Zeluno Series · Prelims + Mains 2026
Environment & Ecology
Part II — Biodiversity
pg. 110
06
Chapter Six · Part II: Biodiversity & Conservation
Species Conservation Projects
India's flagship conservation programmes — data, corridors, conflicts, and the IUCN Red List update landscape for 2026.
Project Tiger — Census 2022–23 ★+4
Project Elephant — HEC ★+4
Rhino Vision 2020
Secure Himalaya
Vultures & Dugong
IUCN CR Species 2026 ★
6.1 Project Tiger — Census 2022–23 Analysis +4 Marks Data-Heavy
Launched on 1 April 1973 by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi at Jim Corbett National Park, Project Tiger is India's most successful and globally celebrated conservation programme. Administered by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), Project Tiger was given statutory backing through the Wildlife Protection Amendment Act, 2006, which established NTCA as a statutory body.
3,682
Tigers
Census 2022 estimate — 75% of world's tigers
268
Reserves
Tiger Reserves across 18 states (2024)
75,000+
km²
Total Tiger Reserve area in India
1973
Launch Year
Started with only 9 reserves, 268 tigers
4×
Growth
268 tigers (1973) → 3,682 (2022)
▸ India Tiger Census Trend — All-India Tiger Estimation (AITE) Results
Fig 6.1 — All-India Tiger Estimation trend 2006–2022 · Source: NTCA / MoEFCC · Zeluno ©
Key Tiger Reserves — 2022 Census State-wise Highlights
Corbett NP
Uttarakhand
260
tigers (highest)
India's oldest NP (1936). First Project Tiger Reserve (1973).
Nagarhole + Bandipur
Karnataka
229+
combined tigers
Part of Nilgiri Biosphere. Connected to Wayanad.
Sundarbans TR
West Bengal
100
tigers (2022)
Mangrove tiger — unique swim-adapted population.
Kaziranga NP
Assam
121
tigers
Also India's highest Rhino population. Flood-adapted tigers.
Madhya Pradesh
State-level leader
785
tigers (highest state)
"Tiger State." Kanha, Bandhavgarh, Pench, Satpura, Panna.
Karnataka
2nd highest state
563
tigers
Nagarhole, Bandipur, BRT Hills, Bhadra, Anshi Dandeli.
Panna TR
Madhya Pradesh
Success
reintroduction
Tigers went locally extinct by 2009; reintroduced by 2011. Now 60+.
Critical Corridors
Pan-India
32
major corridors
Terai Arc, Central Indian, Eastern Ghats, Western Ghats corridors.
🐯 Tiger Corridor Architecture — Critical Conservation Challenge
India's 32 major tiger corridors are the lifelines connecting isolated tiger populations, enabling gene flow, colonisation of new areas, and demographic rescue. Key corridors include:
• Terai Arc Landscape (TAL): Connects 12 protected areas across India-Nepal border. Key: Corbett–Rajaji corridor (fragmented by NH-58).
• Central Indian Landscape: Largest corridor system; Satpura-Panna-Kanha-Pench landscape. Highway and railway fragmentation is the principal threat.
• Western Ghats Landscape: Nilgiri-Eastern Ghats corridor; connects 6 Tiger Reserves across 3 states.
Conflict with development: The National Highway-7 (Nagpur-Hyderabad) cuts through the central Indian corridor. The Supreme Court has repeatedly directed states to identify and notify tiger corridors as Eco-Sensitive Zones (ESZ). NTCA's 2022 guidelines make corridor protection mandatory for new infrastructure approvals.
• Terai Arc Landscape (TAL): Connects 12 protected areas across India-Nepal border. Key: Corbett–Rajaji corridor (fragmented by NH-58).
• Central Indian Landscape: Largest corridor system; Satpura-Panna-Kanha-Pench landscape. Highway and railway fragmentation is the principal threat.
• Western Ghats Landscape: Nilgiri-Eastern Ghats corridor; connects 6 Tiger Reserves across 3 states.
Conflict with development: The National Highway-7 (Nagpur-Hyderabad) cuts through the central Indian corridor. The Supreme Court has repeatedly directed states to identify and notify tiger corridors as Eco-Sensitive Zones (ESZ). NTCA's 2022 guidelines make corridor protection mandatory for new infrastructure approvals.
6.2 Project Elephant — Human-Elephant Conflict +4 Marks
Launched in 1992 by the Government of India, Project Elephant aims to protect elephants, their habitats, and corridors; address Human-Elephant Conflict (HEC); and ensure the welfare of domesticated elephants. Administered by the Project Elephant Division of MoEFCC, India hosts approximately 30,000 wild Asian elephants — the world's largest population, constituting ~60% of the global total.
