17 Sep 2022: PIB Summary for UPSC

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. PM releases wild Cheetahs in Kuno National Park

1. PM releases wild Cheetahs in Kuno National Park

Syllabus: GS 3, Environment

Prelims: Project Cheetah and Kuno National Park.

Mains: Environment Conservation.

Context: Release of wild cheetahs in Kuno National Park.

Details:

• Under the ambit of Project Cheetah, Prime Minister released wild Cheetahs in Kuno National Park, Madhya Pradesh.
• A total of eight wild Cheetahs were brought from Namibia. It includes five females and three males. An MoU regarding the same was signed between the two countries earlier in 2022.
• In 1952, all the species of cheetah were declared extinct from India.
• Project Cheetah is the world’s first inter-continental large wild carnivore translocation project.

For more information on Project Cheetah, read here: Re-introduction of Cheetah In India (UPSC) – Physical Features, Asiatic Vs African Cheetah, and Latest News

Significance of Project Cheetah:

• The release of wild Cheetahs will diversify and revitalize India’s wildlife and its habitat. 
• It will help in restoring grassland ecosystems and the open forests of the country. 
• It will ensure the conservation of biodiversity and enhance the ecosystem services like carbon sequestration, water security,  and soil moisture conservation. 
• The effort is in line with wildlife conservation and environmental protection. Moreover, it also has the potential to ensure enhanced livelihood opportunities for the local residents through services like eco-tourism and eco-development.

Achievements of India in the field of sustainability and conservation:

• The population of Tigers in India has considerably increased from approximately 2,226 in 2014 to nearly 2,967 in 2018 under Project Tiger. This achievement of the goal of doubling the Tiger’s number in 2018, much ahead of the target year 2022 is commendable.
• The budgetary allocation for the conservation of Tiger has also improved to about Rs 300 crore in 2022.
• The total number of community reserves has increased to 100 in the year 2019. The forest and tree cover has also expanded by 16,000 square km in a span of just four years.
• The Protected area has expanded and reached 5.03% of the total geographical area of the country.
• Asiatic Lions population has seen a steady rise reaching 674 individuals from nearly 523 lions in 2015. The growth rate of 28.87 is by far the highest growth rate achieved.
• The population of Leopard has also shown an immense growth of nearly sixty percent from 2014 to 2020.

Read previous PIB here.

September 17th, 2022, PIB:- Download PDF Here