Protected Area Management in India:

A Brief Study
Contents:

1. Introduction to Protected Area Management ............................................................................................. 1

2. Types of Protected areas ................................................................................................................................. 2

2.1. National Parks .......................................................................................................................................... 2

2.2. Sanctuaries ................................................................................................................................................ 3

2.3. Conservation Reserves.............................................................................................................................. 3

2.4. Community Reserves ................................................................................................................................. 4

3. Protected Area Management acts India .......................................................................................................5

4. Problems of Protected Area Management in India ..................................................................................... 6

5. Conclusion ........................................................................................................................................................ 7

6. Bibliography.......................................................................................................................................................8
1. Introduction to Protected Area Management

T his document provides practical guidance on management of Protected Areas (PA). The IUCN defines protected
area as “A clearly defined geographical space, recognised, dedicated and managed, through legal or other
effective means, to achieve the long-term conservation of nature with associated ecosystem services and cultural
values”. In general, protected areas are locations that receive protection due to their recognized natural, ecological, or
cultural values. Protected area management refers to management of clearly defined geographical areas. These are
recognised, dedicated and managed through legal or effective means to achieve long term conservation of nature
including associated ecosystem services and cultural values. These actions can be based on national laws, international
conventions, traditional rules, or policies of several small or large functioning NGOs. In this write up we are going to
focus mainly on the Protected Area Management in Indian context. We shall be dealing briefly with the types, causes,
consequences, problems and several other important aspects of Protected Area Management in India. With this write up
we shall gather a brief understanding and awareness of our role towards protected areas, being Indian citizens.

India, being a country unique in richness of bio-diversity due to diversity of physiography and climatic conditions, it
ranks sixth among the 12-mega bio diversity countries of the world. The protection of wildlife India has a long and
interesting historical background which has been conducted and performed from the time of our ancestors. So far India
has adopted in-situ and ex-situ conservation strategies for conservation of wildlife. Having protected areas (national
parks and wildlife sanctuaries) is the most important in-situ conservation method. The Protected area (PA) network
majorly consists of three types of methods, i.e. National Parks, Sanctuaries and Closed areas. It has also launched major
species conservation projects to regulate the export and import of wildlife and their parts and derivatives.

However, several problems exist even in the PA Network of India. Studies and assessments made it clear that one of the
most difficult challenges facing PA managers was the reconciliation of the local community's demands for biomass and
incomes from the PA with the requirement of biodiversity conservation. For the same reason and purpose, India Eco
development Project (IEDP) was conceived as a pilot project in June, 1994. The main objective of the Project is to
conserve bio- diversity through eco development and aims at Improved Protected Area Management, Village Eco
development and Eco development support. While the IEDP programme took care of some of the existing problems
but still a wide gap exists towards effective forest management and bio diversity conservation. The management practice
should evolve towards greater participation of community including preparation for working plan of PAs.
2. Types of Protected Areas

India has a huge network of 998 Protected Areas covering about 5.28% of its total geographic area. Protected areas in
India have been categorised according to the Wildlife Protection Act 1972. It has disseminated protected areas
into four categories:

1. National Parks
2. Wildlife Sanctuaries
3. Conservation Reserves
4. Community Reserves

Let us understand this categorisation in detail by briefly describing the types of Protected areas in context of India:

2.1. National Parks:

A national park is the type of protected area which is officially identified by the state government to conserve its
ecological, faunal, floral, geomorphological, or zoological significance. It is categorised in the second schedule of the
IUCN list. The power to declare national parks lies with both the central and state governments, highlighting the joint
responsibility for preserving these critical areas. Hailey National Park was established in 1936 as India’s first national
park. It is now known as the Jim Corbett National Park in Uttarakhand. Papikonda, Dihing, Patkai, Gir, etc. are
some National Parks in India.

National parks as a world commission on protected areas enforce strict regulations on human activities within their
premises. Despite these restrictions, certain activities can be permitted by the Chief Wildlife Warden on conditions
specified on Wildlife Protection Act 1927. This flexible approach strikes a balance, allowing controlled human
intervention while prioritizing the overarching goal of maintaining the ecological integrity of the national park. The
boundaries of National parks are fixed and defined. Once a protected area in India is declared a national park then their
status cannot be altered to that of a ‘sanctuary,’ underscoring their lasting and pivotal role in conservation efforts.
National parks are given the highest level of protection.

