STATUS OF WILDLIFE CONSERVATION IN THE INDIAN SUBCONTINENT

摘要

The Indian subcontinent has long-established traditions of wildlife preservation, which have have lived on, long after these countries gained political freedom. Conservation psyche in this region is passive and enforcement depends on the people at thetop of the administrative hierarchy; the present conservation status is seen in the light of these, still persisting, factors. The increase in population is the factor most responsible for the deteriorating situation. Habitats have become "isolated islands" with inherent dangers of imminent extinction. The region has a high number of endangered species. Invasion by exotics and genetic swamping are other perils. Effectively conserved Protected Areas (PA) are the only hope for the long-term survival of wildlife, but certain habitats and migratory routes are poorly represented in the system. Man-made fires, intensified PA-people confrontation and lack of baseline data are other problems facing the PAs. The three biggest failures in wildlife management are listed as the non-involvement of rural communities in conservation, lack of a capture and rehabilitation plan for locally problematic species, and non-establishment of a cadre of trained and committed wildlife and PA managers. There is little possibility for further expansion of the PAs, but existing ones need to be better managed and some need to be upgraded from sanctuaries and reserves to national parks.