🐯 Chapter 03 · Topic 06 · Conservation Projects & Revision

Conservation Projects in India & Complete Revision

All major species conservation projects + complete Chapter 03 master revision checklist.

Major Conservation Projects — Quick Reference

Project	Year	Species	Key Location / Body
Project Tiger	1973	Bengal Tiger	Jim Corbett (first); NTCA; 54 reserves
Project Elephant	1992	Asian Elephant	33 reserves; 10 states; MoEFCC
Project Crocodile	1975	Mugger, Saltwater, Gharial	Chambal, Bhitarkanika, Sundarbans
Project Snow Leopard	2009	Snow Leopard	5 Himalayan states; ~400–700 in India
Project Hangul	1970	Kashmir Stag (Hangul)	Dachigam NP, J&K; critically endangered
Cheetah Reintroduction	2022	Cheetah (African)	Kuno NP, MP; 20 cheetahs from Namibia & SA
Project Dolphin	2020	Gangetic & Marine Dolphin	Ganga river system; National Aquatic Animal
Sea Turtle Conservation	Ongoing	Olive Ridley Turtle	Gahirmatha, Odisha; Arribada nesting
Project Vulture	2006	Vultures (9 species)	Diclofenac ban; Jatayu Conservation Breeding Centre
Project Bustard	2015	Great Indian Bustard	Rajasthan; critically endangered; <150 left

Detailed Project Notes

🐯 1973

Project Tiger

Launched April 1, 1973 by PM Indira Gandhi. First reserve: Jim Corbett. Managed by NTCA (statutory body under WPA 1972, established 2005). India has 54 tiger reserves covering ~75,000 sq km. Tiger census 2022: ~3,167 tigers. India holds ~75% of world’s wild tigers. MP is the “Tiger State” with 6 reserves.

🐘 1992

Project Elephant

Launched 1992. 33 elephant reserves across 10 states. Population: ~27,000–30,000 (India has ~60% of Asia’s wild elephants). Elephant declared National Heritage Animal in 2010. 101 elephant corridors identified. Key states: Karnataka, Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu. Largest reserve: Mayurbhanj, Odisha.

🐊 1975

Project Crocodile

Launched 1975 with UNDP assistance. Three species: Mugger (freshwater), Saltwater/Estuarine (largest reptile), Gharial (critically endangered; fish-eating; long snout). Key sanctuaries: National Chambal Sanctuary (Gharial), Bhitarkanika (Saltwater), Sundarbans (Saltwater). Gharial population critically low (~650 in wild).

❄️ 2009

Project Snow Leopard

Launched 2009. Covers 5 Himalayan states: J&K, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh. India has ~400–700 snow leopards. Key habitats: Hemis NP (Ladakh), Pin Valley NP (HP), Khangchendzonga BR (Sikkim). Snow Leopard is Schedule I species under WPA.

🦌 1970

Project Hangul (Kashmir Stag)

Launched 1970 — one of India’s earliest conservation projects. Hangul (Cervus hanglu hanglu) is the state animal of J&K. Critically endangered — fewer than 300 individuals. Confined to Dachigam National Park near Srinagar. Threats: habitat loss, poaching, human disturbance.

🐆 2022

Cheetah Reintroduction Project

Cheetahs were declared extinct in India in 1952. On September 17, 2022 (PM Modi’s birthday), 8 cheetahs from Namibia were released at Kuno National Park, Madhya Pradesh. Subsequently, 12 more from South Africa arrived in 2023 (total 20). This is the world’s first intercontinental translocation of a large carnivore. African Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) introduced, not Asiatic Cheetah (critically endangered, ~12 left in Iran).

🐬 2020

Project Dolphin

Announced by PM Modi on Independence Day 2020. Covers both Gangetic River Dolphin (Platanista gangetica — National Aquatic Animal since 2009) and Marine Dolphins. Gangetic Dolphin is blind; navigates by echolocation. Key habitats: Vikramshila Gangetic Dolphin Sanctuary (Bihar), Chambal river. Threats: pollution, fishing nets, dams.

🐢 Ongoing

Sea Turtle Conservation — Olive Ridley

Olive Ridley (Lepidochelys olivacea) is the most abundant sea turtle. Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary (Odisha) is the world’s largest Olive Ridley nesting site. Mass nesting called Arribada (Spanish: arrival). Other nesting sites: Rushikulya, Devi river mouth (Odisha). Threats: trawling, light pollution, coastal development. TED (Turtle Excluder Device) mandatory for trawlers.

