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Environment & Ecology15 Concepts & Facts

Project Tiger (1973), Project Elephant (1992) & Species Conservation GK Questions & Answers

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India's targeted species conservation began with the launch of Project Tiger on April 1, 1973, at Corbett National Park, Uttarakhand. Promoted by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and led by naturalist Kailash Sankhala, the program adopted an umbrella species approach, recognizing that preserving apex predators safeguards whole trophic webs and watershed systems. The initiative attained statutory backing through the Wildlife (Protection) Amendment Act, 2006, which created the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) under Section 38L and established the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) under Section 38Y. The 2006 amendment required the notification of Tiger Reserves, comprising an inviolate core habitat designated under Section 38V alongside a multi-use buffer zone.

Expanding megafauna protection, the Ministry of Environment launched Project Elephant in February 1992 as a centrally sponsored scheme to conserve Asian elephants (Elephas maximus), resolve human-elephant conflict, and secure migratory corridors. The elephant was designated India's National Heritage Animal in 2010, complemented by the international Monitoring the Illegal Killing of Elephants (MIKE) program under CITES. In 2009, India initiated Project Snow Leopard across Himalayan high-altitude tracts in Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim, and Arunachal Pradesh, supported by the SECURE Himalaya project. Additional programs include Indian Rhino Vision 2020, Project Dolphin launched in 2020 for riverine and marine cetaceans, Project Lion in Gir, and Project Cheetah, which reintroduced African cheetahs to Kuno National Park in September 2022.

Wildlife monitoring employs standardized scientific techniques. Tiger censuses conducted quadrennially by the NTCA and the Wildlife Institute of India utilize camera-trap arrays combined with the digital M-STrIPES (Monitoring System for Tigers - Intensive Protection and Ecological Status) platform. The 2022 All-India Tiger Estimation reported a minimum count of 3,167 individuals, demonstrating steady population recovery. In UPSC Civil Services General Studies Paper III and SSC CGL examinations, questions consistently assess core-buffer legal delineations under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, geographical distributions of newly declared tiger reserves, elephant corridor conservation, and official IUCN threat classifications, including the endangered status of Asian elephants and Bengal tigers, and the vulnerable status of snow leopards and greater one-horned rhinos.

Key Concepts & Self-Assessment15 Key Facts

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#1
Project Tiger was inaugurated on April 1, 1973, at Jim Corbett National Park to arrest catastrophic declines in Bengal tiger populations.
#2
National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) was established as a statutory body via the 2006 amendment to the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
#3
All-India Tiger Estimation is conducted quadrennially using camera traps and the M-STrIPES (Monitoring System for Tigers-Intensive Protection and Ecological Status) platform.
#4
Project Elephant was established in February 1992 to protect Asian elephant habitats and secure designated elephant corridors under the MIKE framework.
#5
Project Snow Leopard (2009) and Project Cheetah (2022, Kuno National Park) represent targeted habitat restoration and predator reintroduction initiatives.
#6
Kailash Sankhala was appointed the first director of Project Tiger in 1973, earning the epithet 'Tiger Man of India' for his field conservation pioneering.
#7
The St. Petersburg Declaration on Tiger Conservation (2010) committed 13 tiger range countries to the TX2 goal of doubling wild tiger populations by 2022, achieved by India four years ahead of schedule.
#8
Madhya Pradesh holds the highest wild tiger population among all Indian states according to the 2022 All-India Tiger Estimation report, followed by Karnataka and Uttarakhand.
#9
The Asian Elephant (Elephas maximus) was designated as the National Heritage Animal of India by the Ministry of Environment and Forests in October 2010.
#10
The MIKE (Monitoring the Illegal Killing of Elephants) program was established under CITES in 1997 to measure levels and trends in illegal elephant poaching.
#11
The Elephant Task Force report of 2010, titled 'Gajah', recommended the establishment of a statutory National Elephant Conservation Authority (NECA) on the lines of NTCA.
#12
Project Snow Leopard operates across five Himalayan states (Jammu & Kashmir/Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh), focusing on high-altitude landscapes above the treeline.
#13
Hemis National Park in Ladakh and Kibber Wildlife Sanctuary in Himachal Pradesh serve as primary conservation strongholds for the endangered snow leopard (Panthera uncia).
#14
Project Cheetah executed the world's first intercontinental wild cheetah translocation in September 2022, introducing eight radio-collared cheetahs from Namibia into Kuno National Park.
#15
The Wildlife (Protection) Amendment Act 2022 rationalized protected species schedules from six to four, incorporating statutory provisions for enforcing CITES treaty obligations.

Subject Specialist Commentary

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Educator's Insight
India's flagship species conservation programs safeguard wildlife by protecting entire natural ecosystems. Launched in 1973 at Jim Corbett National Park under naturalist Kailash Sankhala, Project Tiger pioneered this umbrella approach, later followed by Project Elephant in 1992 and Project Snow Leopard in 2009. The National Tiger Conservation Authority, formed under the 2006 amendment to the Wildlife Protection Act, coordinates field protection and runs four-yearly surveys using camera traps and the M-STrIPES digital platform.
In UPSC Prelims and SSC CGL, questions focus on statutory backing, survey methods, and state rankings. A classic exam trap confuses administrative setups: remember that NTCA is a statutory body, whereas Project Elephant lacks a statutory equivalent despite the Gajah report's proposal. For revision, note that Madhya Pradesh holds the highest tiger population, the elephant is India's National Heritage Animal, and the 2022 Wildlife Amendment rationalized protection schedules from six down to four.

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