Blackbuck conservation reserve to come up in U.P.

Blackbuck conservation reserve to come up in U.P.

Context

• A wildlife conservation reserve dedicated exclusively to the blackbuck is coming up over 126 hectares in the trans-Yamuna region of Allahabad in Uttar Pradesh.
• The State cabinet has approved a Blackbuck Conservation Reserve in the Meja forest division that is known for its rocky, undulating and arid terrain.

About blackbuck sanctuaries in india

There are a few national parks and sanctuaries inhabited by blackbuck in the country, like the Velavadar Wildlife Sanctuary in Gujarat and the Ranibennur Blackbuck Sanctuary in Karnataka. However, there are not many conservation reserves exclusively dedicated to the antelope.

About blackbuck

Blackbucks, known for their majestic spiral horns and coat colour contrasts, are found in grasslands and open forests.

They once ruled the open savannahs of north and central India, but are now restricted to just a few patches and habitats, primarily due to human population growth, ecosystem degradation and hunting.

The U.P. government evoked Section 36 A (1) and (2) of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, to declare the conservation reserve.

The Protected Areas of India:

Protected areas are those in which human occupation or at least the exploitation of resources is limited. These are defined according to the categorization guidelines for protected areas by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). There are several kinds of protected areas, which vary by level of protection depending on the enabling laws of each country or the regulations of the international organizations involved.

There are 4 categories of the Protected Areas in India viz,

• National Parks,
• Sanctuaries,
• Conservation Reserves, and
• Community Reserves.

National Park:

• A National park is an area with enough ecological, geo-morphological and natural significance with rich fauna and flora, which is designed to protect and to develop wildlife or its environment.
• National parks in India are IUCN category II protected areas.
• Activities like grazing, hunting, forestry or cultivation etc. are strictly prohibited. No human activity is permitted inside the national park except for the ones permitted by the Chief Wildlife Warden of the state.

Wildlife Sanctuary:

• Any area other than area comprised with any reserve forest or the territorial waters can be notified by the State Government to constitute as a sanctuary if such area is of adequate ecological, faunal, floral, geomorphological, natural. or zoological significance, for the purpose of protecting, propagating or developing wildlife or its environment.
• The difference between a Sanctuary and a National Park mainly lies in the vesting of rights of people living inside. Unlike a Sanctuary, where certain rights can be allowed, in a National Park, no rights are allowed. No grazing of any livestock is permitted inside a National Park while in a Sanctuary, the Chief Wildlife Warden may regulate, control or prohibit it.

Conservation reserves and community reserves in India:

• These terms denote the protected areas of India which typically act as buffer zones to or connectors and migration corridors between established national parks, wildlife sanctuaries and reserved and protected forests of India.
• Such areas are designated as Conservation Reserves if they are uninhabited and completely owned by the Government of India but used for subsistence by communities and Community Reserves if a part of the lands is privately owned.
• These protected area categories were first introduced in the Wildlife (Protection) Amendment Act of 2002 − the amendment to the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972.
• These categories were added because of reduced protection in and around existing or proposed protected areas due to private ownership of land, and land use.

Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 (with Amendment Acts of 2003 and 2006):

• The act provides for the protection of wild animals, birds and plants and matters connected with them, with a view to ensure the ecological and environmental security of India.
• Extends to the whole of India, except the State of Jammu and Kashmir which has its own wildlife act
• It provides for prohibition on use of animal traps except under certain circumstances.
• It provides for protection of hunting rights of the Scheduled Tribes in Andaman and Nicobar Islands
• Has provisions for the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES)
• It has six schedules which give varying degrees of protection
• Species listed in Schedule I and part II of Schedule II get absolute protection — offences under these are prescribed the highest penalties
• Species listed in Schedule III and Schedule IV are also protected, but the penalties are much lower
• Schedule V includes the animals which may be hunted
• The plants in Schedule VI are prohibited from cultivation and planting
• The act constitutes a National Board for Wildlife that
• provides guidelines for framing policies and advising Central and State Government on promotion of wildlife conservation and controlling poaching and illegal trade of wildlife and its products;
• Making recommendations for setting up and managing national parks, sanctuaries and other protected areas; and
• Suggesting measures for improvement of wildlife conservation.
• It also sets up National Tiger Conservation Authority.