. 78 % of all leafing, flowering and fruiting activities
advanced by 30% and only 3% got delayed.
On the brink
Pied flycatcher – This bird is dwindling because plants in the Netherlands are flowering
almost 16 days earlier than usual, thus advancing peak caterpillar season on which its
young feed.
Walleye Pollock – One of the important fishery in Alaskan waters having a catch of 2
million metric ton. With their numbers on a steady decline due to atmospheric circulation
and human interference, it forms a threat for the marine organisms that feed on it.
Animals are tuned to seasons and often rely for food on the availability of different plant
species throughout the year. If the timing of plant activity shifts, animals are left without
a food source. E.g.Kittiwake, a seabird, is plunging because the fish they feed on have shifted location.
Antarctica Peninsula has brought about a decline in the population of the krill led to a
heavy pressure on the diet of penguins, other sea bird, whales and seals.
Canadian red squirrel – This squirrel is present Alaska and Canada and it partially adapt
itself by reproducing earlier in the spring thus capitalizing on earlier spruce cone
production.
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Polar Bear – The destruction of its habitat on the Arctic ice, which ahs been attributed to
global warming, threatens the bear’s survival as a species, it may become extinct within
the century.
If climate change alters the timing of plant activity, then it could have a domino effect,
impacting the feeding, breeding or migration patterns of the animals that rely on
particular plant species. The disruptions in food chain are true for migrating animals. E.g.
- Rufous hummingbird – It is a migratory bird that migrates over 1500 km for breeding is
now experienced long-term decline due to a change in the food chain.
Partial adaptation –
In situations in which there is competition for food the difference in the levels of
adaptability of various plants and animals leads to pressure on those that are less flexible.
Species differ in their physiological tolerances, life history strategies, probabilities of
population extinction and colonization, and dispersal abilities.
Fruit flies are the only species in which genetic changes have been recorded. The changes
have helped them to fight warm weather.
Speckled wood butterfly – This UK origin butterfly have developed larger thoraces with
greater flight capability, thus adapting the change and helped in expanding their habitat
area to the north as well.
Though local evolutionary responses to climate change have occurred, there is no
evidence of absolute adaptations of species and extinction of many others that we have
witnessed over the years,” Parmesan says. These changes are proof enough that there is a
problem and the events to tackle climate change hardly indicate that the status quo will
be broken.
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Olive ridley turtles
The olive ridley sea turtle nests at several sites in the western Indian Ocean, Indian
subcontinent and Southeast Asia. The single most important breeding area for olive
ridleys in the Indian Ocean along the Bay of Bengal is Orissa.
In 1993, biologists from the Orissa Forest Department and the Wildlife Institute of India
learned that large scale nesting of olive ridley turtles was taking place near the mouth of
the Rushikulya River. This area is the location of one of the largest mass nesting
(arribada) sites of olive ridley sea turtles in India.
There are several fishing villages near this important nesting site. Local fishers use
various fishing methods including gill and drift nets. The villagers have known about the
arribadas of olive ridley turtles since time immemorial.
In March, these turtles reach Orissa from Pacific Ocean at Rushikulya beach. They use
Orissa beach from September to May for mating, nesting, migrating to deeper waters
beyond Sri Lanka. They do nesting on the coast during December to February. This year,
they reached Orissa coast in March may be due to fishing along coastline and climate
change (rise in sea temperature).
This year, they nested in Gahirimatha and Rushikulya rivers but not in the third nesting
area i.e. mouth of the Devi.
Effects - late nesting –
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1. Southern winds eroded the beaches which increases the chances of eggs destruction
2. Temperature – At the time of late nesting, the temperature increases and the gender is
linked to temperature which leads to skewed gender.
3. Many suffocated and died in their nests due to wet sand which leads to restricted flow
of oxygen. Some come out of eggs faced rains, strong winds and tidal currents.
Approximately 350000 turtles surviving the perish at sea, nested this season on 480 km
Orissa coastline whose number is now declined. Use of trawlers without Turtle Excluding
Devices (TED) led to death of 111000 turtles.
Decline –
1. Nilgiri Tahr ( Hemitragus hylocrius) – It is the only Mountain goat present in
Kerala and Tamil Nadu. Due to hunting and habitat destruction and poaching for
meat purpose, its number has declined. Now it is in endangered species.
2. Flagship species which are important and needs conservation are Dragonfly,
Tiger, Panda, Eagle, Ape, Whale and Rhino.
Conservation and remedies –
International Whaling Commission (IWC) was made by 90 countries for the conservation
of whales.
Orissa Marine Fisheries Regulation Act, 1982 prohibits fishing without the use of TEDs
within 5 km of the coastline and also patrolling of nesting sites. According to official
