Wildlife Conservation Efforts

Odisha’s blackbucks double in 6 years

Note4Students

From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :

Prelims level: Blackbuck

Mains level: Not Much

Odisha’s blackbuck population has doubled in the last six years, according to figures from the latest population census.

Blackbucks in Odisha

  • Blackbucks are found only in the Ganjam district in the southern part of the state, which is where the census was carried out.
  • It is known in Odisha and Ganjam as Krushnasara Mruga.
  • The people of Ganjam believe the sighting of a blackbuck in a paddy field is a harbinger of luck for them.
  • It used to be sighted in the Balukhand-Konark Wildlife Sanctuary in Puri district till 2012-13, but now has vanished from the area.
  • The blackbuck is a Schedule-1 animal according to the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 (amended in 1992) and is considered as ‘Vulnerable’ according to the Red Data Book.

Reasons for their rise

  • Improvement of habitats, the protection given by the local people and forest staff were some of the reasons for the increase of the population.
  • The people of Ganjam had been enthusiastically protecting the animal like the Bishnois of western Rajasthan and the Vala Rajputs of Saurashtra.

Answer this PYQ:

Q.With reference to ‘Eco-Sensitive Zones’, which of the following statements is/are correct?

  1. Eco-Sensitive Zones are the areas that are declared under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
  2. The purpose of the declaration of Eco-Sensitive Zones is to prohibit all kinds of human activities, in those zones except agriculture.

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) Both 1 and 2

(d) Neither 1 nor 2


Back2Basics: Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972

  • WPA provides for the protection of the country’s wild animals, birds, and plant species, in order to ensure environmental and ecological security.
  • It provides for the protection of a listed species of animals, birds, and plants, and also for the establishment of a network of ecologically important protected areas in the country.
  • It provides for various types of protected areas such as Wildlife Sanctuaries, National Parks, etc.
  • There are six schedules provided in the WPA for the protection of wildlife species which can be concisely summarized as under:
Schedule I: These species need rigorous protection and therefore, the harshest penalties for violation of the law are for species under this Schedule.
Schedule II: Animals under this list are accorded high protection. They cannot be hunted except under threat to human life.
Schedule III & IV: This list is for species that are not endangered. This includes protected species but the penalty for any violation is less compared to the first two schedules.
Schedule V: This schedule contains animals which can be hunted.
Schedule VI: This list contains plants that are forbidden from cultivation.

 

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3 years ago

d

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3 years ago

Option B

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3 years ago

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List had changed the status of the blackbuck three times in the past three decades. From Vulnerable in 1994-96, the status of the antelope has been changed to Near Threatened (NT) (2003-08) and to Least Concerned (LC) after that till today.

So, Its LC now.

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3 years ago

ESZ is notified under Section 3 of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 by the Union Ministry of Environment and Forest.

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