A Tiger in Jim Corbett National Park (Image Courtesy: Himalayan Travels)

2.2. Wildlife Sanctuaries:

Wildlife sanctuaries are those areas where animals and plants are well-protected from external disturbances. These
sanctuaries follow complete prohibition of capturing or poaching animal habitats. Their aim is to establish a
comfortable environment for the animals inhabiting the area. In total there are 567 Wildlife Sanctuaries in India
covering a total area of 122,564.56 km2 which is 3.73% of total geographical area of India.

Several wildlife sanctuaries like the Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary of Kerala or the Madumalai Sanctuary of Tamil
Nadu are created to offer a safe space for the animals that were neglected in the past. Others like the Bharatpur Bird
Sanctuary of Rajasthan and the Kumarakom Bird Sanctuary of Kerala are dedicated to specific animals like the
birds. Animal sanctuaries are characterized by massive forests, sprawling blue water bodies, and lofty mountains. In this
article, we will discuss these sanctuaries in detail and learn more about them.

Flamingos at Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary (Image courtesy: discoveringindia.net)

2.3. Conservation Reserves:

Conservation Reserves are a state-owned area adjacent to National Parks and sanctuaries for the protection of the
landscape, seascape, and habitat of fauna and flora. It is overseen by a Conservation Reserve Management
Committee. After consulting with local communities, the State Government may declare any area owned by the
Government as a conservation reserve.

Tiruppadaimarathur conservation reserve in Tirunelveli, Tamil Nadu is the country's first conservation reserve.
The village community made an effort to protect the birds that nest in their village and acted to establish a conservation
reserve. The rights of people who live within a Conservation Reserve are unaffected. Chharidhandh Conservation
Reserve and Bir Bar Ban conservation reserve are examples of other important conservation reserves of India. There
are 115 existing Conservation Reserves in India covering an
area of 5548.75 km2, which is 0.17% of the geographical area of the country according to National Wildlife Database
Centre, Nov. 2023.

Leopards spotted at Jawai Leopard Conservation Reserve (Image Courtesy: Thour Nature Resorts)

2.4. Community Reserves:

Any community or private land may be designated by the State Government as a Community Reserve provided the
inhabitants of that community or the person concerned consent to provide such areas for the preservation of the local
flora and fauna as well as their customs, cultures, and practises.

There are 220 existing Community Reserves in India, covering an area of 1455.16 km². This represents
approximately 0.04% of the geographical area of the country.

Some important community reserves in India are Kambalakonda Wildlife Sanctuary Community Reserve located
in Andhra Pradesh and Sadiya Range Comm unity Reserve in Assam.

Kadalundi Vallikunnu Community Reserve in Kerala (Image courtesy: Onmanorama)

3. Protected Area Management Acts in India

The protection of wildlife has a long tradition in Indian history. Wise use of natural resources was a prerequisite for
many hunter-gatherer societies of India, which date back to at least 6000 BC. There was extensive deforestation due to
increase in demand for pastoral and agricultural activities due to subsequent increase in population, but an awareness of
the need for ecological balance emerged and many so-called pagan nature conservation practices were retained. As more
land became settled or cultivated, so these hunting reserves increasingly became refuges for wildlife. Many of these
reserves were subsequently declared as national parks or sanctuaries, mostly after Independence in 1947. Wildlife,
together with forestry, has traditionally been managed under a single administrative organisation within the forest
departments of each state or union territory, with the role of central government being mainly advisory.

In 1970, the Indian Board for Wildlife drafted a National Wildlife Policy. This policy identified the cause for wildlife
depletion and made specific recommendations for wildlife conservation in the country. The major threats to wildlife
species and habitats identified were: habitat changes, use of pesticides, lack of legislative support, commercial
exploitation, introduction of exotics, poaching, biotic interference, use of crop protection guns and lack of organisation
and guidelines for management. The policy recommended that establishment of a central organisation to maintain
territorial integrity of wildlife areas and suggested that 4% of total land area be managed as national parks by a central
organisation. Following the 1970 policy on wildlife conservation, several major initiatives were taken during the
decades of the 70s and early 80s. These included:

a) The enactment of the Wildlife (protection) Act in 1972:

This provides for three categories of protected areas: National parks, Sanctuaries and Closed areas. However, levels
of protection afforded in each category differ, as do the degrees of restriction on human activities. Community Reserves
and Conservation Reserves are two more categories which can be considered under Closed Areas.