sources, the mortality of turtles declined at 4900 from 10086 in 2003 and 12977 in 2002.
WWF working in this field thorough traditional theatre and folk fore to adopt turtle
friendly practices.
WWF is involved in India’s Tiger and Wildlife Conservation Programme. It has donated
a Tara named elephant to Lagga Bagga forest in Pilibhit for patrolling to reduce poaching
and hunting.
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Dolphins
The dolphins and porpoises are found in some of the world’s mightiest rivers, like
Ganges, Indus, Yangtze, Mekong, and Amazon .These river banks are also densely
populated with almost 15%of our planet’s population. Over the last few decades we have
witnessed declining of the dolphin population due to certain human activities such as dam
building, entanglement in fishing nets, boating and pollution. Hunting for meat and oil is
the evergreen reason in this regard. But an urgent need is to care for these animals as they
are an important part of the ecosystem. Actions have to be taken to prevent further
degradation of dolphin population about which we still know very little.
There are about seven species of freshwater dolphins:
The Amazon River dolphin
The Tucuxi dolphins
The Yangtze River dolphin or Baiji
The Ganges river dolphin or Susu
The Indus river dolphin or Bhulan
The Irrawaddy dolphin
The finless porpoise
The river dolphins of the Ganges:
Source: haridwar.nic.in
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The Ganges river dolphin called Platanista gangetica is declining in number as they are
killed by fishermen who regard them a nuisance and a competitor as both are after the
same commodity. Often there are accidental deaths as they get entangled in fishing nets.
Building of dams and irrigation barrages have also added to there woes. They are even
hunt as they are considered oil and protein rich .The medical authenticity of the dolphin
oil is still not proved.
The Ganges dolphin is an extremely valuable species for monitoring the environment.
Acting as the indicator of health for the ecosystem of our rivers it is at the top of the
aquatic food chain whose presence in adequate number signifies the richness in the
biodiversity of the river system.
Condition of the Gangetic dolphins:
The Ganges River Dolphin is in grave danger of extinction. Its population is declining
rapidly at a rate of 10% annually. In Ganga the illegal annual off take of the dolphins is
estimated to be 130-160 in number. The habitat of the dolphin is greatly affected by
industrial and agricultural development. If present trends continue, there may be little
time to save the vulnerable Ganges River dolphins. IUCN (World Conservation Union)
declared river dolphins as endangered in 1996, following which the Ganges river dolphin
has been included in the Schedule-I of the Indian Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.
The high mortality rate is enhanced by the low political will, absence of grass root
support for river dolphin conservation and improper coordination along with lack of
awareness among the people.
Action taken:
WWF- India initiated the Dolphin Conservation Programme in 1997 by taking primarily
new and innovative initiatives aimed at improving the status of the species in the long
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run. The Action Plan prepared by WWF-India in 1997, has been under implementation to
bring about a sustainable improvement in the status of the Dolphin.
An Annual Status Monitoring for the Ganga River dolphins was conducted in the states
of Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Bihar.
Education and Awareness programmes for conservation of the river dolphin have been
conducted in the past few years in the above states and reports on their status have been
compiled. A long-term proposal on conservation of Ganges River dolphin in India has
been developed.
The Vikramshila Gangetic Dolphin Sanctuary, Bihar-a success story:
The Vikramshila Gangetic Dolphin Sanctuary in Bihar, India, is the only designated
protected area for this endangered dolphin in Asia. Sadly, the Sanctuary has no formal
conservation plan and many local people are unaware of its protected status and
regulations. To add to these problems, the Indian government has declared the river
segment within the sanctuary as “Inland Waterways” and has allowed the big cargo ships
to
pass
through
the
Sanctuary
on
their
way
to
upstream
cities.
Originally, in collaboration with local conservationists from the Vikramshila Biodiversity
Research and Education Centre (VBREC) and Patna University, and more recently
working with scientists at T.M. Bhagalpur University, WDCS initiated a project to turn a
50km segment of middle Ganges River in India from a sanctuary that exists only on
paper into one that provides meaningful protection for river dolphins and other aquatic
fauna. Over the past years developing local expertise through training initiatives
established a project team and began awareness activities among local communities and
initiated research, including a comprehensive assessment of the dolphin population, their
habitat, and the threats they face. Documentation of a rich diversity of other threatened
aquatic wildlife in the Sanctuary, including gharials; smooth coated otters Lutra
perspicillata, and a variety of hard-shell and soft-shell turtles also took place. One of the
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most important accomplishments has been the development of the Vikramshila
Conservation Action Plan.
Constituents of the Action Plan include:








Strengthening of community awareness and participation;
Encouragement of community ownership and management of fisheries;
Establishment of a river biodiversity research and education centre;
Educating government agencies and influential individuals;
Promotion of river dolphins as a flagship species of healthy rivers;
Monitoring the status of dolphins and environmental conditions in the Sanctuary;
Conducting focused conservation efforts in areas where dolphins are found in
greatest abundance
Promoting oil made from fish scraps as an alternative to dolphin oil for attracting
fish.
The Asian project team's work included population, habitat and threat monitoring surveys
of the sanctuary which, along with other events, were captured on video. As part of
WDCS' awareness raising campaign in the area, these videos proved important.
Presentations were shown to the fishing community, prominent members of the area and
to the media. The reaction has been very positive and aroused much enthusiasm. Local
television stations have also been encouraged by the team to show some of the footage to
a wider audience.
An indicator of the success of the awareness campaign is the request from the Barari
Ghat fishing community which, after watching a performance of a street theater themed
around river dolphins, asked to build an observatory near the river which was close to
their
village
and
where
dolphins
are
known
to
be
in
good
numbers.
Surveys of fish landing sites and markets have allowed the team to monitor fishing
activity, equipment used, any departure from fishing regulations, and to gain information
on any dolphin kills.
The Vikramshilan sanctuary could act as a model for similar projects elsewhere in Asia.
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The Irrawady dolphin:
It is distributed mostly in the coastal, shallow,
brackish, or fresh turbid waters at the mouths of
rivers in south-eastern Asia and Australasia.
Around the Asian mainland they range from
Vishakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, India, around
the Bay of Bengal to the Strait of Malacca and
the Gulf of Thailand; there are freshwater
populations in the distributaries at the mouths of the Ganges, in the Irrawaddy as far as
2,300 km upstream to Bhamo, and in the Mekong and Sekong River.
Source: www.cdnn.info
Condition of the Irrawady dolphins:

Due to the intense activity related to the timber industry, they are no longer
observed near Tengagagorang and Samararindia towns but only above
Muarakamen.

Habitat degradation may limit the distribution and abundance of Irrawaddy
dolphins, particularly in fresh water.

Dams,
gold
mining
using
mercury
abstraction
techniques,
increased
sedimentation as a result of deforestation and other changes in river catchments,
over fishing, harmful fishing techniques (poison and electro-fishing), vessel
traffic and noise pollution are all potential threats to this species.
 Coastal development with concomitant eutrophication is also cause for concern
(IWC, 2000). Since Irrawaddy dolphins are found in rivers, they get affected by
pollution and other habitat encroachment associated with the development of
their tropical habitat.
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Tiger Conservation in India
Its name lies in the topmost position among the species of endangered animals. The tiger
is the largest animal of the cat family found in the various regions of Asia, belonging to
the same species but eight different sub species. The Indian tiger is also popularly known
as the Bengal tiger. It is found in the Sunderban regions of West Bengal, forest of UP,
Uttaranchal and Mahya Pradesh . In the beginning of the century India was believed to
be the abode of 40,000 tigers but with gradual habitat destruction and poaching there was
a sharp decline in there numbers and in the year 1972 it was recorded only 1,8,27 in
number considering the alarming endangered status of these animals. in 1973 the
government launched a scheme to protect the tiger. Today there are 21sanctuaries/ forest
reserves under project tiger.
The objectives of the project tiger are :

To ensure maintenance of a viable population of tigers in India for scientific,
economic, aesthetic, cultural and ecological values.

To preserve, for all times, areas of such biological importance as a national heritage
for the benefit, education and enjoyment of the people.
With the co-operation of the Indian Government, Project Tiger initially established 9
reserves, across different ecosystems. These were devoted specifically to saving the tiger
and eliminating those factors which were contributing to the decline of the tiger:
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
habitat destruction.

forestry disturbance.

loss of prey.

poaching.

competition with local villagers and domestic animals.
The initial reserve were:
1. Bandipur
2. Corbetts
3. Kanha
4. Manas
5. Melghat
6. Palamau
7. Ranthambhore
8. Similipal
9. Sundarbans
It is a little-known fact that the period prior to the official ban on shooting, and the
implementation of Project Tiger, was one of the worst-ever for tigers. It seems everyone
wanted to bag a trophy before the law changed and prevented them doing so.
Few conservation programmes are ever popular at the beginning. They cost money,
impose unwanted restrictions, often interfere with the plans of big business, and show no
economic gain to offset any of this.
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www.theodora.com
Present position of tiger project:
Though it has had a somewhat bumpy history, Project Tiger carries out some very
worthwhile work and was undoubtedly the best thing to happen for the Bengal
subspecies. It has also proven to be scientifically sound, something which was heavily
questioned during its inception.
The number of reserves have slowly risen from the initial 9 to 19, and in recent times up
to a total of 23. These presently cover an area of approximately 33,000 square
kilometres.Overall, the aims and objectives remain much the same as at the inception of
Project Tiger.
Present important objectives include the rehabilitation and relocation of villagers from
inside protected areas to outside them. This will reduce conflict between the human
population and the tiger.
And the struggle continues………….
It is considered vitally important that the Indian Government provide the Bengal tiger
with more much-needed protection and care. Many of the things documented remain out
of control and conservationists are watching in horror as tiger numbers once more
steadily decline.
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LEARNINGS:
We selected this topic “Wildlife and NRM” because we learnt some of the facts related
to this topic in one of the presentation topic i.e. “Biodiversity conservation”.
This was a new topic for us and we wanted to learn more about it as this is an interesting
topic. We learnt the following points related to wildlife in preparing this term paper -
1. The view point of different people in wildlife and NRM
2. The influence of various agencies in wildlife and NRM
3. The functioning of various sectors involved in NRM
4. The relationship between wildlife species and humans and how populations of
both are affected.
5. To recognize the many environmental factors that affect wildlife populations.
6. To recognize the adaptation and change as a natural force in species.
7. To compare wildlife conservation with preservation, recognizing a variety of
opinions regarding the value of wildlife conservation and preservation.
8. To understand how the well-being of both humans and wildlife depend upon the
quality of the natural environment.
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REFERENCES:
1. Endangerd Animals of India and their conservation, S.M. Nair, National Book
Trust, INDIA
2. The Ecologist Asia, Vol. 12, No. 12.
3. Panda, July 2004.
4. Panda Issue I, 2004
5. Down to Earth, November 30, 2006.
6. http://www.haridwar.nic.in
7. http://www.cdnn.info
8. http://www.wwf.org
9. http://www.wwfindia.org
10. http://www.wdcs.org
11. http://www.lairweb.org
12. http://www.cms.int
.
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