Human-Elephant Conflict (HEC) — The Central Challenge
▸ Human-Elephant Conflict — Cause-Effect-Response Cycle
Habitat Loss
Forests cleared for agriculture, settlements, mining
Corridor Fragmentation
Roads, railways, canals cut through elephant ranges
Crop Raiding
Elephants enter farmland; ~500 humans killed annually
Retaliatory Killing
Poisoning, electrocution, shooting. ~100 elephants killed/yr
Population Pressure
Isolated herds, reduced gene flow, population fragmentation
HEC is the leading cause of elephant mortality in India. Approximately 500 humans and 100 elephants die in HEC incidents annually · MOEFCC Data
- Elephant Reserves: India has 33 Elephant Reserves covering ~76,000 km² across 17 states. Largest: Mayurbhanj Elephant Reserve (Odisha). Not under WPA — declared under Project Elephant administrative framework.
- HEC Mitigation Strategies: Early Warning Systems (SMS/app alerts), solar-powered electric fences (positive — non-lethal deterrent), chilli-fire smoke barriers, bee-fence corridors, Haathi App (community reporting), compensation schemes under CAMPA funds.
- Elephant Corridors: Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) identified 101 elephant corridors (2017) in India. Only 28% are legally protected. Connectivity in Nilgiri, Brahmaputra and Central Indian landscapes is critical.
- States with highest HEC: Odisha, West Bengal, Assam, Jharkhand, and Chhattisgarh account for majority of HEC deaths — all experiencing rapid forest-to-agriculture conversion in elephant habitats.
- Elephant Census 2017: Last published: ~29,964 elephants. Karnataka (6,049) → highest state. Assam second. Next census expected 2024–25.
- The Elephant Task Force (2010): "Gajah" report by M.K. Ranjitsinh recommended legal notification of all elephant corridors, but implementation remains incomplete. This gap is a recurring UPSC Mains theme.
★ UPSC 2026 — Elephant Corridor vs Tiger Corridor
A critical distinction: Tiger corridors are being progressively notified under NTCA's statutory mandate (WPA 2006) as Critical Tiger Habitats. Elephant corridors have NO equivalent statutory protection — they are only identified by WTI/Project Elephant as administrative corridors, but no law mandates their protection. This legal gap means development projects can legally proceed through elephant corridors. The absence of an "Elephant Protection Act" equivalent to the Tiger Reserve notification mechanism is a significant policy critique tested in Mains GS-3 essays.
6.3 Other Major Species Conservation Projects +4 Marks
Indian Rhino Vision 2020 / IRV 2020
Launched 2005 · MoEFCC + WWF + IUCN
~4,000
Objective
Increase One-horned Rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis) from 2,400 to 3,000 by 2020 across seven protected areas in Assam. Target was surpassed — now ~4,000 in India (2024).
Strategy
Translocation of rhinos from Kaziranga (source population) to Manas, Pobitora, and Orang NPs. Anti-poaching operations under "Ek Hed, Ek Goli" campaign. Community engagement in Assam borderlands.
Status
Kaziranga NP: ~2,600 rhinos — highest density of One-horned Rhino globally. Also: Jaldapara (WB), Gorumara (WB), Dudhwa (UP). IUCN Status: Vulnerable (improving from Endangered).
Threats
Poaching for horn (used in traditional Chinese medicine), annual flooding of Brahmaputra (displaces rhinos into human areas — major Prelim fact), habitat loss in tea garden zones.
Snow Leopard Conservation — Secure Himalaya
SECURE Himalaya — 2017 · GEF-UNDP-MoEFCC
~718
Snow Leopard Facts
Panthera uncia. India's first-ever Snow Leopard population estimate: 718 individuals (2023), covering J&K, Ladakh, HP, Uttarakhand, Sikkim, Arunachal. IUCN Status: Vulnerable (downlisted from Endangered in 2017).
SECURE Programme
Full name: "Securing Livelihoods, Conservation, Sustainable Use and Restoration of High Range Himalayan Ecosystems." Focus on 4 states: Ladakh, HP, Uttarakhand, Sikkim. Six high-altitude landscapes identified.
Threats
Retaliatory killing by herders (livestock predation), climate change reducing prey (blue sheep/bharal), habitat loss to infrastructure, reduced natural prey — Wild Ass, Blue Sheep, Tibetan Antelope.
Global Platform
Global Snow Leopard & Ecosystem Protection (GSLEP) Programme — India is signatory. Bishkek Declaration (2013). 12 range countries cooperating.
