The Conservation of Wild Life in India : PART - ONE

INTRODUCTION

The term Wild Life was coined by William Hornady in 1913 in his book "Our vanishing Wild Life". Wild Life is meant by all biotic elements on the Earth including all species of plants and animals and microbes of the world excluding man, domestic animals and cultivated plants. Therefore the wild life means the total natural biodiversity ranging from tiny microbes to mighty mammals. Wild life is considered as a renewable resource, and it's conservation is necessary because it controls the ecological balance, maintains food chains/webs, bio-geo-chemical cycles, and it is the principal source of gene bank.

India is one of the 12 megadiversity countries. Though India contains only 2.4 % of the global space, but it has 7.31 % of global biodiversity.

Ashoka was the first ruler in Indian history to set up the wild life sanctuary, and the first national park in India is Corbett national park formerly known as Hailey national park and was established in 1935.

CAUSES OF DEPLETION OF WILD LIFE IN INDIA

1. Destruction of natural habitat due to green revolution, urbanization and industrialization.
2. Poaching by man for meat, skin, sport etc. This picture was worsened when modern hunting instruments, guns were invented
3. Overgrazing by domestic animals.
4. Change of migratory route.
5. Introduction of exotic species and export of some species.
6. Exploitation of natural products.

THE TYPES OF CONSERVATION