Briefly SPOTLIGHT ON INDIA


Communities protect Amur falcons despite pandemic hardships Amur falcons roost in the north-east Indian state ofNagaland inOctober each year while migrating 20,000kmfrombreeding grounds in Mongolia to Africa. Ten years ago, peo- ple trapped an estimated 120,000–140,000 falcons annually, for trade in wild meat. Hunting is a livelihood for local people, and convincing them to protect the falcons was vital to end unsustainable exploitation. The Nagaland Wildlife and Biodiversity Conser- vation Trust was established to change local attitudes. The Trust organized educational activities and helped train local people as tourist guides and homestay hosts, to provide alternative livelihoods.During the pandemic, the project’sstakeholdersfearedaresurgence in hunting as tourism stopped. However, in October 2020, villages in Nagaland and other states reported more flocks of Amur falcons and more roosting sites than before. Many people now follow updates on the fal- cons’ movements on socialmedia, a sign that communities are developing an emotional connection with Amur falcons that is com- pelling more people to protect the birds. Source: The Third Pole (2021) thethirdpole. net/en/nature/communities-protect- amur-falcons-india-despite-pandemic- hardships


World’s smallest hog released into wild in India A dozen of theworld’s smallest pigs have been released into thewild in north-eastern India as part of a conservation programme. The pygmy hog Porcula salvania lives inwet grasslands and was once found along plains on the Himalayan foothills in India, Nepal and Bhutan. Its popu- lation declined in the 1960s, and it was feared extinct until it was rediscovered in the state of Assam in 1971. The Pygmy Hog Conservation Programme, involving several organizations, including fromstate andnational governments, established a captive breeding scheme with six hogs in 1996 to try and revive the population. The programme now looks after c. 70 captive hogs and is breeding more to be released. In June 2021,fivefemaleand sevenmalepygmy hogs were released in in Manas National Park, taking the number of pigs reintroduced into the wild by the programme to 142.The wild population is estimated to be,250. Source: Phys.org (2021) phys.org/news/2021- 06-world-smallest-hog-wild-india.html


Research project to help save dhole populations from extinction The elusive dhole Cuon alpinus is among the most threatened carnivores: the global wild population of this canid is estimated to be , 2,500 mature adults. India probably hosts the largest number of dholes, but the species has disappeared from c. 60%ofits historic range inthe countryinthe past 100 years, pri- marily as a result of forest degradation and fragmentation, and persecution. Transfer of diseases from feral and domestic dogs is also a threat. However, research on the dhole is sparse. Realizing the urgent need to protect dholes and other wild canids in the country, theWild Canids–India Project was launched in 2018 by researchers fromvarious organiza- tions and universities. The research aims to improve knowledge about wild canids and formulate science-based strategies including citizen science projects to conserve them. Researchers have mapped dhole distribution across India and found the species occurs across 249,606km2,which is c. 49%oftheir potential habitat.Most populations are in the Western Ghats, central and north-east India. Researchers also found that people’spercep- tion of dholes varies by region, insights that areimportant to facilitateeffectiveconservation. Source:WorldAtlas (2021) worldatlas.com/ articles/asia-s-red-dog-aka-dhole-on-the- red-list-can-it-be-saved-on-time.html


Tiger reserve in India doubles its tigers Tenyearsago, wildtigerswereheadingtowards extinction.At the start of the 21st century there wereanestimated100,000tigersinthewild,but by 2010 this number had declined to just 3,200 individuals, and their range had been reduced toonly 5%of itshistorical size. In2010,the gov- ernments of all 13 tigerrange countriescame together at theworld’s first global tiger summit and agreed a commitment to double the num- ber of wild tigers by 2022. A global recovery plan followed andWWF, togetherwith indivi- duals, businesses, communities, governments and other conservation partners, have worked to turn this ambitious conservation goal into reality. In northern India, in the Terai Arc Landscape, the narrow Pilibhit Tiger Reserve is surrounded by areas of high human popula- tion density. And yet, the Reservemanaged to double its tiger population within a decade, to an estimated 65 individuals. There have been similar success stories in the transboundary area of Manas Tiger Reserve in India and RoyalManas National Park in Bhutan. Source:WWF (2021) wwf.org.uk/success- stories/tiger-reserve-india-doubles-its-tigers


India’s Forest Rights Act is the most viable forest conservation law For a long time, forest conservation has been dominated by so-called fortress conservation, whereby people are separated from natural areas.With the ideaofpreservingthemaswild- ernesses unspoilt by human interference, these areas are typically enclosed, policed by guards and increasingly militarized. An estimated 10–173 million people have been displaced to makeway for such protected areas worldwide, and1.65–1.87billionpeoplestillliveinimportant biodiversity conservation areas. India’sForest Rights Act2006is perhaps the first lawglobally to outright discard state-led fortress conserva- tion, adopting conservation-based community forest governance instead. TheAct became op- erationalin2008andrecognizedallconceivable traditional rights, excepthunting.Theprevious demarcation of protected forest areas based on restrictiveor gradedaccess andusage rightshas ceased.Conservationagendawasmadecentral, and forest governance was entrusted to all habitations that have any rights to the forests. Conservation science affirms rights-based frameworks as the future of conservation. Source:TheWire Science (2021) science.thewire. in/environment/why-indias-forest-rights-act- is-the-most-viable-forest-conservation-law


Wildlife corridors in Chhattisgarh A strategic plan for conservation, monitoring and management of wildlife corridors has been prepared by the Chhattisgarh Forest Department. As part of this exercise under the Compensatory Afforestation Fund Man- agement and Planning Authority, potential corridors in the state are being identified. The target species include wide-ranging spe- cies such as tigers and elephants. So far, 121 corridors have been identified across the state, 14 of which have been recognized as critical corridors needing special attention, resource allocation, specific policies, aware- ness raising and crisis management plans. Connectivity is essential for natural ranging behaviour of animals, such as movement be- tween foraging sites or dispersal of individuals from their natal areas. Lack of such corridors restricts dispersal and genetic exchange be- tween protected areas, reducing genetic diver- sity and increasing the risk of extinction of species. Thework in Chhattisgarh is expected to benefit other Indian states by providing a scientific approach for the identification, management andmonitoring of natural con- nectivity between large habitats. Source: Mongabay (2021) india.mongabay. com/2021/05/forest-department-dentifies- wildlife-corridors-in-chhattisgarh-for- conservation


This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Oryx, 2021, 55(5), 643–648 © The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Fauna & Flora International doi:10.1017/S0030605321000958


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