Vulture Conservation — Action Plan 2020–25
Action Plan · MoEFCC · BNHS
9 spp
The Crisis
India's vulture population declined by 95–99% between 1990–2007 — one of the fastest wildlife declines ever recorded. Primary cause: diclofenac (veterinary anti-inflammatory) in cattle carcasses → kidney failure in vultures. Orientally white-backed vulture went from 40 million to ~19,000.
Species India Has
9 vulture species: Oriental White-backed (CR), Long-billed (CR), Slender-billed (CR), Red-headed (CR), Egyptian (EN), Himalayan Griffon (LC), Griffon Vulture (LC), Bearded (NT), Cinereous (NT).
Actions Taken
Diclofenac banned for veterinary use (2006) — landmark decision. Meloxicam designated as safe alternative. 4 Vulture Conservation & Breeding Centres (VCBCs) established: Pinjore (Haryana), Rani (Assam), Bhopal (MP), Hyderabad. Safe feeding zones ("Vulture Restaurants") set up in several states.
Why Vultures Matter
Ecological role: nature's sanitation engineers — consume ~200 carcasses/year each, preventing disease spread (anthrax, rabies). Decline → increase in feral dog and rat populations → increase in rabies and plague outbreaks. Classic keystone species argument.
Dugong Conservation Reserve
India's only Dugong Reserve — Tamil Nadu, 2022
~250
About Dugong
Dugong dugon — only marine mammal that is strictly herbivorous. Known as "sea cow." IUCN Status: Vulnerable. India's dugong population (~250) found in Gulf of Mannar and Andaman & Nicobar. Schedule I species under WPA 1972.
Palk Bay Reserve (2022)
India's first Dugong Conservation Reserve declared in Palk Bay, Tamil Nadu (2022). Area: 448 km². Seagrass (Dugong's primary food) also protected under this reserve. Central government-funded project.
Threats
Fishing net entanglement (bycatch), boat strikes, seagrass bed destruction, coastal development, and climate change-driven seagrass loss. Slow reproduction (calves every 3–7 years) makes recovery extremely slow.
Gangetic River Dolphin Conservation
National Aquatic Animal — 2009 · Project Dolphin 2020
~3,700
About
Platanista gangetica — India's National Aquatic Animal (declared 2009). Functionally blind (uses echolocation). IUCN Status: Endangered. Found in Ganga, Brahmaputra, Karnaphuli, Meghna river systems. India has ~3,700 (80% of global population).
Project Dolphin (2020)
Announced by PM Modi on Independence Day 2020. Aims to increase dolphin population through river restoration, fishing regulation, and anti-poaching. Modelled on Project Tiger. Implemented through Namami Gange Programme. Vikramshila Dolphin Sanctuary (Bihar) is India's only dolphin sanctuary.
Indicator Species Role
Dolphins are indicator species for river health — their presence signals clean, deep-flowing rivers. Disappearance from stretches correlates with high pollution, dams, and over-extraction. Ganga Dolphin = barometer for Namami Gange Mission success.
Project Cheetah — Kuno Palpur
Reintroduction 2022 · MoEFCC + India-Namibia-South Africa
2022
Historic Significance
Asiatic Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus venaticus) went extinct in India in 1952 (last three shot in Koriya, Chhattisgarh). Project Cheetah is the world's first intercontinental large carnivore translocation.
Introductions
Sept 2022: 8 African cheetahs from Namibia introduced at Kuno-Palpur NP, Madhya Pradesh (by PM Modi). Feb 2023: 12 more from South Africa. Note: African Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus jubatus) used — a related but different subspecies from the original Asiatic Cheetah.
Status & Challenges
Multiple deaths in 2023 raised concerns. Mortality causes: radio-collar wounds, cheetah fights, disease. As of 2024, ~24 cheetahs in Kuno. Debate over suitability of Kuno habitat (originally identified for Lion reintroduction) continues.
Controversy
IUCN opposed use of African cheetahs (wrong subspecies); Supreme Court initially delayed the project. Lions (Asiatic — Panthera leo persica) were the original species recommended for Kuno by Supreme Court in 2013 judgment vs. Asiatic Lion Reintroduction Project dispute (Gujarat).
6.4 IUCN Red List — 2026 Focus: Critically Endangered Indian Fauna & Flora 2026 Priority
The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species is the world's most comprehensive inventory of species' conservation status. Maintained by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), it uses nine categories from Extinct (EX) to Least Concern (LC). For UPSC 2026, the key update comes from the IUCN Red List version 2023–2024, which includes several significant category changes for Indian species.
