ForumIAS announcing GS Foundation Program for UPSC CSE 2025-26 from 19 April. Click Here for more information.
ForumIAS Answer Writing Focus Group (AWFG) for Mains 2024 commencing from 24th June 2024. The Entrance Test for the program will be held on 28th April 2024 at 9 AM. To know more about the program visit: https://forumias.com/blog/awfg2024
News: The Uttarakhand State Wildlife Board has cleared a proposal by the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) to introduce rhinoceroses in the Corbett Tiger Reserve (CTR)
Facts:
About Jim Corbett National Park
- Jim Corbet National Park was established in 1936 as Hailey National Park- the first national park in India.
- It is located in the Nainital district of Uttarakhand.
- The park was declared a Tiger Reserve in 1973- the first to come under the Project Tiger initiative.
Additional Information:
The Great one-horned Rhinoceros (Indian rhinoceros):
- It is listed as Vulnerable in the IUCN Red List.
- There are about 2,600 rhinos in India, with more than 90% of the population concentrated in Assam’s Kaziranga National Park. Outside Kaziranga, rhinos are found in West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, and Bihar.
Conservation Programmes in India
Indian Rhino Vision (IRV) 2020 programme
- The program was launched in 2005 by Assam Forest Department in partnership with WWF-India, the International Rhino Foundation, and US Fish & Wildlife Service.
- It aims to attain a wild population of at least 3,000 greater one-horned rhinos spread over seven protected areas in Assam by the year 2020.
New Delhi Declaration on Asian Rhinos 2019: Under the declaration, India will collaborate with Bhutan, Nepal, Indonesia, and Malaysia for conservation and protection of three Asian rhino species-
- Greater one-horned rhinoceros,
- Javan rhinoceros( listed as Critically Endangered in the IUCN Red List) and
- Sumatran rhinoceros (listed as Critically Endangered in the IUCN Red List).
National Rhino Conservation Strategy for India: it has been launched by Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. It aims at strengthening rhino protection and expanding present distribution range by at least 5%
Other Rhino Species:
- Southern White Rhino:: It is listed as Near Threatened in IUCN Red List.
- Northern White Rhino: Functionally extinct.
- Black Rhino: It is listed as Critically Endangered in the IUCN Red List.
Wildlife Institute of India (WII)
- WII is an autonomous institution under the Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Change. It was established in 1982 and is based in Dehradun, Uttarakhand.
- It offers training programs, academic courses and advisory in wildlife research and management.