National parks are given highest level of protection, with no grazing and no private land holding or rights permitted
within them.

Wildlife Sanctuaries are given a lesser level of protection, and certain activities may be permitted within them for
better protection of wildlife or for any other good and sufficient reason. The state government may declare an area closed
to hunting of wild animals for a specified period; other activities are permitted to continue.

The adoption of a National Policy for Wildlife Conservation in 1970 and the enactment of the Wildlife (Protection) Act
in 1972 lead to a significant growth in the protected areas network, from 5 national parks and 60 sanctuaries to 69 and
410 respectively, in 1990 (Panwar, 1990).

b) Establishment of the Central and State Directorates of Wildlife Preservation:

Initiation of major species conservation projects to protect Tiger, Elephant, Rhino, Asiatic Lion, Himalayan musk deer,
turtles and crocodile, regulating the export and import of wildlife and their parts and derivatives.
For example, Project Tiger was launched on April 1, 1973 on the basis of the recommendations of a special task force
of the Indian Board of Wildlife with the following main objectives:

i) To ensure maintenance of a viable population of tiger in India for scientific, economic, aesthetics cultural and
ecological values.
ii) To preserve, for all times, the areas of such biological importance as a national heritage for the benefit,
education and enjoyment of the people.

Tiger reserves, created in 1973, there are 23 such reserves by 1996 spreading over in 14 States and covering an area of
about 33,000 km2. They consist of a core area free of almost all-human activities and a 'buffer zone' where restricted
human land use is allowed. Tiger reserves are not legal entity but all contain national parks or sanctuaries as their core
and in some cases their buffer zones.

c) Launching Central schemes for development of National Parks (NP) and Sanctuaries, acceding to major
international conventions dealing with wildlife; inclusion of forests and wildlife under the concurrent list of the
Constitution of India, enactment of the Forest (Conservation) Act in 1980 to regulate diversion of forestland for non-
forestry purposes.

d) Establishment of Wildlife Institute of India (WII) in 1982;

e) Adoption of the National Wildlife Action Plan in 1983 and setting of a Central Zoo Authority in 1992.
4. Problems of Protected Area Management in India

The Protected Area network of India faces several problems. Some of them are listed below:

i. Legal procedures of establishment have not yet been completed for some 60% of NPs and 90% of the
Sanctuaries.

ii. Further, 57% of NPs and 27% of Wildlife sanctuaries have no management plans. Wherever the
management plans have been prepared, their implementation does not meet the minimum standard.

iii. Human Population.

According to the First Indian Survey of Protected Area Network of India, it was found out that a huge number of NPs
and sanctuaries of India have human population within their boundaries. The Population density as this survey found
out is shown in the table 1 below:

Density (Persons/ha) N S T (Total)

>10.00 0 3 3
5.0 to 10.00 0 3 3
1.0 to 4.99 0 24 24
0.5 to 0.99 1 15 15
0.1 to 0.49 4 39 39
0.01 to 0.09 11 33 33

Table 1: The average population density of India is about 2.5 persons/ha. (Source: Kothari etal, 1989)
5. Conclusion

The Protected areas in India area are growing fairly nowadays due to initiative of the Central, State and Local
government. This is made possible due to the active participation of the common people. The awareness that has
disseminated to many corners of the country has led to the growth of even smaller groups who are looking after the
successful and meaningful derivation of the protected areas.

But still the darker side of the same can’t be ignored. Though may people have been active in this successful
collaboration with the government, a few are still carrying the tag of being irresponsible citizens. The illegal
encroachment into restricted areas for selfish needs have been one of the major reasons for the slowing down of the
process. Other reasons include corruption, negligence towards application of laws, unawareness of the policy measures
and illiteracy, etc.

We need to understand the essence of the Protected areas for a long run. Sustainable Development has been a popular
topic and need of the hour to snatch the Earth from the verge of extinction. The reckless loss of biodiversity is destroying
the ecosystems of several places, leading to severe ecological imbalances. We need to work on ourselves to become
responsible citizens who can lead our nation towards a better and brighter future. And this can be the major ground
breaking step towards our dream.
6. Bibliography

1. fao.org/4/XII/0449-B3.htm

2. Protected Areas In India - Definition, Location, Management, Type, National Park & Biosphere Reserve -
UPSC Notes - PWOnlyIAS

3. Protected areas of India - Wikipedia

4. India’s Protected Area (PA) Network | Conservation India

5. Types of Protected Areas in India - GKToday