EX
Extinct
—
EW
Extinct in Wild
—
CR
Critically Endangered
Threatened
EN
Endangered
Threatened
VU
Vulnerable
Threatened
NT
Near Threatened
—
LC
Least Concern
—
High-Priority Indian Species — IUCN Status & UPSC Context
| Species | IUCN Status | Population Estimate | Key UPSC Fact / Threat |
|---|---|---|---|
| Great Indian Bustard (GIB) Ardeotis nigriceps |
CR | <150 individuals | Supreme Court vs overhead power lines (Rajasthan). Poorest state ever recorded. Desert NP, Jaisalmer. National Bird candidate. |
| Gharial Gavialis gangeticus |
CR | ~900 adults | Found only in Chambal, Girwa (Katarniaghat). Fishing net bycatch. National Chambal Sanctuary. Indicator of river health. |
| Malabar Large-spotted Civet Viverra civettina |
CR | <250 | Endemic to Western Ghats. One of world's most threatened civets. Very little known; rarely photographed. |
| Himalayan Wolf Canis lupus chanco |
EN | <350 (India) | Distinct lineage from Indian Plains Wolf. Ladakh, Spiti, Uttarakhand. Herder-wolf conflict. 2024: recognised as separate species Canis himalayensis. |
| Asiatic Lion Panthera leo persica |
EN | 674 (2020 Census) | Confined to Gir NP, Gujarat. Only wild population outside Africa. 2020 census: 674. Disease vulnerability (canine distemper) makes single-site status dangerous. |
| Irrawaddy Dolphin Orcaella brevirostris |
EN | <100 (India) | Chilika Lake, Odisha — India's largest freshwater lake. Entanglement in gill nets. Habitat degradation. Ramsar site. |
| Red-headed Vulture Sarcogyps calvus |
CR | <10,000 | Diclofenac poisoning + habitat loss. Breeding in northeast India. Participates in Vulture Action Plan 2020–25. |
| Pygmy Hog Porcula salvania |
EN | <250 | World's smallest wild pig. Assam (Manas NP). Captive breeding + reintroduction by Pygmy Hog Conservation Programme. Terai grassland specialist. |
| Forest Owlet Heteroglaux blewitti |
CR | <250 | Rediscovered 1997 after 113 years. Central India (MP, Maharashtra, Gujarat). Teak forest dependent. |
| Great Indian Hornbill Buceros bicornis |
VU | Declining | Western Ghats + NE India. Keystone seed disperser. Threatened by hunting for casque (used in jewellery, tribal headgear). State Bird of Kerala and Arunachal Pradesh. |
| Wild Water Buffalo Bubalus arnee |
EN | ~3,000–4,000 | Assam (Manas, Kaziranga) + Chhattisgarh (Udanti). Major threat: hybridisation with domestic buffalo. Only pure populations in northeast. |
| Lion-tailed Macaque Macaca silenus |
EN | ~3,000–3,500 | Endemic to Western Ghats. Shola forest specialist. Flagship species of Silent Valley NP conservation. Severely fragmented population. |
🚨 2026 UPSC Focus — Great Indian Bustard & Supreme Court
The Great Indian Bustard (GIB) case is extremely likely to appear in UPSC 2026 as it combines environment, energy policy, and constitutional law:
• April 2021: Supreme Court ordered underground power lines in Rajasthan desert to protect GIB from electrocution.
• August 2023: Supreme Court modified its own order, allowing overhead lines where underground installation is technically/economically infeasible — a rare judicial retreat under government pressure (solar energy interests).
• December 2023: Project Great Indian Bustard launched — captive breeding at Sam, Jaisalmer in collaboration with UAE (Al-Ain Zoo expertise in houbara bustard breeding).
Population is estimated at fewer than 150 — one of the rarest birds on Earth. At this level, demographic stochasticity (random events) can cause extinction. Primary threats: power line collision (58% of deaths), hunting in Pakistan, habitat loss to solar/wind farms in Thar Desert.
• April 2021: Supreme Court ordered underground power lines in Rajasthan desert to protect GIB from electrocution.
• August 2023: Supreme Court modified its own order, allowing overhead lines where underground installation is technically/economically infeasible — a rare judicial retreat under government pressure (solar energy interests).
• December 2023: Project Great Indian Bustard launched — captive breeding at Sam, Jaisalmer in collaboration with UAE (Al-Ain Zoo expertise in houbara bustard breeding).
Population is estimated at fewer than 150 — one of the rarest birds on Earth. At this level, demographic stochasticity (random events) can cause extinction. Primary threats: power line collision (58% of deaths), hunting in Pakistan, habitat loss to solar/wind farms in Thar Desert.