News: India began its Crocodile Conservation programme in 1975, and this year marks 50 years of this successful initiative.
About Crocodile Conservation Project (CCP)
- The project was launched in 1975 with the support of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), initially focusing on Bhitarkanika National Park in Odisha.
- The project was later expanded to cover Uttaranchal, Rajasthan, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Andamans, Assam, Bihar and Nagaland where special rearing stations were constructed.
- Aim: The project aims to conserve all three crocodile species found in India:
- saltwater crocodiles (Crocodylus porosus)
- mugger crocodiles (Crocodylus palustris)
- gharials (Gavialis gangeticus).
- Objectives of CCP
- To ensure that the breeding of species remain captive.
- Assortment of eggs from regular haunt, ensuing crosshatching and nurturing of crocodiles in captivity to lessen mortality because of the natural predators and lastly released into the wild.
- Outcomes: Over five decades, these initiatives have become one of India’s most successful wildlife conservation programmes.
- Population recovery: The project successfully brought crocodilian species back from the brink of extinction.
- For example, Bhitarkanika now hosts 1,826 saltwater crocodiles, Satkosia gorge is home to 16 gharials, and around 300 muggers live in Odisha’s rivers.
- India now harbors 80% of the world’s wild gharial population.
Crocodiles in India
- India is home to three main kinds of crocodile species – the gharial (critically endangered), the salt water crocodile or salties (least concern), and the muggers (vulnerable).
- Threats: These species face increasing threats from habitat loss, poachers, pollution, riparian agriculture, artificial embankments, construction of barrages and dams, and illegal sand-mining.
Note – World Crocodile Day is celebrated on June 17th every year.