⚡ Cheetah Fact: The Asiatic Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus venaticus) is critically endangered with only ~12 individuals left in Iran. India introduced the African Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus jubatus) — a different subspecies — as the Asiatic Cheetah was not available for translocation.

Other Notable Conservation Efforts

Project Vulture (2006): Diclofenac (veterinary drug) banned in 2006 after causing 99% vulture population crash; Jatayu Conservation Breeding Centre, Pinjore (Haryana)
Great Indian Bustard (GIB): Critically endangered; <150 left; Desert NP (Rajasthan); threat from power lines; Supreme Court ordered underground cables
Gangetic Gharial: National Chambal Sanctuary (MP, UP, Rajasthan); critically endangered; ~650 in wild
Blackbuck: Velavadar NP (Gujarat); Tal Chhapar WLS (Rajasthan); protected under Schedule I
Dugong: Sea cow; Gulf of Mannar; Schedule I; only marine mammal herbivore in India
Red Panda: Singalila NP (WB), Khangchendzonga (Sikkim); Schedule I; IUCN Endangered

🏆 Complete Chapter 03 Master Revision Checklist

📋 Chapter 03 — Protected Areas & Wildlife Conservation

Topic 01 — National Parks & Wildlife Sanctuaries

☐ NP: no human activity; WLS: some activities permitted
☐ India: 106 NPs + 567 WLS
☐ Jim Corbett — first NP (1936); Hemis — largest; South Button — smallest
☐ Kaziranga (rhino), Gir (Asiatic lion), Sundarbans (tiger), Valley of Flowers — UNESCO WHS
☐ Bandhavgarh — highest tiger density; Kanha — Barasingha

Topic 02 — Biosphere Reserves

☐ UNESCO MAB Programme (1971); India: 18 BRs; 12 in UNESCO WNBR
☐ Three zones: Core → Buffer → Transition
☐ First BR: Nilgiri (1986); First in WNBR: Nilgiri (2000); Latest: Panna (2020)
☐ Largest BR: Gulf of Mannar; Nokrek — citrus gene sanctuary

Topic 03 — Ramsar Sites & Wetlands

☐ Ramsar Convention 1971 (Iran); entered force 1975; Secretariat: Gland, Switzerland
☐ World Wetlands Day: February 2
☐ India: 75 Ramsar sites (2023); first (1981): Chilika + Keoladeo Ghana
☐ Chilika — largest brackish lagoon Asia; Loktak — phumdis + Sangai; Wular — largest freshwater lake India
☐ Montreux Record: Keoladeo Ghana + Loktak

Topic 04 — Tiger Reserves & Project Tiger

☐ Project Tiger: April 1, 1973; PM Indira Gandhi; first reserve: Jim Corbett
☐ NTCA: statutory body under WPA 1972 (2006 amendment)
☐ 54 Tiger Reserves; Tiger Census 2022: ~3,167; India = ~75% world’s tigers
☐ Project Elephant 1992: 33 reserves; ~27,000–30,000 elephants; National Heritage Animal (2010)

Topic 05 — Wildlife Protection Act 1972

☐ WPA 1972: enacted September 9, 1972; 2022 amendment: 6→4 schedules
☐ Schedule I: Tiger, Lion, Elephant, Rhino, Snow Leopard, Gharial
☐ Schedule V (old): Vermin — Crow, Fruit Bat, Rat, Myna
☐ Schedule VI (old): Plants — Beddome’s Cycad, Blue Vanda, Pitcher Plant, Kuth
☐ CITES: 1963/1975; Appendix I = banned; II = regulated; III = cooperation
☐ NTCA, WCCB, CZA, NBWL (chaired by PM)

Topic 06 — Conservation Projects

☐ Project Crocodile (1975): Mugger, Saltwater, Gharial; Chambal sanctuary
☐ Project Snow Leopard (2009): 5 Himalayan states; ~400–700 in India
☐ Project Hangul (1970): Kashmir Stag; Dachigam NP; <300 individuals
☐ Cheetah Reintroduction (2022): Kuno NP, MP; 20 African cheetahs; first intercontinental translocation
☐ Project Dolphin (2020): Gangetic Dolphin = National Aquatic Animal (2009)
☐ Olive Ridley: Gahirmatha (Odisha); Arribada = mass nesting; TED mandatory
☐ Project Vulture (2006): Diclofenac banned; Jatayu Centre, Pinjore
☐ GIB: <150 left; Desert NP, Rajasthan; critically endangered

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